European Tour tempts players with biggest prize in golf

The European Tour has announced the biggest tournament prize in golf with a $3m cheque for the winner of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, in November. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

THE climax to the 2019 European Tour season will see the largest first prize in the history of tournament golf on offer – a cheque for $3m.

In a bid to keep Europe’s leading players on this side of the Atlantic for the tour’s key events, the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, played at Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates, from November 21-24, will now see the winner pocket a cheque for US$3 million – up significantly from the US$1.33 million won by Danny Willett, in November.

The DP World Tour Championship is also the final Rolex Series event of the season and the two Rolex Series events preceding it on the schedule – the Turkish Airlines Open (November 7-10) and the Nedbank Golf Challenge (November 14-17) – will also see their first prizes increase substantially.

The field for the Race to Dubai climax will be cut from the top 60 to the top 50 and the preceding two Rolex events will also have smaller fields making it harder for players “on the bubble” to qualify for the tour’s biggest pay day of the year.

The winner of the Turkish Airlines Open will now go home with US$2 million (up from the US$1.16 million won by Justin Rose in 2018).

And the Nedbank Golf Challenge champion will receive a cheque to the tune of US$2.5 million – up from the US$1.25 million won by Lee Westwood last year.

The overall prize fund for the three events will remain the same (Turkey – US$7m; Nedbank – US$7.5m; Dubai – US$8m) with the balance of the field playing for a US$5 million prize fund.

With positions on The Race to Dubai now determined on points, they will also rise significantly.

The total number available at each tournament will be:–

•9,000 at the Turkish Airlines Open (up from 7,000)
•10,000 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge (up from 7,500)
•12,000 at the DP World Tour Championship (up from 8,000).

The leading 70 players from the Race to Dubai will play in Turkey, the leading 60 competing in South Africa, with only the leading 50 heading for Dubai.

The final change is in relation to the bonus pool which is distributed at the end of the season.

It will now be divided among the top five players in the Race to Dubai instead of the top 10 – with the 2019 winner claiming US$2 million, up from the US$1.25 million claimed by Francesco Molinari last year.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “The changes we have announced in terms of enhanced winner’s cheques, Race to Dubai points and bonus pool dividend are designed to increase the excitement around the end of the season for our fans, as well as encourage greater top player participation in our final three events.

“Had these additional Race to Dubai points been available over the past five years – on average between five and 16 players would have come to our final event with a chance of winning the Race to Dubai.”

In addition, an average of 43 players would have had the chance to earn bonus pool money at the end of the season – considerably higher than was actually the case in those years.

Mr Pelley added: “With the revised prize money breakdown and the extra Race to Dubai points in place for 2019, this provides a tremendous incentive for our players.”