New look for 2016 European Tour Final Series

The European Tour today unveiled a new look Final Series as part of The 2016 Race to Dubai, with the Nedbank Golf Challenge forming part of a revamped three-tournament end of season swing.
Picture: GettyPicture: Getty
Picture: Getty

Since its inception in 2013, the Final Series has comprised four tournaments, but from next year the WGC-HSBC Champions will no longer be included, with the tournament instead joining the WGC-Cadillac Championship and the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship as part of the regular Race to Dubai season.

That move means the 2016 Final Series will begin with the $7million Turkish Airlines Open from November 3-6 followed by the $7million Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City, in South Africa, from November 10-13, before The Race to Dubai once again concludes with the $8million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, from November 17-20.

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The global schedule for the eighth edition of the season-long Race to Dubai was announced at a press conference at Jumeriah Golf Estates on the eve of this year’s DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

It consists of 45 tournaments in 25 different countries, with EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM (January 14-17), the Olympic Games (August 11-14) and The Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National (September 30-October 2) all adding to the drama on the world stage in 2016.

The Australian PGA Championship, which takes place from December 3-6, 2015, and the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia (February 18-21) both feature on the Race to Dubai for the first time, while the Perth International (February 25-28) returns having last been played in 2014.

The 2016 Race to Dubai begins next week, November 26-29, with the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which is one of six events on South African soil, with the Nedbank Golf Challenge featuring twice, first as part of initial sector, from December 3-6, 2015, and again as part of the Final Series for the first time.

For the second consecutive year, Ernie Els will host the South African Open Championship (January 7-10), the first tournament of the 2016 calendar year, with the four-time Major Champion one of four players to perform the role of tournament host on The 2016 Race to Dubai; along with Rory McIlroy, who takes the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation to The K Club (May 19-22), Paul Lawrie who will return to Murcar Golf Club in Aberdeen for the second staging of the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play (August 4-7), and Luke Donald, who has selected The Grove as the venue for the British Masters supported by Sky Sports (October 13-16).

Those latter three tournaments are part of stretch of 17 consecutive ‘regular’ European Tour events on European soil from May to October – outside the American majors – a run which includes the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club (May 26-29), the centenary edition of the Alstom Open de France (June 30-July 3) and Made in Denmark, which marks the end of the Ryder Cup qualification race, from August 25-28.

Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour, said: “We are delighted to announce the new-look Final Series as part of The 2016 Race to Dubai. The inclusion of the Nedbank Golf Challenge means we can look forward to visiting Turkey, South Africa and Dubai in an exciting end to the season, with our players competing for $22million across these three events.

“The Final Series will bring the curtain down on another strong Race to Dubai schedule in which The European Tour will visit 26 different countries around the world. Europe continues to underpin The Race to Dubai, with 20 tournaments in total on European soil, but undoubtedly the strength of our relationships with the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia are also key components in creating a Race to Dubai with a truly global footprint.

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“While the Olympic Games in August provided certain challenges in terms of overall scheduling, we nevertheless look forward to golf’s return to the Games in Rio in August as yet another reason to view the new season with excitement.

“With the second staging of the EurAsia Cup in January and Europe’s defence of The Ryder Cup at the end of September also adding to the drama, the 2016 season promises to be a memorable year in terms of team golf as well as in the individual arena for our members.”

THE 2016 EUROPEAN TOUR INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE

2015

Nov 26-29 Alfred Dunhill Championship Leopard Greek CC, Malelane, SA

Dec 3-6 Nedbank Golf Challenge Gary Player CC, Sun City, SA

Dec 3-6 Australian PGA Championship RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

2016

Jan 7-10 The BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni Glendower GC, Gauteng, Johannesburg, SA

Jan 14-17 Joburg Open Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC, Johannesburg, SA

Jan 15-17 EURASIA CUP presented by DRB-HICOM Glenmarie G&CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Jan 21-24 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE

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Jan 27-30 (Sat Finish) Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Doha GC, Doha, Qatar

Feb 4-7 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE

Feb 11-14 Tshwane Open Pretoria CC, Waterkloof, SA

Feb 18-21 Maybank Championship Malaysia Royal Selangor GC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Feb 25-28 Perth International Lake Karrinyup CC, Perth, Western Australia

Mar 3-6 WGC Cadillac Championship Trump National Doral, Doral, Florida, USA

Mar 10-13 True Thailand Classic Black Mountain GC, Hua Hin, Thailand

Mar 17-20 Hero Indian Open TBC

Mar 24-27 WGC - Dell Match Play Austin CC, Austin, Texas, USA

Mar 31-3 Apr

Apr 7-10 THE MASTERS Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA

Apr 14-17 Open de España TBC

Apr 21-24 Shenzhen International Genzon GC, Shenzhen, China

Apr 28-1 May Volvo China Open TBC

May 5-8 Trophee Hassan II Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Red Course, Rabat, Morocco

May 12-15 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Four Seasons GC, Mauritius at Anahita, Beau Champ, Mauritius

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May 19-22 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation The K Club, Straffan, Kildare, Ireland

May 26-29 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England

Jun 2-5 Nordea Masters Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden

Jun 9-12 Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, nr Vienna, Austria

Jun 16-19 US OPEN Oakmont CC, Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA

Jun 23-26 BMW International Open Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof, Pulheim, Germany

Jun 30-3 July Alstom Open de France Le Golf National, Paris, France

Jul 7-10 AAM Scottish Open Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, Scotland

Jul 14-17 145th OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Royal Troon GC, Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland

Jul 21-24

Jul 28-31 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Baltusrol GC, Springfield, New Jersey, USA

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Aug 4-7 Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play Murcar Links GC, Aberdeen, Scotland

Aug 10-13 (Sat Finish) Olympic Men’s Golf Competition Olympic Golf Course, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Aug 18-21 D+D Real Czech Masters Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic

Aug 25-28 Made in Denmark Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, Farso, Denmark

Sep 1-4 Omega European Masters Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland

Sep 8-11 KLM Open The Dutch, Spijk, The Netherlands

Sep 15-18 Italian Open Golf Club Milano, Parco Reale di Monza, Italy

Sep 22-25 Porsche European Open Golf Resort Bad Griesbach, Bad Griesbach, Germany

Sep 30-2 Oct THE 2016 RYDER CUP Hazeltine National GC, Chaska, Minnesota, USA

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Oct 6-9 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland

Oct 13-16 British Masters The Grove, Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, England

Oct 20-23 Portugal Masters Oceânico Victoria GC, Vilamoura, Portugal

Oct 27-30 WGC - HSBC Champions Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China

Nov 3-6 TURKISH AIRLINES OPEN Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya, Turkey

Nov 10-13 NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa

Nov 17-20 DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE