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PGA European Tour

The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe.[1] The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged 50 or older) and the developmental Challenge Tour; the second tier of men's professional golf in Europe. The tour's headquarters are at the Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. The European Tour was established by the British-based Professional Golfers' Association through the 1970s, and responsibility was transferred to an independent PGA European Tour organisation in 1984.[2]

PGA European Tour
Current season, competition or edition:
2024 European Tour
FormerlyVolvo Tour
PGA European Tour
PGA European Golf Tour
PGA European Tournament Players' Division
PGA Tournament Players' Division
PGA Tournament Players' Section
SportGolf
First season1972
CEOGuy Kinnings
DirectorDavid Williams (Chairman)
CountriesBased in Europe[a]
Most titlesOrder of Merit titles:
Colin Montgomerie (8)
Tournament wins:
Seve Ballesteros (50)
TV partner(s)Sky Sports (UK)
Golf Channel (United States)
Related
competitions
Challenge Tour
European Senior Tour
Safari Circuit
Official websitewww.europeantour.com

Most tournaments on the PGA European Tour's three tours are held in Europe, but starting in the 1980s an increasing number have been held in other parts of the world; in 2015 a majority of the ranking events on the European Tour were held outside Europe, though this included both Majors and World Golf Championship events that are ranking events for multiple tours. Europe-based events are nearly all played in Western Europe, with the most lucrative of them taking place in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and Spain.

The PGA European Tour is a golfer-controlled organisation whose primary purpose is to maximise the income of tournament golfers. It is a company limited by guarantee and is run by a professional staff but controlled by its playing members via a board of directors composed of 12 elected past and present tour players and a tournament committee of 14 current players. The chairman of the board is David Williams who replaced Neil Coles who had held the post for 38 years.[3] The chairman of the tournament committee is Thomas Bjørn.

The PGA European Tour is the lead partner in Ryder Cup Europe, a joint venture also including the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland and PGA of Europe that operates the Ryder Cup Matches in cooperation with the PGA of America. The PGA European Tour has a 60% interest in Ryder Cup Europe, with each of its junior partners holding 20%.[4]

In June 2023, it was announced that the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the European Tour would merge under a single organisation.[5]

History edit

Professional golf began in Europe, specifically in Scotland. The first professionals were clubmakers and greenkeepers who also taught golf to the wealthy men who could afford to play the game (early handmade equipment was expensive) and played "challenge matches" against one another for purses put up by wealthy backers. The first multi-competitor stroke play tournament was The Open Championship, which was introduced in 1860. Over the following decades, the number of golf tournaments offering prize money increased slowly but steadily. Most were in the United Kingdom, but there were also several "national opens" in various countries of Continental Europe.

In 1901, The Professional Golfers' Association was founded to represent the interests of professional golfers throughout Great Britain and Ireland, and it was this body that ultimately created the European Tour. As the tournament circuit grew, in 1937 the Harry Vardon Trophy was created to be awarded to the member of the PGA with the best stroke average in select major stroke play tournaments of the season. This would later become known as the Order of Merit, and at different times has been calculated using stroke average, a points system and money earned. Each year the PGA would determine which tournaments were to be included for the Order of Merit.

By the post-World War II period prize money was becoming more significant, with sponsors being attracted by the introduction of television coverage, and as such it was becoming more feasible for professional golfers to make a living by playing alone. In the United States a formal organised tour, which later became known as the PGA Tour, had been administered by the PGA of America since the 1930s. However even into the 1960s and 1970s, the majority of tournaments in Europe were still organised separately by the host golf club or association, or a commercial promoter.

In 1972 The Professional Golfers' Association created an integrated "European tour" with the inclusion of eight major tournaments in Continental Europe on their Order of Merit schedule. These tournaments were the French Open, which was first included in 1970; the Italian, Spanish, German and Swiss Opens, which were included in 1971; and the Dutch Open, the Madrid Open and the Lancia d'Oro tournament, which were included for the first time.[6] As such the 1972 season is now officially recognised as the first season of the PGA European Tour. For several years, the British PGA and continental circuits continued to run separately, each with their own Order of Merit. Following the example set in the United States, and having been threatened with a breakaway,[7] in 1975 the PGA agreed to amend their constitution giving the tournament side more autonomy with the formation of the Tournament Players Division.[8] In 1977 the Tournament Players Division joined with the Continental Tournament Players Association to become the European Tournament Players Division,[9][10][11] and the following year it was agreed with the European Golf Association that the Continental Order of Merit would be discontinued.[12]

In its early years the season ran for six months from April to October, and was based entirely in Europe, mainly in Great Britain and Ireland. Over the next three decades the tour gradually lengthened and globalised. The first event held outside Europe was the 1982 Tunisian Open.[2] That year, there were 27 tournaments and the season stretched into November for the first time. In 1984, the PGA European Tour became independent of The Professional Golfers' Association. The following year, the tour became "all-exempt" with the end of pre-qualifying for tournaments.[13]

The European Tour has always been sensitive to the risk that its best players will leave to play on the PGA Tour for many reasons. The PGA Tour usually offers higher purses and European players want to increase their chances of glory in the three majors played in the U.S. by playing on more U.S.-style courses to acclimate themselves. In an attempt to counter this phenomenon, the European Tour introduced the "Volvo Bonus Pool" in 1988. This was extra prize money which was distributed at the end of the season to the most successful players of the year—but only golfers who had played in a high number of the European Tour's events could receive a share. This system continued until 1998, after which renewed emphasis was placed on maximising prize money in individual tournaments.

In 1989, the tour visited Asia for the first time for the Dubai Desert Classic. By 1990, there were 38 events on the schedule, including 37 in Europe, and the start of the season had moved up to February. A first visit to East Asia for the Tour occurred at the 1992 Johnnie Walker Classic in Bangkok. This has since proven to be one of the most notable initiatives in the history of the tour, as East Asia is becoming almost its second home. Shortly afterwards the tour also made its debut in the former Soviet Bloc at the 1994 Czech Open, but much less has come of this development as participation in golf in the former Soviet region remains low and sponsors there are unable to compete financially with their Western European rivals for the limited number of slots available on the main tour each summer. However, the second-tier Challenge Tour has visited Central and Eastern Europe somewhat more frequently. In 1995, the European Tour began a policy of co-sanctioning tournaments with other PGA Tours, by endorsing the South African PGA Championship on the Southern African Tour (now the Sunshine Tour). This policy was extended to the PGA Tour of Australasia in 1996, and most extensively to the Asian Tour.

In 1998, the European Tour added the three U.S. majors – the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open – to its official schedule. The leading European Tour players had all been competing in them for many years, but now their prize money counted towards the Order of Merit (a year later for the Masters Tournament), which sometimes made a great deal of difference to the end-of-season rankings. The following year, in 1999, the World Golf Championships were established with the three individual tournaments, also offering substantially more prize money than most European events, added to the European Tour schedule.

Since the minimum number of events that a player must play to retain membership of the European Tour was eleven, the addition of the majors and WGCs meant that players could potentially become members, or retain membership, of the tour by playing just four other events. Players such as Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have taken advantage of this to play the PGA and European Tours concurrently. For the 2009 season, the minimum number of events required for members was increased to twelve;[14] this coincided with the elevation of the HSBC Champions, previously a European Tour event co-sanctioned by three other tours, to World Golf Championships status. The minimum increased to 13 in 2011, but beginning in 2013 team events such as the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup were allowed to count towards the minimum.[15] In 2016 the 13-event minimum was changed to five events, not counting the four majors and four WGCs;[16] while this change did not affect players eligible for all the majors and WGCs, it made it easier for players not eligible for these to retain European Tour membership while playing a full PGA Tour schedule. The minimum was reduced from five to four in 2018.[17]

In November 2021, the tour was retitled as the DP World Tour as part of a sponsorship agreement with Dubai-based DP World.[1]

Strategic alliance with the PGA Tour edit

In November 2020, the tour entered into a "strategic alliance" with the PGA Tour.[18] As part of the agreement, the PGA Tour acquired a 15% stake in European Tour Productions, the Scottish Open gained a new title sponsor and became co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour, and two regular PGA Tour tournaments also became co-sanctioned by the European Tour: the Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship.[19] There was also a new sponsor and increased prize fund for the Irish Open.[20] In June 2022, in response to the emergence of LIV Golf, the tours announced that the PGA Tour were increasing their stake to 40% and further changes to the tour, including increased prize funds and leading players in the DP World Tour Rankings gaining PGA Tour cards for the following season.[21]

Status and prize money edit

The European Tour is considered the second most important tour in men's golf, behind the United States-based PGA Tour, but retains significantly higher standing than other leading golf tours around the world. This status is reflected by the minimum world ranking points available in each tours respective tournaments, and prize money available. The total prize money available on the European Tour is approximately half that of the PGA Tour. However, this includes the majors and World Golf Championships, which are the most lucrative on the schedule, so the difference for regular tournaments is substantially higher. There is also much more variation in prize funds between tournaments on the European Tour than on the PGA Tour. Even though the prize funds of many European Tour events have increased rapidly since the late 1990s, especially with the introduction of the Race to Dubai and the Rolex Series, on occasion the European Tour has failed to attract as many leading players to its events as in the past, with even some of the top European players staying away.

For many players, the European Tour is seen as a stepping-stone to the PGA Tour.[22] During the late twentieth century, the European Tour was traditionally the first overseas move for outstanding players from non-European countries, particularly in the Commonwealth, long a major source for elite golfers, such as Greg Norman, Nick Price and Ernie Els.[23] These players tended to move to the PGA Tour as a second step. When Continental Europe produced its first global golf stars in the 1970s, such as Seve Ballesteros, and especially when Europe began to notch wins over the United States in the Ryder Cup in the mid-1980s, there was widespread optimism about the future standing of the European Tour relative to the PGA Tour. This has ebbed away as leading players continued to base themselves in the United States and several major European countries, such as Germany and Italy, have not regularly produced high-ranked golfers, as was formerly anticipated. Nonetheless, the number of European countries which have produced winners on the European Tour and PGA Tour has increased, with notable golfing depth developing in the Scandinavian countries.

However, since the late-1990s more young golfers from around the world are starting their careers directly in the United States, often having attended college as amateurs, usually with golf scholarships, before turning professional. Conversely, some young American players have sought to kick-start their professional careers in Europe, having failed to qualify for either PGA Tour or its development tour. For example, former world number one amateur, Peter Uihlein, announced in December 2011 that he would not return for his final semester at Oklahoma State University and would begin professional play in Europe the following month, both through sponsor's exemptions on the main European Tour and on the developmental Challenge Tour.[24] It is a route that has been successfully followed, most notably by multiple major winner Brooks Koepka.[23]

It has been claimed that the finances of the European Tour depend heavily on the Ryder Cup. Days before the start of the 2014 Ryder Cup, American golf journalist Bob Harig noted,

In simple terms, the European Tour loses money in non-Ryder Cup years, makes a tidy profit in years the event is played in the United States (where the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour, owns the event and reaps the majority of the income), and then hits the lottery in years the tournament is staged in Europe. Earlier this year, Golfweek reported that the European Tour made more than 14 million pounds in pre-tax profit in 2010, the last time the Ryder Cup was staged in Europe. A year later, when there was no Ryder Cup, it lost more than 2.2 million pounds.[4]

Harig also added that the PGA European Tour extracts significant concessions from Ryder Cup venues. The owners of the 2006 and 2010 venues (respectively Sir Michael Smurfit and Sir Terry Matthews) committed to hosting European Tour events at their venues for more than a decade after winning bidding, and guaranteed the purses for those tour events.[4]

The structure of the European Tour season edit

A typical season edit

Since 2000, with the exception of 2012, the season has actually started late in the previous calendar year, but the seasons are still named by calendar year, rather than for example 2005-06, which would reflect the actual span of play. All of the events up until late March take place outside Europe, with most of these being co-sanctioned with other tours. From then on, the tour plays mainly in Europe, and the events in its home continent generally have higher prize money than those held elsewhere, excluding the major championships, which were added to the tour schedule in 1998; three individual World Golf Championships events, added the following year, most of which take place in the United States; and the HSBC Champions, elevated to World Golf Championships status in 2009.

There are generally only minor variations in the overall pattern from one year to the next. Occasionally tournaments change venue, and quite often change name, particularly when they get a new sponsor, but the principal events have fixed and traditional places in the schedule, and this determines the rhythm of the season.

Race to Dubai edit

In 2009, the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai, with a bonus pool of US$7.5 million[25] (originally $10 million) distributed among the top 15 players at the end of the season, with the winner taking $1.5 million[25] (originally $2 million). The new name reflected the addition of a new season ending tournament, the Dubai World Championship, held at the end of November in Dubai. The tournament also had a $7.5 million prize fund[25] (originally $10 million), and was contested by the leading 60 players in the race following the season's penultimate event, the Hong Kong Open. The winner of the Race to Dubai also receives a ten-year European Tour exemption, while the winner of the Dubai World Championship receives a five-year exemption.[26][27][28] The reduction in prize money, announced in September 2009,[25] was due to the global economic downturn. In 2012, the bonus pool was reduced to $3.75 million with the winner getting $1 million and only the top 10 golfers getting a bonus.[29] The bonus pool was increased to $5 million in 2014 with the top 15 players earning part of the pool.[30][31] 2019 saw further changes: in 2018 the top 10 finishers on the Race to Dubai shared the bonus pool of $5 million, but as of 2019 the sum was split between only the leading five finishers. Whoever topped the standings received an additional $2 million compared with the $1.25 million won by Francesco Molinari in 2018. In addition, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai was cut to the top 50 golfers on the Race to Dubai list, the prize fund was kept at $8 million but the winner's share was increased to $3 million. This was designed to increase interest and player participation in the event.[32]

In November 2021, the Race to Dubai was renamed the DP World Tour Rankings in line with the tour being retitled as the DP World Tour. However, in November 2022, the tour announced that the Rankings would be reverted back to the Race to Dubai, starting from the 2023 season.[33]

Rolex Series edit

For the 2017 season, the European Tour launched the Rolex Series, a series of events with higher prize funds than regular tour events. The series began with eight events, each with a minimum prize fund of $7 million.[34][35]

Order of Merit winners edit

The European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit" until 2009, when it was replaced by the Race to Dubai. It is calculated in euro, although around half of the events have prize funds which are fixed in other currencies, mainly pounds sterling or U.S. dollars. In these instances, the amounts are converted into euro at the exchange rate for the week that the tournament is played. The winner of the Order of Merit receives the Harry Vardon Trophy, not to be confused with the Vardon Trophy awarded by the PGA of America.

Leading career money winners edit

The table below shows the top 10 career money leaders on the European Tour. Due to increases in prize money over the years, it is dominated by current players. The figures are not the players' complete career earnings as most of them have earned millions more on other tours (especially the PGA Tour) or from non-tour events. In addition, elite golfers often earn several times as much from endorsements and golf-related business interests as they do from prize money.

Rank Player Prize money ()
1   Rory McIlroy 50,662,455
2   Lee Westwood 38,825,014
3   Sergio García 30,100,249
4   Justin Rose 29,719,311
5   Henrik Stenson 28,799,867
6   Pádraig Harrington 28,039,965
7   Ernie Els 27,532,921
8   Ian Poulter 27,227,025
9   Jon Rahm 27,101,756
10   Tommy Fleetwood 26,937,546

As of 10 December 2023.[36]

Awards edit

Golfer of the Year edit

The European Tour Golfer of the Year was an award handed by a panel comprising members of the Association of Golf Writers and commentators from television and radio. The award was created in 1985 and lasted until 2020, when it merged with the Players' Player of the Year award in 2021.[37]

Players' Player of the Year edit

The European Tour Players' Player of the Year was inaugurated in 2008, with the winner being determined by a vote of tour members. In 2017 the award was renamed as the Seve Ballesteros Award in honour of the legendary Spanish golfer.[38][39][40] From 2021 onwards, the Seve Ballesteros Award merged with the Golfer of the Year award, creating one singular honour voted for by the players.[37]

Rookie of the Year edit

The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award is named after the English three-time Open Champion Sir Henry Cotton. Originally chosen by Henry Cotton himself, the winner was later selected by a panel consisting of the PGA European Tour, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the Association of Golf Writers. It is currently given to the rookie who places highest in the Race to Dubai.[41] The award was first presented in 1960, and thus predates the official start of the tour in 1972.[42] There have been five years when no award was made.

Graduate of the Year edit

The European Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year was inaugurated in 2013 and is awarded to the highest ranked player in the Race to Dubai who graduated from the Challenge Tour in the previous season.[43]

Winners edit

Year Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Graduate of the Year
2023   Adrian Meronk   Ryo Hisatsune   Daniel Hillier
2022   Ryan Fox   Thriston Lawrence No award
2021   Jon Rahm   Matti Schmid
Year Golfer of the Year Players' Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Graduate of the Year
2020   Lee Westwood (4)   Lee Westwood (2)   Sami Välimäki   Antoine Rozner
2019   Jon Rahm   Jon Rahm   Robert MacIntyre   Robert MacIntyre
2018   Francesco Molinari   Francesco Molinari   Shubhankar Sharma   Erik van Rooyen
2017   Sergio García   Tommy Fleetwood   Jon Rahm   Dylan Frittelli
2016   Henrik Stenson (2)   Henrik Stenson (2)   Wang Jeung-hun   Nacho Elvira
2015   Rory McIlroy (3)   Rory McIlroy (3)   An Byeong-hun   An Byeong-hun
2014   Rory McIlroy (2)   Rory McIlroy (2)   Brooks Koepka   Brooks Koepka
2013   Henrik Stenson   Henrik Stenson   Peter Uihlein   Justin Walters
2012   Rory McIlroy   Rory McIlroy   Ricardo Santos No award
2011   Luke Donald   Luke Donald   Tom Lewis
2010   Martin Kaymer and
  Graeme McDowell (shared)
  Martin Kaymer   Matteo Manassero
2009   Lee Westwood (3)   Lee Westwood   Chris Wood
2008   Pádraig Harrington (2)   Pádraig Harrington   Pablo Larrazábal
2007   Pádraig Harrington No award   Martin Kaymer
2006   Paul Casey   Marc Warren
2005   Michael Campbell   Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño
2004   Vijay Singh   Scott Drummond
2003   Ernie Els (3)   Peter Lawrie
2002   Ernie Els (2)   Nick Dougherty
2001   Retief Goosen   Paul Casey
2000   Lee Westwood (2)   Ian Poulter
1999   Colin Montgomerie (4)   Sergio García
1998   Lee Westwood   Olivier Edmond
1997   Colin Montgomerie (3)   Scott Henderson
1996   Colin Montgomerie (2)   Thomas Bjørn
1995   Colin Montgomerie   Jarmo Sandelin
1994   Ernie Els   Jonathan Lomas
1993   Bernhard Langer (2)   Gary Orr
1992   Nick Faldo (3)   Jim Payne
1991   Seve Ballesteros (3)   Per-Ulrik Johansson
1990   Nick Faldo (2)   Russell Claydon
1989   Nick Faldo   Paul Broadhurst
1988   Seve Ballesteros (2)   Colin Montgomerie
1987   Ian Woosnam   Peter Baker
1986   Seve Ballesteros   José María Olazábal
1985   Bernhard Langer   Paul Thomas
1984 No award   Philip Parkin
1983   Grant Turner
1982   Gordon Brand Jnr
1981   Jeremy Bennett
1980   Paul Hoad
1979   Mike Miller
1978   Sandy Lyle
1977   Nick Faldo
1976   Mark James
1975 No award
1974   Carl Mason
1973   Pip Elson
1972   Sam Torrance
1971   David Llewellyn
1970   Stuart Brown
1969   Peter Oosterhuis
1968   Bernard Gallacher
1967 No award
1966   Robin Liddle
1965 No award
1964
1963   Tony Jacklin
1962 No award
1961   Alex Caygill
1960   Tommy Goodwin

Multiple winners – Golfer of the Year edit

Chief Executives edit

Since the tour's formation in 1972, there have been five Chief Executives. They are as follows:[44]

Television edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Schedules have also included events in Asia, Africa, Australasia, South America and North America.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "A new era in global golf': European Tour to be renamed DP World Tour". The Guardian. 9 November 2021. from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b . PGA European Tour. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. ^ "European Tour appoints first non-professional chairman". BBC Sport. 2 December 2013. from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Harig, Bob (23 September 2014). "At Ryder Cup, follow the money". ESPN. from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  5. ^ "PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf agree to stunning merger". Sky Sports. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Extra £32,000 at stake for Britons". The Times. 7 December 1971. p. 10. Retrieved 24 February 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  7. ^ "British players may leave PGA". The Times. 15 July 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 25 February 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  8. ^ Ryde, Peter (28 November 1975). "More liberty gained by the freedom fighters". The Times. p. 13. Retrieved 25 February 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  9. ^ Corcoran, Michael (2010). Duel in the Sun. Simon and Schuster. p. 103. ISBN 978-1439141922.
  10. ^ Green, Robert (1987). Golf: an illustrated history of the game. Willow. p. 108. ISBN 0002182610.
  11. ^ Ryde, Peter (21 December 1976). "Hitting £1m mark is merely keeping pace with inflation". The Times. p. 10. Retrieved 25 February 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  12. ^ "Poor financial reward for regular players". The Times. 5 April 1978. p. 15. Retrieved 25 February 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  13. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (26 July 1984). "Satellite tour takes off". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, Scotland. p. 15. Retrieved 7 June 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  14. ^ "European Tour increases minimum tournament requirement". Golf Today. 1 October 2008. from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  15. ^ Hoggard, Rex (10 October 2012). "Pres. Cup, Ryder Cup, Seve Trophy to count for Euro Tour". Golf Channel.
  16. ^ Medlock, Will (17 November 2015). "European Tour unveil big changes for 2016". Golf Monthly.
  17. ^ "Changes Made to Ryder Cup Qualification Process". Ryder Cup Europe. 8 January 2017. from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  18. ^ Carter, Iain (27 November 2020). "PGA Tour and European Tour reach agreement on closer working alliance". BBC Sport. from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  19. ^ Casey, Phil (3 August 2021). "Three tournaments next year to be co-sanctioned by European Tour and PGA Tour". The Independent. from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  20. ^ "The Irish Open prize money will increase to €5 million from 2022". the42. 3 August 2021. from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  21. ^ Carter, Iain (28 June 2022). "LIV Golf: DP World & PGA Tours strengthen partnership to combat Saudi-funded series". BBC Sport. from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Rory McIlroy says the European Tour is a stepping stone to playing on the PGA Tour". BBC Sport. 2 January 2019. from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  23. ^ a b Schupak, Adam (23 May 2018). "American Success on the European Tour". The New York Times. from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Eyes on Europe, Peter Uihlein turns pro". ESPN. Associated Press. 19 December 2011. from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  25. ^ a b c d "Dubai tourney winnings cut 25 percent". ESPN. 21 September 2009. from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  26. ^ "US boss welcomes European windfall". BBC Sport. 21 November 2007. from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  27. ^ . European Tour. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  28. ^ "Euro Tour Unveils Race to Dubai". Golf Channel. 19 November 2007.
  29. ^ Ballengee, Ryan (5 January 2012). "Race to Dubai bonus pool slashed in half for 2012". Golf Channel. from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  30. ^ "Race to Dubai Extended to 2017". PGA European Tour. 17 November 2013. from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  31. ^ "New qualifying format for Final Series". ESPN. Associated Press. 17 March 2014. from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  32. ^ Carter, Iain (13 February 2019). "Race to Dubai: Biggest top prize in golf of £2.3m announced by European Tour". BBC Sport. from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  33. ^ "The DP World Tour Rankings to become the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex for the 2023 season". European Tour. 21 November 2022. from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  34. ^ "European Tour Launches the Rolex Series". PGA European Tour. 15 November 2016. from the original on 9 May 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  35. ^ "HNA Group named title sponsor of the Open de France". PGA European Tour. 9 January 2017. from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  36. ^ "Career Money List". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  37. ^ a b "Jon Rahm wins 2021 Seve Ballesteros Award". European Tour. 16 February 2022. from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Fitting legacy as Seve Ballesteros' name goes on top award". The Scotsman. 15 March 2017. from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  39. ^ "Players' Player of the Year Award renamed The Seve Ballesteros Award". European Tour. 15 March 2017. from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  40. ^ "Rahm receives 2019 Seve Ballesteros Award". European Tour. 19 February 2020. from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  41. ^ "Sharma leads the race for European Tour Rookie of the Year". European Tour. 31 October 2018. from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  42. ^ "Anglo-Scot gains Special Prize". The Glasgow Herald. 18 October 1960. p. 6.
  43. ^ "Justin Walters named as inaugural Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year". European Tour. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  44. ^ "Guy Kinnings becomes European Tour Group CEO". European Tour. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.

External links edit

  • Official website  

european, tour, european, tour, redirects, here, other, uses, european, tour, disambiguation, european, tour, currently, titled, world, tour, sponsorship, reasons, legally, european, tour, group, leading, professional, golf, tour, europe, organisation, also, o. European Tour redirects here For other uses see European Tour disambiguation The European Tour currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group is the leading men s professional golf tour in Europe 1 The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour for players aged 50 or older and the developmental Challenge Tour the second tier of men s professional golf in Europe The tour s headquarters are at the Wentworth Club in Virginia Water Surrey England The European Tour was established by the British based Professional Golfers Association through the 1970s and responsibility was transferred to an independent PGA European Tour organisation in 1984 2 PGA European TourCurrent season competition or edition 2024 European TourFormerlyVolvo TourPGA European TourPGA European Golf TourPGA European Tournament Players DivisionPGA Tournament Players DivisionPGA Tournament Players SectionSportGolfFirst season1972CEOGuy KinningsDirectorDavid Williams Chairman CountriesBased in Europe a Most titlesOrder of Merit titles Colin Montgomerie 8 Tournament wins Seve Ballesteros 50 TV partner s Sky Sports UK Golf Channel United States RelatedcompetitionsChallenge TourEuropean Senior TourSafari CircuitOfficial websitewww wbr europeantour wbr com Most tournaments on the PGA European Tour s three tours are held in Europe but starting in the 1980s an increasing number have been held in other parts of the world in 2015 a majority of the ranking events on the European Tour were held outside Europe though this included both Majors and World Golf Championship events that are ranking events for multiple tours Europe based events are nearly all played in Western Europe with the most lucrative of them taking place in the United Kingdom Ireland Germany France and Spain The PGA European Tour is a golfer controlled organisation whose primary purpose is to maximise the income of tournament golfers It is a company limited by guarantee and is run by a professional staff but controlled by its playing members via a board of directors composed of 12 elected past and present tour players and a tournament committee of 14 current players The chairman of the board is David Williams who replaced Neil Coles who had held the post for 38 years 3 The chairman of the tournament committee is Thomas Bjorn The PGA European Tour is the lead partner in Ryder Cup Europe a joint venture also including the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland and PGA of Europe that operates the Ryder Cup Matches in cooperation with the PGA of America The PGA European Tour has a 60 interest in Ryder Cup Europe with each of its junior partners holding 20 4 In June 2023 it was announced that the PGA Tour LIV Golf and the European Tour would merge under a single organisation 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 Strategic alliance with the PGA Tour 2 Status and prize money 3 The structure of the European Tour season 3 1 A typical season 3 2 Race to Dubai 3 3 Rolex Series 4 Order of Merit winners 5 Leading career money winners 6 Awards 6 1 Golfer of the Year 6 2 Players Player of the Year 6 3 Rookie of the Year 6 4 Graduate of the Year 6 5 Winners 6 6 Multiple winners Golfer of the Year 7 Chief Executives 8 Television 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External linksHistory editProfessional golf began in Europe specifically in Scotland The first professionals were clubmakers and greenkeepers who also taught golf to the wealthy men who could afford to play the game early handmade equipment was expensive and played challenge matches against one another for purses put up by wealthy backers The first multi competitor stroke play tournament was The Open Championship which was introduced in 1860 Over the following decades the number of golf tournaments offering prize money increased slowly but steadily Most were in the United Kingdom but there were also several national opens in various countries of Continental Europe In 1901 The Professional Golfers Association was founded to represent the interests of professional golfers throughout Great Britain and Ireland and it was this body that ultimately created the European Tour As the tournament circuit grew in 1937 the Harry Vardon Trophy was created to be awarded to the member of the PGA with the best stroke average in select major stroke play tournaments of the season This would later become known as the Order of Merit and at different times has been calculated using stroke average a points system and money earned Each year the PGA would determine which tournaments were to be included for the Order of Merit By the post World War II period prize money was becoming more significant with sponsors being attracted by the introduction of television coverage and as such it was becoming more feasible for professional golfers to make a living by playing alone In the United States a formal organised tour which later became known as the PGA Tour had been administered by the PGA of America since the 1930s However even into the 1960s and 1970s the majority of tournaments in Europe were still organised separately by the host golf club or association or a commercial promoter In 1972 The Professional Golfers Association created an integrated European tour with the inclusion of eight major tournaments in Continental Europe on their Order of Merit schedule These tournaments were the French Open which was first included in 1970 the Italian Spanish German and Swiss Opens which were included in 1971 and the Dutch Open the Madrid Open and the Lancia d Oro tournament which were included for the first time 6 As such the 1972 season is now officially recognised as the first season of the PGA European Tour For several years the British PGA and continental circuits continued to run separately each with their own Order of Merit Following the example set in the United States and having been threatened with a breakaway 7 in 1975 the PGA agreed to amend their constitution giving the tournament side more autonomy with the formation of the Tournament Players Division 8 In 1977 the Tournament Players Division joined with the Continental Tournament Players Association to become the European Tournament Players Division 9 10 11 and the following year it was agreed with the European Golf Association that the Continental Order of Merit would be discontinued 12 In its early years the season ran for six months from April to October and was based entirely in Europe mainly in Great Britain and Ireland Over the next three decades the tour gradually lengthened and globalised The first event held outside Europe was the 1982 Tunisian Open 2 That year there were 27 tournaments and the season stretched into November for the first time In 1984 the PGA European Tour became independent of The Professional Golfers Association The following year the tour became all exempt with the end of pre qualifying for tournaments 13 The European Tour has always been sensitive to the risk that its best players will leave to play on the PGA Tour for many reasons The PGA Tour usually offers higher purses and European players want to increase their chances of glory in the three majors played in the U S by playing on more U S style courses to acclimate themselves In an attempt to counter this phenomenon the European Tour introduced the Volvo Bonus Pool in 1988 This was extra prize money which was distributed at the end of the season to the most successful players of the year but only golfers who had played in a high number of the European Tour s events could receive a share This system continued until 1998 after which renewed emphasis was placed on maximising prize money in individual tournaments In 1989 the tour visited Asia for the first time for the Dubai Desert Classic By 1990 there were 38 events on the schedule including 37 in Europe and the start of the season had moved up to February A first visit to East Asia for the Tour occurred at the 1992 Johnnie Walker Classic in Bangkok This has since proven to be one of the most notable initiatives in the history of the tour as East Asia is becoming almost its second home Shortly afterwards the tour also made its debut in the former Soviet Bloc at the 1994 Czech Open but much less has come of this development as participation in golf in the former Soviet region remains low and sponsors there are unable to compete financially with their Western European rivals for the limited number of slots available on the main tour each summer However the second tier Challenge Tour has visited Central and Eastern Europe somewhat more frequently In 1995 the European Tour began a policy of co sanctioning tournaments with other PGA Tours by endorsing the South African PGA Championship on the Southern African Tour now the Sunshine Tour This policy was extended to the PGA Tour of Australasia in 1996 and most extensively to the Asian Tour In 1998 the European Tour added the three U S majors the Masters Tournament the PGA Championship and the U S Open to its official schedule The leading European Tour players had all been competing in them for many years but now their prize money counted towards the Order of Merit a year later for the Masters Tournament which sometimes made a great deal of difference to the end of season rankings The following year in 1999 the World Golf Championships were established with the three individual tournaments also offering substantially more prize money than most European events added to the European Tour schedule Since the minimum number of events that a player must play to retain membership of the European Tour was eleven the addition of the majors and WGCs meant that players could potentially become members or retain membership of the tour by playing just four other events Players such as Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have taken advantage of this to play the PGA and European Tours concurrently For the 2009 season the minimum number of events required for members was increased to twelve 14 this coincided with the elevation of the HSBC Champions previously a European Tour event co sanctioned by three other tours to World Golf Championships status The minimum increased to 13 in 2011 but beginning in 2013 team events such as the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup were allowed to count towards the minimum 15 In 2016 the 13 event minimum was changed to five events not counting the four majors and four WGCs 16 while this change did not affect players eligible for all the majors and WGCs it made it easier for players not eligible for these to retain European Tour membership while playing a full PGA Tour schedule The minimum was reduced from five to four in 2018 17 In November 2021 the tour was retitled as the DP World Tour as part of a sponsorship agreement with Dubai based DP World 1 Strategic alliance with the PGA Tour edit In November 2020 the tour entered into a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour 18 As part of the agreement the PGA Tour acquired a 15 stake in European Tour Productions the Scottish Open gained a new title sponsor and became co sanctioned by the PGA Tour and two regular PGA Tour tournaments also became co sanctioned by the European Tour the Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship 19 There was also a new sponsor and increased prize fund for the Irish Open 20 In June 2022 in response to the emergence of LIV Golf the tours announced that the PGA Tour were increasing their stake to 40 and further changes to the tour including increased prize funds and leading players in the DP World Tour Rankings gaining PGA Tour cards for the following season 21 Status and prize money editThe European Tour is considered the second most important tour in men s golf behind the United States based PGA Tour but retains significantly higher standing than other leading golf tours around the world This status is reflected by the minimum world ranking points available in each tours respective tournaments and prize money available The total prize money available on the European Tour is approximately half that of the PGA Tour However this includes the majors and World Golf Championships which are the most lucrative on the schedule so the difference for regular tournaments is substantially higher There is also much more variation in prize funds between tournaments on the European Tour than on the PGA Tour Even though the prize funds of many European Tour events have increased rapidly since the late 1990s especially with the introduction of the Race to Dubai and the Rolex Series on occasion the European Tour has failed to attract as many leading players to its events as in the past with even some of the top European players staying away For many players the European Tour is seen as a stepping stone to the PGA Tour 22 During the late twentieth century the European Tour was traditionally the first overseas move for outstanding players from non European countries particularly in the Commonwealth long a major source for elite golfers such as Greg Norman Nick Price and Ernie Els 23 These players tended to move to the PGA Tour as a second step When Continental Europe produced its first global golf stars in the 1970s such as Seve Ballesteros and especially when Europe began to notch wins over the United States in the Ryder Cup in the mid 1980s there was widespread optimism about the future standing of the European Tour relative to the PGA Tour This has ebbed away as leading players continued to base themselves in the United States and several major European countries such as Germany and Italy have not regularly produced high ranked golfers as was formerly anticipated Nonetheless the number of European countries which have produced winners on the European Tour and PGA Tour has increased with notable golfing depth developing in the Scandinavian countries However since the late 1990s more young golfers from around the world are starting their careers directly in the United States often having attended college as amateurs usually with golf scholarships before turning professional Conversely some young American players have sought to kick start their professional careers in Europe having failed to qualify for either PGA Tour or its development tour For example former world number one amateur Peter Uihlein announced in December 2011 that he would not return for his final semester at Oklahoma State University and would begin professional play in Europe the following month both through sponsor s exemptions on the main European Tour and on the developmental Challenge Tour 24 It is a route that has been successfully followed most notably by multiple major winner Brooks Koepka 23 It has been claimed that the finances of the European Tour depend heavily on the Ryder Cup Days before the start of the 2014 Ryder Cup American golf journalist Bob Harig noted In simple terms the European Tour loses money in non Ryder Cup years makes a tidy profit in years the event is played in the United States where the PGA of America not the PGA Tour owns the event and reaps the majority of the income and then hits the lottery in years the tournament is staged in Europe Earlier this year Golfweek reported that the European Tour made more than 14 million pounds in pre tax profit in 2010 the last time the Ryder Cup was staged in Europe A year later when there was no Ryder Cup it lost more than 2 2 million pounds 4 Harig also added that the PGA European Tour extracts significant concessions from Ryder Cup venues The owners of the 2006 and 2010 venues respectively Sir Michael Smurfit and Sir Terry Matthews committed to hosting European Tour events at their venues for more than a decade after winning bidding and guaranteed the purses for those tour events 4 The structure of the European Tour season editCurrent season 2024 European Tour A typical season edit Since 2000 with the exception of 2012 the season has actually started late in the previous calendar year but the seasons are still named by calendar year rather than for example 2005 06 which would reflect the actual span of play All of the events up until late March take place outside Europe with most of these being co sanctioned with other tours From then on the tour plays mainly in Europe and the events in its home continent generally have higher prize money than those held elsewhere excluding the major championships which were added to the tour schedule in 1998 three individual World Golf Championships events added the following year most of which take place in the United States and the HSBC Champions elevated to World Golf Championships status in 2009 There are generally only minor variations in the overall pattern from one year to the next Occasionally tournaments change venue and quite often change name particularly when they get a new sponsor but the principal events have fixed and traditional places in the schedule and this determines the rhythm of the season Race to Dubai edit In 2009 the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai with a bonus pool of US 7 5 million 25 originally 10 million distributed among the top 15 players at the end of the season with the winner taking 1 5 million 25 originally 2 million The new name reflected the addition of a new season ending tournament the Dubai World Championship held at the end of November in Dubai The tournament also had a 7 5 million prize fund 25 originally 10 million and was contested by the leading 60 players in the race following the season s penultimate event the Hong Kong Open The winner of the Race to Dubai also receives a ten year European Tour exemption while the winner of the Dubai World Championship receives a five year exemption 26 27 28 The reduction in prize money announced in September 2009 25 was due to the global economic downturn In 2012 the bonus pool was reduced to 3 75 million with the winner getting 1 million and only the top 10 golfers getting a bonus 29 The bonus pool was increased to 5 million in 2014 with the top 15 players earning part of the pool 30 31 2019 saw further changes in 2018 the top 10 finishers on the Race to Dubai shared the bonus pool of 5 million but as of 2019 the sum was split between only the leading five finishers Whoever topped the standings received an additional 2 million compared with the 1 25 million won by Francesco Molinari in 2018 In addition the DP World Tour Championship Dubai was cut to the top 50 golfers on the Race to Dubai list the prize fund was kept at 8 million but the winner s share was increased to 3 million This was designed to increase interest and player participation in the event 32 In November 2021 the Race to Dubai was renamed the DP World Tour Rankings in line with the tour being retitled as the DP World Tour However in November 2022 the tour announced that the Rankings would be reverted back to the Race to Dubai starting from the 2023 season 33 Rolex Series edit Main article Rolex Series For the 2017 season the European Tour launched the Rolex Series a series of events with higher prize funds than regular tour events The series began with eight events each with a minimum prize fund of 7 million 34 35 Order of Merit winners editMain article Harry Vardon Trophy The European Tour s money list was known as the Order of Merit until 2009 when it was replaced by the Race to Dubai It is calculated in euro although around half of the events have prize funds which are fixed in other currencies mainly pounds sterling or U S dollars In these instances the amounts are converted into euro at the exchange rate for the week that the tournament is played The winner of the Order of Merit receives the Harry Vardon Trophy not to be confused with the Vardon Trophy awarded by the PGA of America Leading career money winners editThe table below shows the top 10 career money leaders on the European Tour Due to increases in prize money over the years it is dominated by current players The figures are not the players complete career earnings as most of them have earned millions more on other tours especially the PGA Tour or from non tour events In addition elite golfers often earn several times as much from endorsements and golf related business interests as they do from prize money Rank Player Prize money 1 nbsp Rory McIlroy 50 662 455 2 nbsp Lee Westwood 38 825 014 3 nbsp Sergio Garcia 30 100 249 4 nbsp Justin Rose 29 719 311 5 nbsp Henrik Stenson 28 799 867 6 nbsp Padraig Harrington 28 039 965 7 nbsp Ernie Els 27 532 921 8 nbsp Ian Poulter 27 227 025 9 nbsp Jon Rahm 27 101 756 10 nbsp Tommy Fleetwood 26 937 546 As of 10 December 2023 36 Awards editGolfer of the Year edit The European Tour Golfer of the Year was an award handed by a panel comprising members of the Association of Golf Writers and commentators from television and radio The award was created in 1985 and lasted until 2020 when it merged with the Players Player of the Year award in 2021 37 Players Player of the Year edit The European Tour Players Player of the Year was inaugurated in 2008 with the winner being determined by a vote of tour members In 2017 the award was renamed as the Seve Ballesteros Award in honour of the legendary Spanish golfer 38 39 40 From 2021 onwards the Seve Ballesteros Award merged with the Golfer of the Year award creating one singular honour voted for by the players 37 Rookie of the Year edit The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award is named after the English three time Open Champion Sir Henry Cotton Originally chosen by Henry Cotton himself the winner was later selected by a panel consisting of the PGA European Tour The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the Association of Golf Writers It is currently given to the rookie who places highest in the Race to Dubai 41 The award was first presented in 1960 and thus predates the official start of the tour in 1972 42 There have been five years when no award was made Graduate of the Year edit The European Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year was inaugurated in 2013 and is awarded to the highest ranked player in the Race to Dubai who graduated from the Challenge Tour in the previous season 43 Winners edit Year Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Graduate of the Year 2023 nbsp Adrian Meronk nbsp Ryo Hisatsune nbsp Daniel Hillier 2022 nbsp Ryan Fox nbsp Thriston Lawrence No award 2021 nbsp Jon Rahm nbsp Matti Schmid Year Golfer of the Year Players Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Graduate of the Year 2020 nbsp Lee Westwood 4 nbsp Lee Westwood 2 nbsp Sami Valimaki nbsp Antoine Rozner 2019 nbsp Jon Rahm nbsp Jon Rahm nbsp Robert MacIntyre nbsp Robert MacIntyre 2018 nbsp Francesco Molinari nbsp Francesco Molinari nbsp Shubhankar Sharma nbsp Erik van Rooyen 2017 nbsp Sergio Garcia nbsp Tommy Fleetwood nbsp Jon Rahm nbsp Dylan Frittelli 2016 nbsp Henrik Stenson 2 nbsp Henrik Stenson 2 nbsp Wang Jeung hun nbsp Nacho Elvira 2015 nbsp Rory McIlroy 3 nbsp Rory McIlroy 3 nbsp An Byeong hun nbsp An Byeong hun 2014 nbsp Rory McIlroy 2 nbsp Rory McIlroy 2 nbsp Brooks Koepka nbsp Brooks Koepka 2013 nbsp Henrik Stenson nbsp Henrik Stenson nbsp Peter Uihlein nbsp Justin Walters 2012 nbsp Rory McIlroy nbsp Rory McIlroy nbsp Ricardo Santos No award 2011 nbsp Luke Donald nbsp Luke Donald nbsp Tom Lewis 2010 nbsp Martin Kaymer and nbsp Graeme McDowell shared nbsp Martin Kaymer nbsp Matteo Manassero 2009 nbsp Lee Westwood 3 nbsp Lee Westwood nbsp Chris Wood 2008 nbsp Padraig Harrington 2 nbsp Padraig Harrington nbsp Pablo Larrazabal 2007 nbsp Padraig Harrington No award nbsp Martin Kaymer 2006 nbsp Paul Casey nbsp Marc Warren 2005 nbsp Michael Campbell nbsp Gonzalo Fernandez Castano 2004 nbsp Vijay Singh nbsp Scott Drummond 2003 nbsp Ernie Els 3 nbsp Peter Lawrie 2002 nbsp Ernie Els 2 nbsp Nick Dougherty 2001 nbsp Retief Goosen nbsp Paul Casey 2000 nbsp Lee Westwood 2 nbsp Ian Poulter 1999 nbsp Colin Montgomerie 4 nbsp Sergio Garcia 1998 nbsp Lee Westwood nbsp Olivier Edmond 1997 nbsp Colin Montgomerie 3 nbsp Scott Henderson 1996 nbsp Colin Montgomerie 2 nbsp Thomas Bjorn 1995 nbsp Colin Montgomerie nbsp Jarmo Sandelin 1994 nbsp Ernie Els nbsp Jonathan Lomas 1993 nbsp Bernhard Langer 2 nbsp Gary Orr 1992 nbsp Nick Faldo 3 nbsp Jim Payne 1991 nbsp Seve Ballesteros 3 nbsp Per Ulrik Johansson 1990 nbsp Nick Faldo 2 nbsp Russell Claydon 1989 nbsp Nick Faldo nbsp Paul Broadhurst 1988 nbsp Seve Ballesteros 2 nbsp Colin Montgomerie 1987 nbsp Ian Woosnam nbsp Peter Baker 1986 nbsp Seve Ballesteros nbsp Jose Maria Olazabal 1985 nbsp Bernhard Langer nbsp Paul Thomas 1984 No award nbsp Philip Parkin 1983 nbsp Grant Turner 1982 nbsp Gordon Brand Jnr 1981 nbsp Jeremy Bennett 1980 nbsp Paul Hoad 1979 nbsp Mike Miller 1978 nbsp Sandy Lyle 1977 nbsp Nick Faldo 1976 nbsp Mark James 1975 No award 1974 nbsp Carl Mason 1973 nbsp Pip Elson 1972 nbsp Sam Torrance 1971 nbsp David Llewellyn 1970 nbsp Stuart Brown 1969 nbsp Peter Oosterhuis 1968 nbsp Bernard Gallacher 1967 No award 1966 nbsp Robin Liddle 1965 No award 1964 1963 nbsp Tony Jacklin 1962 No award 1961 nbsp Alex Caygill 1960 nbsp Tommy Goodwin Multiple winners Golfer of the Year edit Rank Player Wins First win Last win T1 nbsp Colin Montgomerie 4 1995 1999 nbsp Lee Westwood 4 1998 2020 T3 nbsp Seve Ballesteros 3 1986 1991 nbsp Ernie Els 3 1994 2003 nbsp Nick Faldo 3 1989 1992 nbsp Rory McIlroy 3 2012 2015 T7 nbsp Padraig Harrington 2 2007 2008 nbsp Bernhard Langer 2 1985 1993 nbsp Henrik Stenson 2 2013 2016Chief Executives editSince the tour s formation in 1972 there have been five Chief Executives They are as follows 44 John Jacobs 1972 1975 Ken Schofield 1975 2004 George O Grady 2005 2015 Keith Pelley 2015 2024 Guy Kinnings 2024 present Television editFrance Canal Sport Germany Sky Deutschland Italy Sky Italia Portugal Sport TV Spain Movistar Golf United Kingdom and Ireland Sky Sports Americas Golf Channel Poland Czech Republic Slovakia Golf Channel Balkans Sportklub Middle East and North Africa Golflife Sub Saharan Africa SuperSport China CCTV Japan Golf Network Korea JTBC Golf India Sony TEN Thailandia Malaysia Golf Channel Singapore StarHub Hong Kong Now Sports Scandinavia Viasat Golf Vietnam VTVCab Australia Fox Sport New Zealand Sky Sport NZSee also editList of golfers with most European Tour wins Ladies European Tour the top European women s professional tour Notes edit Schedules have also included events in Asia Africa Australasia South America and North America References edit a b A new era in global golf European Tour to be renamed DP World Tour The Guardian 9 November 2021 Archived from the original on 9 November 2021 Retrieved 9 November 2021 a b Tour History PGA European Tour Archived from the original on 12 January 2015 Retrieved 2 March 2015 European Tour appoints first non professional chairman BBC Sport 2 December 2013 Archived from the original on 12 February 2014 Retrieved 12 February 2018 a b c Harig Bob 23 September 2014 At Ryder Cup follow the money ESPN Archived from the original on 24 September 2014 Retrieved 26 September 2014 PGA Tour DP World Tour and LIV Golf agree to stunning merger Sky Sports 6 June 2023 Retrieved 6 June 2023 Extra 32 000 at stake for Britons The Times 7 December 1971 p 10 Retrieved 24 February 2020 via The Times Digital Archive British players may leave PGA The Times 15 July 1975 p 10 Retrieved 25 February 2020 via The Times Digital Archive Ryde Peter 28 November 1975 More liberty gained by the freedom fighters The Times p 13 Retrieved 25 February 2020 via The Times Digital Archive Corcoran Michael 2010 Duel in the Sun Simon and Schuster p 103 ISBN 978 1439141922 Green Robert 1987 Golf an illustrated history of the game Willow p 108 ISBN 0002182610 Ryde Peter 21 December 1976 Hitting 1m mark is merely keeping pace with inflation The Times p 10 Retrieved 25 February 2020 via The Times Digital Archive Poor financial reward for regular players The Times 5 April 1978 p 15 Retrieved 25 February 2020 via The Times Digital Archive Jacobs Raymond 26 July 1984 Satellite tour takes off The Glasgow Herald Glasgow Scotland p 15 Retrieved 7 June 2020 via Google News Archive European Tour increases minimum tournament requirement Golf Today 1 October 2008 Archived from the original on 18 November 2016 Retrieved 14 July 2017 Hoggard Rex 10 October 2012 Pres Cup Ryder Cup Seve Trophy to count for Euro Tour Golf Channel Medlock Will 17 November 2015 European Tour unveil big changes for 2016 Golf Monthly Changes Made to Ryder Cup Qualification Process Ryder Cup Europe 8 January 2017 Archived from the original on 25 July 2017 Retrieved 14 July 2017 Carter Iain 27 November 2020 PGA Tour and European Tour reach agreement on closer working alliance BBC Sport Archived from the original on 10 November 2021 Retrieved 10 November 2021 Casey Phil 3 August 2021 Three tournaments next year to be co sanctioned by European Tour and PGA Tour The Independent Archived from the original on 10 November 2021 Retrieved 10 November 2021 The Irish Open prize money will increase to 5 million from 2022 the42 3 August 2021 Archived from the original on 3 August 2021 Retrieved 3 August 2021 Carter Iain 28 June 2022 LIV Golf DP World amp PGA Tours strengthen partnership to combat Saudi funded series BBC Sport Archived from the original on 28 June 2022 Retrieved 29 June 2022 Rory McIlroy says the European Tour is a stepping stone to playing on the PGA Tour BBC Sport 2 January 2019 Archived from the original on 24 February 2020 Retrieved 24 February 2020 a b Schupak Adam 23 May 2018 American Success on the European Tour The New York Times Archived from the original on 24 February 2020 Retrieved 24 February 2020 Eyes on Europe Peter Uihlein turns pro ESPN Associated Press 19 December 2011 Archived from the original on 28 December 2011 Retrieved 27 December 2011 a b c d Dubai tourney winnings cut 25 percent ESPN 21 September 2009 Archived from the original on 3 November 2012 Retrieved 21 September 2009 US boss welcomes European windfall BBC Sport 21 November 2007 Archived from the original on 17 December 2008 Retrieved 12 November 2008 Race to Dubai European Tour Archived from the original on 9 December 2008 Retrieved 12 November 2008 Euro Tour Unveils Race to Dubai Golf Channel 19 November 2007 Ballengee Ryan 5 January 2012 Race to Dubai bonus pool slashed in half for 2012 Golf Channel Archived from the original on 8 January 2012 Retrieved 5 November 2013 Race to Dubai Extended to 2017 PGA European Tour 17 November 2013 Archived from the original on 11 January 2014 Retrieved 18 November 2013 New qualifying format for Final Series ESPN Associated Press 17 March 2014 Archived from the original on 19 March 2014 Retrieved 19 March 2014 Carter Iain 13 February 2019 Race to Dubai Biggest top prize in golf of 2 3m announced by European Tour BBC Sport Archived from the original on 7 July 2019 Retrieved 7 July 2019 The DP World Tour Rankings to become the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex for the 2023 season European Tour 21 November 2022 Archived from the original on 21 November 2022 Retrieved 21 November 2022 European Tour Launches the Rolex Series PGA European Tour 15 November 2016 Archived from the original on 9 May 2017 Retrieved 15 March 2017 HNA Group named title sponsor of the Open de France PGA European Tour 9 January 2017 Archived from the original on 12 January 2017 Retrieved 15 March 2017 Career Money List PGA European Tour Retrieved 12 December 2023 a b Jon Rahm wins 2021 Seve Ballesteros Award European Tour 16 February 2022 Archived from the original on 20 March 2023 Retrieved 19 April 2023 Fitting legacy as Seve Ballesteros name goes on top award The Scotsman 15 March 2017 Archived from the original on 25 June 2020 Retrieved 22 June 2020 Players Player of the Year Award renamed The Seve Ballesteros Award European Tour 15 March 2017 Archived from the original on 21 June 2020 Retrieved 22 June 2020 Rahm receives 2019 Seve Ballesteros Award European Tour 19 February 2020 Archived from the original on 22 June 2020 Retrieved 22 June 2020 Sharma leads the race for European Tour Rookie of the Year European Tour 31 October 2018 Archived from the original on 19 November 2018 Retrieved 19 November 2018 Anglo Scot gains Special Prize The Glasgow Herald 18 October 1960 p 6 Justin Walters named as inaugural Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year European Tour 22 May 2014 Retrieved 30 August 2023 Guy Kinnings becomes European Tour Group CEO European Tour 2 April 2024 Retrieved 2 April 2024 External links editOfficial website nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title PGA European Tour amp oldid 1216931300 Race to Dubai, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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