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LPGA Tour

Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America

Gaby Lopez tees off at the final round of the 2020 KPMG Women's PGA Championship (Source: Getty)
Gaby Lopez tees off at the final round of the 2020 KPMG Women's PGA Championship (Source: Getty)

GABY LOPEZ OUT TO DEFEND TITLE AT #DIAMONDLPGA

At the 2020 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, Gaby Lopez knocked in a 25-foot birdie putt on the seventh playoff hole to capture her second career LPGA Tour victory. After Inbee Park fell out of the playoff with a bogey on the third hole, Lopez and Nasa Hataoka needed four more holes to decide the victor, waiting overnight to Lopez to capture the win on a chilly Monday morning.  

One year later, the Mexico City native cannot help but have a smile on her face as she looks back to her win, with big hopes of doing it all over again.

“It’s very special to me to be able to come back to Orlando, to be able to come back and share with the celebrities,” said Lopez, who will tee off No. 1 at 9:50 a.m. alongside World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam and two-time DRTOC celebrity winner and MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz. “I think we have an amazing opportunity to learn from huge minds that we don’t get to ever speak to directly this often.”

This year, Lopez comes to Central Florida in perhaps the best shape of her life. It is a marked difference from 2020, where Lopez competed in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions battling through chronic neck pain.

“I feel probably the strongest I’ve ever felt in my career, so that’s probably the biggest advantage in me,” said Lopez, who also contracted COVID-19 in July 2020. “So to me, that has been tremendous. To have this year healthy, stronger, and a little faster in my club swing I think is such a blessing as well.”

SOPHIA POPOV A BRIGHT STAR IN A CELEBRITY FIELD

It’s her kind of event. Not only has Sophia Popov never met a stranger, she is the kind of magnetic media starlet who causes other celebrities to stop and pay attention. At the practice area at the Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club on Wednesday, Popov putted for just under an hour, greeting a plethora of MLB stars as if they were old friends, even though she quite clearly had no idea who they were. Then she waited in front of a Golf Channel camera for what seemed like an eternity to do a Golf Today hit with Shane Bacon and Damon Hack. She aced it like a veteran television host, which she has been in her native Germany at various times in her career

Then there was practice, a pretty intense session next to former NBA great Grant Hill who seemed far more starstruck and intimidated by Popov than she did by anything going on around her. Even Larry the Cable Guy riding his pitching wedge like a hobby horse up and down the range couldn’t rattle the 2020 AIG Women’s Open champion. One big infectious smile and she was back at it.

AIG noticed. The multinational insurance company is a Popov sponsor now. Others are on the way.

Personality makes up a big part of her appeal. As she joked in her Wednesday press conference with the media (after the practice and other obligations), “Yeah, so as you can tell, I’m a really anti-social person. I don’t talk a lot at all.” Another huge smile and laugh, the kind that makes you lean in. “No, I talk a lot as it is in regular tournament play – sorry to all my fellow competitors out there; beware.”

BROOKE HENDERSON AIMING TO START NEW WINNING STREAK

Looking purely at the statistics, the Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando seems to be the perfect set-up for Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson. The nine-time LPGA Tour winner is a combined -20 here over the last two seasons. And while her low scores haven’t yet translated to victory (T4 in 2020 and T6 in 2019), she still loves it when she steps foot on the property.

“It’s just a really great week. It’s a great golf course,” said Henderson. “Just getting to know some of the celebrities and playing with them, they’re really great golfers. It’s just a great way to start the season.”

The 23-year-old has lots to be excited about in her seventh year on Tour, one that will hopefully be more normal when compared to 2020. Henderson has historically played in as many events as she possibly could, absolutely relishing the opportunity to compete. The COVID-19 pandemic altered her plans in 2020, leading her to skip more events than she would have liked. It also ended her streak of consecutive seasons with a win at five. So starting a new winning streak? That’s one of her big priorities for 2021.

“It was a really huge change for me, normally playing almost 30 events to only play 10,” said Henderson. “I’ve sat down with my dad, who is also my coach, and looked through the schedule. It’s hard to say right now, especially with COVID. Hopefully I’ll be able to compete in many more tournaments and hopefully get back on to my winning streak.

(Text: LPGA Press Release)

Categories
European Tour

McIlroy aiming to get the job done in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlory begins his 2021 season with high ambitions. (Photo: Getty)

Four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy hopes to continue his strong run of form at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he starts his 2021 season at the first Rolex Series event of the year.

In ten appearances  the Northern Irishman has finished runner-up three times and third on three further occasions, admitting that he has done “everything but win” around Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The 31-year-old is no stranger to success in the Middle East, claiming four of his 14 European Tour titles in the United Arab Emirates as well as winning the Race to Dubai three times.

McIlroy will begin his campaign in the company of defending champion and reigning European Number One Lee Westwood, and  World Number Three Justin Thomas. The 2017 US PGA Championship winner admits he has been an avid viewer of the tournament in the past as he prepares to make his first appearance in the Middle East.

Former champion Tommy Fleetwood will go in search of a third win in the space of five years at this event. After a near three and a half year wait for his second European Tour title, Fleetwood won the 2017 edition which he then successfully defended the following year. In 2020, he finished runner-up to Westwood.

Rory McIlroy: “It’s good to be back. I started my season in Abu Dhabi from 2008 to 2018 and it’s worked well for me. It’s a golf course I’ve done well at and played well on. I’ve done everything but win here and yeah, I’ll try again and see if I can get the job done.

“I enjoy playing in the desert, this style of golf. Obviously last year was a different year and I really didn’t travel back over this part of the world and play at all. But now with things, it’s still obviously not where we want it to be, but I think we know a little bit more about what’s going on in terms of how the virus is and how it affects you or how it doesn’t affect you in many cases and feel a little more comfortable traveling.

“It’s great to be out here and playing. It’s a great way to start the year. It’s a big event. Got some great players here. Obviously J.T. has made the trip over, as well. The start of our Ryder Cup points starting again, so a lot of guys will want to start well and get themselves off to a fast start in regards to that, too.”

Justin Thomas: “I’m very excited. This is a tournament and a place that I’ve watched on TV many times back home and it’s an unbelievable place. You know, it’s even nicer being on a Troon property for me, a partner that I have and I’m very close with, and it’s an unbelievable course. It’s in immaculate shape.

“It definitely is going to help driving it well. It seems like a course that if you’re driving the ball well, you have the opportunity to make a lot of birdies. The greens are pretty soft and they are in very good shape to where if you put the ball in the right place on the greens, you can make a lot of putts and really go low. That’s kind of been our priority here this week is just figuring out lines, figuring out shots and what I want to hit off the tees.”

Tommy Fleetwood: “I think it’s a great way to start the year. Everybody seems to like coming out to the Middle East just after Christmas and New Year, do some practise, and you come out here and you have some great tournaments to start the year.

“It was never really a course that gave me much pleasure, really. I missed a lot of cuts to start off with and all of the sudden in 2017, things kind of turned around and I started hitting good golf shots around the golf course. I’ve been on a lovely run in this event.”

Text: European Tour Press Release

Categories
European Tour

Returning Champion Westwood eager to restart the Race

Westwood taking a winning swing on last year's tour. (Source: Getty)

Reigning Race to Dubai Champion Lee Westwood begins 2021 with the defence of his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title this week, and the 47-year-old feels as ready as ever for the challenge ahead in the opening Rolex Series event of the season.

The Englishman kicked off his historic 2020 campaign with the second Rolex Series victory of his career, courtesy of a two-stroke triumph over Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Victor Perez at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

That win helped propel Westwood to history, kick-starting a remarkable season which culminated in him becoming the oldest player to be crowned European Tour Number One, at the conclusion of the Race to Dubai almost exactly one month ago. Unsurprisingly, the ten-time Ryder Cup player is brimming with confidence on his return to the Middle East.

The man Westwood dethroned last year, winner of the 2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Shane Lowry, is also returning with high hopes. The reigning Open Champion is targeting a return to his best form as the European Points List re-starts in the race for qualification to Padraig Harrington’s 2021 European Ryder Cup team. 

Lee Westwood:  “It’s always good coming back to a tournament and a venue where you’ve won before. You have that little bit of confidence. I played the back nine today. I was walking up on to that 18th green and the last time I was there was when I was winning the tournament last year. It’s always a confidence booster when you come back to somewhere where you’ve won, you’re familiar with and feel like you can score well. Other than the win last year, I’ve had some good performances here. It’s a golf course that sets up well for me.

“I feel good. I came out early to the Middle East to do some pre-season. Can’t do anything at home at the moment because the golf courses are closed, and the weather is no good. 

“My game feels in good shape, I don’t feel like I’ve had much of an off-season. The year finished so late last year and we’ve started early this year. I feel in good shape and driving the ball well and putting feels good. I was saying to Helen this morning that I’ve done everything, I’m getting bored and I wish it was Thursday.”

Shane Lowry:  “I think if I get another win on the board and head to America in September and win the Ryder Cup that’s my goal for the year, to focus on myself and try and get another win on the board soon enough and then hopefully go to Whistling Straits in September and bring back the Ryder Cup to Europe. Obviously I want to make the team but I also want to go out there and win as well, stamp my name on that part of golf.

“Obviously I’ve had some success here in the past, in 2019. I didn’t play here for quite a few years so it was nice to come back that year and then win in my first trip back for a while. I like the tournament and I like the place but I haven’t played a tournament in definitely eight weeks, maybe more.

“The fact that we’re all competing, and we’re here in Abu Dhabi this year with the prize fund gone up a million dollars. It’s incredible what both Tours have done, the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and it’s great to be back playing and doing our jobs, and it has been for around six months now. I’d be fairly optimistic in thinking everything will go ahead, it’s just how much of a level of normality will it be, who knows.”

Text: European Tour Press Release

Categories
European Challenge Tour Live

South African Swing postponed

Christiaan Bezuidenhout tees-off in Sun City at the South African Open in Dec 2020. (Source: Getty)

The European Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour today jointly confirmed the postponement of the three co-sanctioned tournaments in South Africa.

Following thorough consultation with the medical teams from both Tours, it has been agreed to reschedule the three co-sanctioned events, that were due to take place in February, until later in the year.

The Challenge Tour’s ‘South African Swing’ will now begin in the week of 22-25 April. An announcement will be made shortly regarding this tournament and its venue. This will be followed by the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club from 29 April – 2 May, and then the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt Golf Estate from 6-9 May.

Jamie Hodges, Head of Challenge Tour, said: “The decision to postpone these events follows consultation with all stakeholders and was made with the health and well-being of all players and staff as our absolute priority. 

“I want to express our thanks to the Sunshine Tour, and each of the tournament venues, sponsors and stakeholders for their flexibility and understanding of this situation. We greatly appreciate our partnership with our friends at the Sunshine Tour and look forward to co-sanctioning the three events later this year.”

Thomas Abt, Sunshine Tour Commissioner, said: “In light of the current worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases and after consultation with our own health experts and GolfRSA and its Risk Mitigation Strategy, we believe it is the most responsible course of action to postpone these tournaments.

“The safety of our members as well as our staff is our primary concern. I’d like to thank the Challenge Tour as well as our own Sunshine Tour Board of Directors and sponsors for their guidance, patience and understanding amidst what remains a very fluid situation for world golf.”

Text: European Tour Press Release, 13/01/2021

Categories
LPGA Tour

LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan to Step Down in 2021

Mike Whan leaves LPGA following record performance in 2020 (Source: Getty)

“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 6, 2021 – After completing his 11th year as LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan has notified the LPGA Board of Directors that he has made the difficult decision to transition out of the LPGA in 2021. While no firm date has been set for his departure, this announcement begins the start of a thorough and thoughtful Commissioner succession process.

Whan shared his decision today with LPGA staff, Members and sponsors in the attached letter, including the following messages:

“When I first joined the LPGA, I told the Board it would be a four-year term, giving me time to help the organization achieve its immediate goals. Now, as the longest-serving LPGA Commissioner, I look back on these 11 years with enormous pride and satisfaction at what we’ve accomplished together to provide opportunities for women to achieve their dreams in golf.

“You may be wondering why I’ve made the decision to step down – and why now? In many ways, this past year – with all the pandemic challenges – was also the LPGA’s most triumphant. We are entering 2021 on a wave of momentum – a strong schedule with record purses, new events/sponsors, double-digit viewership growth, and a talented team that demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience and capability to lead through challenging times.

“I simply wouldn’t leave the LPGA if I thought the future was uncertain or not trending straight up. In fact, even after the challenges we faced in 2020, the LPGA has NEVER been more financially secure, deeper in leadership talent, or more anchored by passionate, diverse sponsors from all around the world. The LPGA is poised for even greater heights; and as such, I’m excited to hand the baton to the next leader and become their biggest supporter.

“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught me anything, it was that the LPGA executive staff has full control of our business and is capable of incredible things. We have leaders who are visionary, compassionate, collaborative and humble. You may not agree with every decision they make, but they have led our Tours to new heights virtually every year.”

LPGA Board Chair Diane Gulyas said, “Mike Whan has been a transformational leader of the LPGA and we’ve been fortunate to retain him for 11 years. When he told of me of his intention to step down this year, I had two reactions: First, can we persuade him to stay? And, when that wasn’t possible, to fully respect his decision and begin a seamless transition.

“Mike’s leadership legacy will be felt for years: in the LPGA’s financial strength and value proposition; in its global reach; in the breadth of programs and services it now offers for women and girls in golf; and in the diversity and quality of companies wanting to partner with the LPGA. He has effectively guided the LPGA through a range of economic cycles and challenges, including the COVID 19 pandemic. And, he has been the voice of our Association and its commitment to opportunities for women in golf.”

“Mike has absolutely been the right leader at the right time,” said Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, the LPGA Tour’s Player President. “He rebuilt the Tour – and then reimagined its future – by bringing new events, new sponsors and a new value proposition around diversity and inclusion to the LPGA. He has that rare ability to get people of all ages and backgrounds excited and on board with his vision. We’re grateful for his leadership over these 11 years and know he’ll remain an advocate for the LPGA long after he departs.”

Marvol Barnard, President of the LPGA’s 1,800 teaching Professionals, said, “When Mike joined the LPGA in 2010, we were essentially a Tour and a Teaching division. Today, we are a bigger, broader, integrated organization dedicated to women in golf of all ages and abilities. Mike will always be an incredibly important person in the history of the LPGA Professionals, and we will always be grateful for his leadership, vision and guidance.”

Gulyas said the Board will establish a Commissioner Selection and Transition Committee and consider candidates from the LPGA’s talented executive staff as well from outside the organization. “It’s clear the LPGA today is a very different Association than the one Mike joined in 2010,” said Gulyas. “Our commitment to the LPGA – and all of our stakeholders – is to find the right leader to guide the Association through this next chapter in its storied history. 

“We are so grateful for Mike’s passion and leadership of the LPGA over more than a decade of service as our Commissioner. He will leave the LPGA well positioned for continued success, with an outstanding team of leaders and a strong and sustained culture – Act Like A Founder – that will endure for years to come.”    

(Text: LPGA Press Release 06/01/2021)

Categories
European Tour

Westwood named European Tour Golfer of the Year

Lee Westwood is European Tour "Golfer of the Year". (Picture:Getty)
Lee Westwood is European Tour "Golfer of the Year". (Picture:Getty)

The 47-year-old Englishman began the season with victory in the year’s first Rolex Series event, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January, and ended it by winning the Race to Dubai after finishing runner up to Matt Fitzpatrick in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai earlier this month.

In between those two standout performances, he showed remarkable consistency, missing only one cut in 15 European Tour appearances and recording six consecutive top 20 finishes from the ISPS Handa UK Championship in August to the Scottish Championship presented by AXA in October.

The ten time Ryder Cup player also hosted the Betfred British Masters for the second time at Close House in July, with the tournament marking the full resumption of the European Tour’s 2020 season following a three month pause due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Westwood made history in Abu Dhabi when he became the first active golfer to win across four separate decades by claiming his 25th European Tour title.

The former World Number One entered the record books again in the Middle East at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai as he birdied two of the last three holes in the season-finale to secure solo second place, becoming only the sixth player to win the Harry Vardon Trophy three times or more since the European Tour came into existence in 1972.

He was previously crowned European Number One in 2000 and 2009, with the span of 20 years between his first and most recent Harry Vardon trophy surpassing the previous record of 15 years held by Seve Ballesteros. His longevity was further underlined by the fact he also became the oldest winner of the Race to Dubai at the age of 47 years, seven months and 20 days.

Westwood has now added his fourth European Tour Golfer of the Year award to that list of achievements, having also claimed the honour in 1998, 2000 and 2009. He was chosen as the 2020 recipient by a panel comprising members of the golf media. 

Lee Westwood said: “I am very honoured and extremely flattered to have been named European Tour Golfer of the Year as I know the competition for the award this year would have been extremely high. 

“Thank you to the media for voting for me and also huge congratulations again to everyone at the European Tour who did a tremendous job this year managing to put on a full International schedule under such difficult times. 

“I never forget that I am extremely fortunate to do a job which I love, and which has sent me around the world playing in the most amazing places and meeting some wonderful people, so to win this award is very humbling.            

 “I am looking forward to the 2021 season, the 28th season of my career, which I will start by defending at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.” 

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer of the European Tour, said: “Lee has been an incredible ambassador for golf and for the European Tour, not just throughout 2020 but also across his entire career.

“His performances and his professionalism are matched by his longevity and his commitment to European golf. For Lee to call shortly before our resumption and ask what he could do to help the Tour is testament to the person and the player he is. 

“To then go on to become the European Tour’s Number One player for a third time, 20 years after he first achieved that accolade, was a storybook way to end this most challenging of years. Lee is therefore a thoroughly deserving winner of the European Tour’s Golfer of the Year award.”

Panel Member James Corrigan, Golf Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, said: “Lee Westwood is the worthy recipient on his golf alone – winning the Race to Dubai having prevailed in Abu Dhabi and racking up another seven top 20s. Yet the fact that he lifted his third Harry Vardon Trophy as a 47-year-old, 20 years after his first, makes his candidature all the more irresistible.

“He has been incredibly loyal to his home circuit and as Matt Fitzpatrick said in Dubai: “Lee is the definition of this tour.” 

(European Tour)

Categories
Highlights Tours

European Ryder Cup Qualification Process to resume in the new Year

Ryder Cup Qualifikation starts in January. (Photo: Getty)
Ryder Cup Qualifikation starts in January. (Photo: Getty)

The European Tour today confirmed that the qualification process for next year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin will resume on January 1, 2021 and conclude at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday September 12, 2021.

The process, which began at last September’s BMW PGA Championship, was suspended after the conclusion of the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in March this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which shut down the European Tour at that point.

Upon the Tour’s resumption in July, and due to the fractured nature of the season, it was decided then to freeze the Ryder Cup points for the remainder of the year although all points gained prior to the suspension still counted.

However, to recognise the in-form European players around the world, when the qualification process resumes next month it will feature a new weighting as the season progresses, a specific request from European Captain Pádraig Harrington that was ratified by the Tour’s Tournament Committee.

Firstly, all Race to Dubai and Official World Golf Ranking points earned between January 1 and May 9 will be multiplied by 1.5. This means that the Sentry Tournament of Champions on the PGA TOUR (Jan 7-10) will restart the World Points List while the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (January 21-24) will do the same for the European Points List.

Furthermore, all points earned from the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett, which concludes on May 12, through to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, ending on September 12, will be multiplied by 2.

The 12-man European Team will comprise the first four players from the European Points List, followed by the leading five players from the World Points List. Captain Harrington then has three wild card picks to complete his line-up, a decision which will be unveiled in the week after the 2021 BMW PGA Championship.

European Captain Pádraig Harrington said: “I am delighted to see the qualification campaign getting back underway next month. The weighting of the points will further reward our in-form players and will give added interest to what already looks like an exciting season ahead.

“I have been keeping a keen eye on all European players in action on both sides of the Atlantic in recent months and have been very encouraged by what I have seen. I look forward to seeing how that form translates into points on the two respective lists in the coming months.”

Similar to the process for The 2018 Ryder Cup, qualification points will not be available anywhere in the world from a tournament played opposite a Rolex Series event – excluding Challenge Tour tournaments – nor from the 2021 Men’s Olympic Golf Tournament.

Tommy Fleetwood, who made his Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018, currently leads the European Points list, while Tyrrell Hatton, who also made his first Ryder Cup appearance in Paris is currently the first qualifier from the World Points List.

The 43rd edition of The Ryder Cup will be played on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin from September 21-26, 2021. 

Categories
European Tour

Major Champions McIlroy and Thomas to tee it up in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas tee off at the Abu Dhabi Championship on the European Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas tee off at the Abu Dhabi Championship on the European Tour. (Photo: Getty)

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, both Major Champions and Ryder Cup superstars, have confirmed their participation at the 16th edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship from January 21-24, 2021.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will mark the first Rolex Series event on the 2021 Race to Dubai, with a world-class international field set to assemble at the iconic Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

McIlroy, the current World Number Four, will be looking to start the year off on a high note when he returns to Abu Dhabi for the first time since 2018. The Northern Irishman has finished second on four occasions in his quest to lift the Falcon Trophy and will be hoping he can go one better when he returns in January. 

“I’m looking forward to coming back to Abu Dhabi,” said former World Number One McIlroy. “It’s always a great event for the players and it’s the perfect place for me to start the 2021 season. Abu Dhabi Golf Club is a world-class golf course, one that I have come close to winning on several times over the years, so hopefully I can do well again and be right up there contending come Sunday.”

World Number Three Thomas, who recently recorded his best result at Augusta National when he finished fourth at the Masters Tournament, will make his debut in the Middle East at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The 27-year-old has become a prolific winner on the global golf stage with 13 victories to his name, his most recent coming at the 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, and will make his third Rolex Series appearance having previously teed it up in France and Scotland. 

“I’m excited to play for the first time in Abu Dhabi,” said Thomas. “I’ve heard really great things about the course and with it being the first Rolex Series tournament of the year, I’m sure it is going to deliver a strong field. I enjoy new challenges, I like playing different golf courses around the world, and competing against the best players in the game, so of course I have my eye on trying to take home the Falcon Trophy.”

His Excellency Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome back Rory McIlroy to Abu Dhabi for our award-winning Championship and we are thrilled to host Justin Thomas for the first time as he makes his debut in the UAE at this prestigious tournament. Abu Dhabi is a global capital of world sport and the presence of players such as these only strengthens that position and reinforces our esteemed reputation.”

Abdulfattah Sharaf, CEO of HSBC UAE commented: “The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is one of golf’s premium tournaments with an unwavering ability to attract the world’s best players. Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas are two of golf’s most exciting superstars, and will help the event continue to play its vital role in shaping the future of golf in the region by inspiring the next generation.”

First staged in 2006, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is hosted at the iconic Abu Dhabi Golf Club for the 16th consecutive year from January 21-24, 2021.        

Categories
European Tour

EUROPEAN TOUR ANNOUNCES EXPANSIVE GLOBAL 2021 SCHEDULE

(Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Getty)

The European Tour today announces its 2021 schedule which will feature a minimum of 42 tournaments in 24 countries, as golf’s global Tour resumes a full international programme.

Running from January to November, the schedule also features 18 returning tournaments which were either postponed or cancelled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The 2021 season is headlined by a refined Rolex Series which now features the European Tour’s four premium events spread across key points in the global golfing calendar, each one enhanced by a prize fund increase, elevated Race to Dubai points and enriched media, content and broadcast coverage.

Launched in 2017, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Rolex’s enduring partnership with the European Tour, the Rolex Series highlights the Swiss watch manufacturer’s ongoing commitment to the sport at the highest level.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (January 21-24), the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (July 8-11) and the BMW PGA Championship (September 9-12) will each now have a prize fund of US$8million – an increase of $1million. They will also all have 8,000 Race to Dubai points available, the same as on offer at the four World Golf Championship events.

There will also be new opportunities for all players to qualify for both the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship with three places now available from respective mini orders of merit based on a series of European Tour events leading up to them. Full details of these will be announced in due course.

The prize fund for the fourth and final Rolex Series event of the season – the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – also increases by US$1million to US$9million. The European Tour season-ending finale will also continue to feature the largest winner’s cheque in the world of golf – US$3million – with, additionally, 12,000 Race to Dubai points available, some 2,000 points above those on offer at the four Major Championships.

While not in a position to announce the prize funds for all 2021 tournaments at this stage, some key points are:

  • Prize funds for all four UK Swing events in July / August will be increased
  • The second event of the UK Swing (July 29-Aug 1) – whose details will be announced early next year – will be co-sanctioned with the LET/LPGA
  • The UK Swing will have a Bonus Pool for the players in addition to a charity element
  • Prize funds for the new tournaments in Tenerife and Gran Canaria in April will each be €1.5million. The Portugal Masters, which follows these two events, will also increase to €1.5million 
  • Prize fund for the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett will rise to €2million from €1.25million 
  • Prize funds for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Italian Open will each rise to €3million, from €1.25million and €1million respectively

In addition to increased prize fund levels, the 2021 European Tour season also offers considerable playing opportunities across the 11 months with a schedule intended to reduce travelling wherever possible. 

Illustrating that point, in addition to the traditional group of tournaments in the Middle East at the start of the year, the schedule also includes the return of the Iberian Swing in April and the UK Swing in July and August, which follows on from the run of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and The Open Championship. Also next to each other on the schedule are the Open de España and the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters in Spain in the first two weeks of October followed by the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco the following week.

Keith Pelley (Photo: Getty)

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “I am incredibly proud to announce our 2021 global schedule today, one that once again sees us journey through continents and across the world.

“With the pursuit of Ryder Cup points beginning again in January for our European members; qualification spots now available for our Rolex Series events; a sustained pursuit of innovation and a continued celebration of our wonderful heritage, it is understandable that our overarching narrative for this season is that: ‘Every Week Counts.’

“There is no question that the challenge of reshaping our 2020 season in many ways informed our approach to 2021. One of the key learnings was to group events together in terms of their geographical location to create a more travel friendly season for our members. That is reflected in numerous concentrations of event locations. 

“Another was to continue to enhance our Rolex Series events at strategic points in the global golfing calendar when the European Tour will be the focal point of golf on the world stage. This is one of the many aspects we will continue to develop in our Strategic Alliance discussions with the PGA Tour, following our historic partnership announcement last month. 

“Our events in the initial part of the 2021 season will continue to operate under the guidelines of our world-class Health Strategy, which will evolve aligned to the latest medical advice.

“However, with the incredible progress that has been made in recent months in terms of a vaccine, we look forward to hopefully welcoming the gradual return of the fans we’ve so dearly missed, whilst at the same time continuing to entertain viewers at home through our unrivalled World Feed TV output and across our award-winning digital platforms.” 

(Press Release European Tour)

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European Tour

Reed eyes double Dubai glory

Patrick Reed aims to become the first american to win the European Tour. (Picture: Getty)
Patrick Reed aims to become the first american to win the European Tour. (Picture: Getty)

Tournament Preview

The 2018 Masters Tournament winner heads into the final Rolex Series event of the season with a 460 point advantage over Englishman and fellow Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood – who is in the hunt for a second Race to Dubai title following his momentous year in 2017.

As it stands Reed, Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, and two-time European Number One Lee Westwood, are guaranteed to claim the Race to Dubai crown with victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates.  

Morikawa is also excited by the prospect of winning not only the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, and a first Rolex Series title, but topping the Race to Dubai Rankings in a season in which he captured his maiden Major title at the US PGA Championship. The 22 year old is already planning to spend more time on this side of the Atlantic no matter the outcome over the Earth Course this week, having signed up for European Tour membership in 2021.

It truly is all to play for as the 2020 season reaches a thrilling climax. Outside of the top four players, for four others – Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Victor Perez, Aaron Rai and Tyrrell Hatton – Race to Dubai glory is guaranteed if they take the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, title and Reed doesn’t finish solo second.

However, with 2,000 of the 12,000 points on offer going to the winner, there is still a mathematical chance that any of the leading 60 available players on the Race to Dubai standings, and Joost Luiten in 72nd position, could take the ultimate prize at the end of the week.

Player quotes

Patrick Reed: “Just to be over here, be back playing on The European Tour is always a treat for me, and to be in the position that I’m in, being the leader coming in, is an awesome feeling.

“I feel comfortable with the way the game is right now. I feel good going into tomorrow, and it’s just one of those things that it’s last event of the year. It’s a sprint. Go out there and leave it all out there and play as hard as you can and hopefully by late Sunday, we have a chance to win not only the tournament but The Race to Dubai.

“It would definitely be up there near the top (of the career achievements). You know it’s always been a dream of mine to not only win on the PGA Tour but also on The European Tour, and to win the FedExCup as well as The Race to Dubai. To be able to get one of those goals that I’ve had set for my career, especially this early, would be great.”

Tommy Fleetwood: “I think for all the guys that made it here, it’s a great end to the year. I mean, individually, it’s a massive event and then of course you’ve got the added part of the Race to Dubai on there, as well, which is massive.

“It’s another year where I’ve got both to look at and I’ve got the enjoyment of playing for both, which is exciting. I kind of like that I’m getting used to that over the last few years and hopefully I can keep that going.

“It’s the perfect way to end off the year. It’s the end of what’s been a difficult year for everyone, really, but we’ve been very lucky having a lot of events and having a chance to play. There’s a lot of things to be pleased about in the golf world this year, as well.”

Collin Morkikawa: “I think winning The Race to Dubai would mean a lot for my career, for myself. Huge confidence boost. There’s a lot in between now and Sunday that has to happen, but winning The Race to Dubai would mean a lot because I want my game to travel. I want to be a world player. I want to be able to bring my game anywhere, adapt to the different places I come to and this is just the first step of doing that.

“Obviously with a shortened season, winning the PGA Championship helped a lot and I hope to make it more out here because it is exciting. I signed up for membership for next year already because I want to play out here. I’m very thankful for the path that I’ve taken so far but this week means a lot. It’s a big week. I came here after some good rest after the Masters and really prepped, fresh mind and look forward to the week.”

(European Tour)