R.I.P. European Tour's Proposed Florida Swing

The bizarre idea to play three European Tour events in Florida following the Masters has died. It was a two weeks old and a horrible idea from the start.

John Huggan with details of the condolences sent to European Tour members by Chief Keith Pelley.

“The concept of playing in the United States was always part of our continuing investigation to explore all avenues to allow you to play a full schedule,” wrote Pelley in his latest note to European Tour members, one seen by Golf Digest. “Even though we are not now going across the Atlantic, the offer to stage events in Florida was a generous one by the PGA Tour and shows the strength of the Strategic Alliance between our two tours that we announced late last year.”

How long before Strategic Alliance is trademarked?

Oh No Another Florida Swing? European Tour Considers Three Events This May

Nothing says Europe like three weeks of Florida tournament golf.

But with restrictions on traveling to and from Spain and Portugal, the European Tour’s current post-Masters schedule has issues. And since playing opportunities are all that matters, they’ve turned to their new global strategic alliance partners reports The Telegraph’s James Corrigan.

What a gift. A second Florida swing because one wasn’t enough? Who needs Tenerife, Gran Canaria and the Algarve when you can go to Tallahassee, Gainesville and the Villages?

Corrigan writes:

Not only has the PGA Tour given their sanction to the prospective tournaments, but it is understood they first proposed the idea as they saw their new partners struggling with the schedule due to the ongoing crisis.

Immediately after The Masters at Augusta, the Tour is down to visit Tenerife, Gran Canaria and the Algarve. But with Spain banning visitors from the UK and South Africa and with Portugal on the red list, the “elite athlete” exemption would not apply.

On average, roughly a third of European Tour fields are made up by South African and UK pros, making it doubtful this trio of stops could justifiably go ahead. At the moment, the Tour is undergoing a frustrating four-week blank period of regular events and Keith Pelley, the wily chief executive, has made it his mission to give his membership ample opportunities.

Florida here they come!

With Crown Prince Responsible For Khashoggi Killing, Where Does That Leave Golf Saudi And The Public Investment Fund?

In the worst kept secret on earth, a declassified U.S. intelligence report holds Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

While the Biden administration is thus far not directing penalizing the Crown Prince, the New York Times Julian E. Barnes and David E. Sanger write that “the release of the report signaled that President Biden, unlike his predecessor, would not set aside the killing of Mr. Khashoggi and that his administration intended to try to isolate the crown prince.”

The isolation effect could have an impact on the Crown Prince’s Golf Saudi and the Public Investment Fund under his control (also said to be a primary backer of the proposed Premier Golf League among many investments).

Golf.com’s Michael Arkush recently summed up Golf Saudi’s hopes in a story prompted by the recent announcement of a Jack Nicklaus design in Saudi Arabia, a company that part of Golf.com’s parent company 8 a.m. Golf.

The golf push is part of a larger “Vision 2030” strategy, championed by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; that initiative is aimed, in part, at bolstering the kingdom’s entertainment and tourism offerings as the nation simultaneously implements social reform.

On the golf front, thinking big means bringing in established designers.

“Every single golf course we are going to build from now on is going to have to be a branded name,” Majed Al Sorour, the CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, said in an interview. “All of the great designers are going to be part of the development in the kingdom.”

So far, the list includes two legendary major winners in Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman. 

Golf Saudi also hosts an annual European Tour stop said to be the vision of bin Salman.

As for the Public Investment Fund with tentacles in several major American companies and the proposed Premier Golf League, it could be vulnerable because of direct ties to the crime.

From CNBC’s Emily DeCiccio report:

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund, is chaired by MBS. It appears to have played a role in purchasing the aircraft that ferried Khashoggi’s killers to Turkey, where the murder occurred.

“If this is the case, it could become a target for American human rights sanctions,” according to Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of State. That could, in turn, “create an economic earthquake,” he said. 

“If the United States determines that the Khashoggi killing was a targeted human rights violation, then the perpetrators and backers of that killing could be sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act,” Rubin said. 

The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act authorizes the president to impose economic sanctions, freeze any U.S. assets, and deny entry into the U.S. to any foreign person who has engaged in human rights abuse or corruption, while prohibiting Americans from doing business with him or her. The Magnitsky Act has been used against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s cronies. Putin called it, “A purely political, unfriendly act.”

Vic Open Concept Comes North, Gets European Tour Status Thanks To ISPS Handa, Horan

Australians rave about the Vic Open’s male/female format that sees both tournaments concluded Sunday, with leading groups interspersed. And now it’s coming to another European Tour/LET stop.

From Brian Keogh’s report on ISPS Handa and Niall Horan’s Modest! Golf Management putting together the event for this July, with first-ever northern hemisphere tri-sanctioning.

The ISPS HANDA World Invitational will attract a field of 288 players, 144 men and 144 women. The women’s field will be split equally between the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. The $2.35 million purse will be split evenly, with men and women competing for two equal prize funds.

The tournament will count towards the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and carry Team Europe Ryder Cup points, while the women’s tournament will count towards the Race to the CME Globe for women on the LPGA Tour, the Race to Costa del Sol on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and Solheim Cup points for both Team Europe and Team USA.

When the male and female fields are cut to 60 and ties, another 54-hole cut reduces the fields to 35 advancing to Sunday, with tee times mixed so fans can watch both tournaments conclude at similar times.

Pelley On PGA Tour Alliance, Equipment Rule Change Discussion

MorningRead.com’s Alex Miceli talks to Keith Pelley about the European Tour and several top issues in the game. You’ll have to read between the (many!) lines and even then Pelley isn’t saying much.

On November’s hastily-announced PGA Tour strategic alliance in lieu of a deal with the Premier Golf League:

I'll give you an example that even something along the lines – and we didn't ask them to do this – our “Angry Golfers” [video]. They posted [a link] on their social sites, and then the next thing you know, we’re up to 3 million views. That never would have have happened before. We have a number of strong work streams working. In a COVID year, you can't meet face-to-face, and meeting face-to-face is always better, but that's changed. I said that our competitor became our partner, and I meant it. I just didn't think it would happen this quickly and that we would cooperate and work together on every single aspect of our business on both sides and both parties.

I passed that along to all our people, and obviously [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay Monahan has done it, as well. So, very optimistic. There's nothing concrete that we can tell you, but we are promoting, our production people are talking, our marketing people are talking, our commercial people are talking, scheduling people are talking.  

They’re talking. They’re marketing. So far, it’s just an agreement to share Tweets for now. Given that it was a 10% stake in European Tour Productions and he PGA Tour is starting their own tournament production unit, presumably those ties will become stronger soon?

On the equipment chatter, Pelley will not reveal a European Tour position.

The way I look at it is, the USGA and the R&A are our partners and their role is to do exactly what they are: evaluating all facets of the game. The relationship that the six of us developed during the COVID period will serve us well during this time. We will follow closely, speak behind closed doors with our respective partners, not make any comment public, not give any opinion at this particular time because it's not our position to do so, and I feel very strongly on that because that would defeat the purpose of what we're trying to do. When it comes time to make the announcement, all the comments have been evaluated. We are in contact with them all the time, with the USGA and the R&A. They call it the comments; we call it the listening stage. That's the role. You have to put out some type of concepts and ideas and thoughts to generate the comments. That's what it is. I have no opinion on any of the rules and regulations at this particular time.  

Paul Casey Explains Why He Changed His Mind On Playing Saudi Arabia

Last week’s winner in Dubai notably de-committed from the inaugural Saudi stop after the Kingdom was linked to gruesomely assassinating Washington Post columnist Jamal Kashoggi.

Paul Casey is back for the third playing and was asked what changed since citing his partnership with UNICEF as reason not to appear.

It was quite an exchange with the Daily Mirror’s Neil McLeman.

Q. Can we talk about the reasons why you're playing in Saudi this year? You previously declined to play for political reasons and now you're obviously there. Can you talk us, how difficult a decision has this been for you and what specifically changed for you?

PAUL CASEY: I don't think I was necessarily that political before, but you are correct, I took a stance where I didn't participate before.

I think something that -- which I felt at that time a couple of years ago, was that I think I was a little bit torn. You know I'm a father. I've got two kids. You know my charitable ties with UNICEF, and I felt that it was not right for me to play.

I've spent the last two years thinking about that a lot. I've learnt an awful lot. I've read an awful lot. And one of the things that I was flat-out wrong on was -- was with my UNICEF ties, is that they are not a political organisation. Their focus is purely on the vulnerability of children around the world, and making sure they look after children around the world and doing everything they can to save them. And that's important to me and that's my focus with my charitable views and endeavors.

And so I was reminded that if you stay away, if you don't engage, if you don't talk, you don't visit, then you're merely kind of hardening positions, and so that actually doesn't do any good.

Engagement and inclusion is really what it's all about. And look, I think things are not black and white. It's very much a grey area what we discussed in the last -- two years ago when I made a position. You know, if you mentioned something like children's rights -- there's not a country on the planet that meets every single rights of a child, not a single country on the planet. And so all you can hope for, Neil, is that a country is on a path towards meeting at many of those as possible.

There's something called the convention of a child, conventions of a child; the rights of a child. You can look it up. This country has signed up to those conventions and is making progress to ticking off as many of those as possible. And that's all I can hope for. And if my -- I felt that if my participation this year can assist in that process -- and if that can make a difference, one iota of a difference, then that's something important.

So it was more -- so I will hold my hand up and say that the position I had two years ago was probably not the right position to have. And so that is why I am here.

Q. You said in your October statement, "I hope my participation will make a difference." Amnesty International called golfers this week to speak up about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, and since that statement, Loujain al-Hathloul has been jailed for five years for her activism. So would you like -- is part of that process to make a difference, would you like to condemn that?

PAUL CASEY: Run me through that again.

Q. Right. You said in October, you said in the statement, you said, "I hope my participation" -- "my participation will make a difference."

PAUL CASEY: Yes.

Q. In Saudi, okay. Amnesty International called the golfers in Saudi Arabia to speak up about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia. And since that statement in October, Loujain al-Hathloul a very well known human feminist activist in Saudi has been jailed for five years. That happened in December. So would you like to take this opportunity as part of that process to condemn that action by the Saudi government?

PAUL CASEY: And that's who is jailed her?

Q. Saudi Arabia have.

PAUL CASEY: Okay. Neil, this is the first I've read of that. Clearly I'm not well enough read on that particular topic. Clearly with what I just said to you in our previous question, yeah, there's no question that that is not aligned with my beliefs, does it.

Look, I didn't want to go -- I don't want this week to be about this situation. You know, what I've just said in my statements to you to answer your previous question, I think it's very clear you know my views.

Saudi Arabia Prepares To Welcome Patrick Reed, New Jack Nicklaus Design

Banner times in the Kingdom as a strong field is set to turn up at glorious Royal Greens for appearance fees, maybe some grumbling about the state of oil and presumably a safe week outside Riyadh. They’re having a little COVID uptick there, though nothing like Arizona where the PGA Tour is teeing it up this week.

Patrick Reed, fresh off his totally-perfect, by-the-book ball drop will be joined by Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and last week’s winner Paul Casey in the Saudi Invitational.

Meanwhile the country will also be welcoming Jack Nicklaus and his design team who announced their first-ever Middle East effort. From Brian Keogh at the Irish Golf Desk:

Nicklaus, the most decorated player in the game’s history, commented: “I am excited by this project and my first golf course design in the Middle East.  To be selected as one of the first international designers to work in the Kingdom is a great honour. I’ve already spent time looking at the topography of the land, images of the backdrop and terrain, and discussing with our design team a strategy for the course.  The design will fully integrate the natural environment and the beautiful Qiddiya landscape, bringing together green spaces and mountainous terrain to form a picturesque canvas for both a beautiful and challenging golf course.” 

Oh yeah he totally said that.

The full press release is here.

Open de France Returns To Le Golf National In May

Not long ago we were leaving the European Tour and pro golf in France for dead, so it’s nice to see Gregory Havret has been signed up to host and keep the Open de France going this May.

From the press release:

Continental Europe’s oldest national Open, first played in 1906, returns to the European Tour’s International Schedule after being cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like other tournaments on the 2021 Race to Dubai, the Open de France will be played under the auspices of the European Tour’s health strategy which will continue to evolve in line with French Government guidance. The European Tour and the Fédération Française de Golf acknowledge the recent changes to travel in and out of the country, and will continue regular dialogue with the French authorities, with the intention of staging the event without general admission in May.

It will be the fourth tournament in a five-week spring stretch on European soil between the first two Major Championships of 2021 - the Masters Tournament and US PGA Championship – the Open de France joining the Tenerife Open, Gran Canaria Open, Portugal Masters and Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett.

Like the latter event, the Open de France will also have a tournament host this year, with three-time European Tour winner Havret becoming the first player to take on the ambassadorial role.

Havret is joint fifth on the all-time list of most successful French players on the European Tour and he finished runner up in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, one shot behind winner Graeme McDowell.

Not Feeling Glum: Tyrrell Hatton Overcomes Early Week Filming Duty To Win In Abu Dhabi

Somehow regrouping from Tuesday’s anger management group (filming) duties—an unthinkable player ask on the PGA Tour—Tyrrell Hatton passed Rory McIlroy to win the 2021 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

From Ewan Murray’s Guardian story:

Hatton has all but secured a place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team for later this year already. He is entitled to further, lofty goals. “Everyone in their career, their goal is to win a major and I’m no different,” said Hatton. “Obviously the majors last year for me were disappointing, I missed the cut in all three. But golf’s a funny game. You’re trying your best every single week, and some weeks, it sort of works out better than others. So I’m hoping that in 2021, the majors fall in good weeks for me.”

Hatton has struck up a wonderfully successful partnership with the charismatic Scottish caddie Mick Donaghy. “Mick has won four times the amount that I have,” said Hatton with a smile. That point relates to experience. “I love our partnership and working together. I’m hoping that continues for a very long time.”

Now Hatton has to hope he can return to the U.S. as new travel restrictions seem inevitable.

With a 300 strength of field to the American Express’s 269, Hatton will continue his move up from world No. 9, perhaps to as high as fifth and ahead of McIlroy.

McIlroy continued a strange run to start the year as Kyle Porter notes here at CBSSports.com:

Rory McIlroy continued what has been a bit of a notorious run of great (but not great enough) play to open 2021. With a third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday, McIlroy has now finished in the top five of his first event to start a new year in 12 of the last 13 years. That run includes nine (!) top-five finishes at the Abu Dhabi Championship (eight of them within the top three) and another handful elsewhere around the globe.

But the biggest story remains Hatton’s ability to participate in what must have been a fairly lengthy social media shoot on Tuesday and recover in time to win a tournament by four. All credit to the team.

Tommy Fleetwood’s admonition to raise the thumb when feeling glum immediately became a thing (if you haven’t watched the short film this will all sound absurd). Some fun from the European Tour social team:

"When you're feeling glum, pop up your thumb." 👍#ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/488zfusrSx

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 24, 2021

Never a dull moment 😄

Behind-the-scenes with @TyrrellHatton after his win.#ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/2BsykaYMis

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 24, 2021

Tyrrell Hatton’s final round 😰

Average heart rate: 119
Max heart rate: 162
Final putt: 4:41pm#ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/jyPJOHL8so

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 24, 2021

Got up to 162. Wow!

The director’s cut of Hatton highlights:

"European Tour Golfers In Anger Management Group Therapy"

Tommy Fleetwood hosts group therapy session for some of the European Tour’s “angriest” golfers. Hopefully the new European Tour-PGA Tour partnership will lead to more sessions like this.

I know, we should enjoy these until the PVB Fun Police pounce and scrub from the internet.

Italy's Ryder Cup Actually Seems Like It's Going To Happen

An extra year will have have helped agronomically. Financially? We’ll never know from Guy Kinnings in this 2023 Ryder Cup update via GolfDigest.com’s John Huggan, but mere talk of all systems go is huge progress for an event circled by some as likely to move.

The renovated Marco Simone Golf Club is on track to open the other nine holes currently growing in giving them a full renovated course for the event (by European Golf Design).

“There has been lots of speculation regarding the course, but right now there are nine holes open for play,” Kinnings said. “The other nine holes are looking good and will be ready later this year, in time for the Italian Open in September. So that answers the Will it be ready for the Ryder Cup? question. Does that mean everything will be perfect? No. But the pandemic hasn’t stopped the grass from growing, although some of the areas around the course won’t quite be as they will be by 2023. So it will not be ‘Ryder Cup ready’ by September [when it hosts the Italian Open]. But it will be in good shape. I think people will be pleased with what they see. And the extra year allows us more time to fine-tune everything for the Ryder Cup.”

Huggan notes that European Tour players will get three Italian Opens over the course before the Ryder Cup. Now we just need to get 2021’s played and a captain picked.

The first tee scene will not be like Le Golf National (above) but Kinnings suggests sunny weather will make up for that based on European Tour surveys of fans. Shocking.

"So much for France’s Ryder Cup legacy."

With the European Tour’s 2021 schedule announced this week noticeably missing the French Open, Alistair Tait reminds us of the many perks the 2018 Ryder Cup would bring to French golf.

It was a tremendous event and Le Golf National will host Olympic golf’s far-less captivating 72-hole stroke play events in 2024, but Tait highlights the ostentatious claims made by organizers in bidding for the Cup. Besides the securing a prime date and purse for the French Open, there were grow-the game numbers that seemed outlandish at the time. Because they were.

And don’t forget the very noble dreams of 100 par-3 courses that hasn’t happened.

Still, it’s a bit surprising given the huge economic impact of the Cup and European Tour win suggests it was a one-off. Just a year after the Cup, the French Open was downgraded by the European Tour and as Tait points out, the game is not declining in France, but the one million golfer number dreamed up as a result of the French Open-Ryder Cup combo is not happening.

According to KPMG’s Golf Participation Report, there were 410,377 registered golfers (golf club members) in 2010. One year before the match, the same Participation Report showed a slightly lower figure of 410,171. Last year, KPMG reported a French participation figure of 412,726, a 0.62% growth year on year.

It might be a wee while before Levet realises his one million golfers dream.

There was talk of a plethora of new courses opening thanks to the successful Ryder Cup bid. Latest figures show there are 607 courses in France. There were 574 in 2010. An increase, but hardly a golf course construction boom.

What does this have to do with the French Open? Good question, but I would have thought Ryder Cup success would have had companies queueing up to sponsor the French Open. The tournament, one of the oldest on the European Tour calendar, wasn’t played this year for obvious reasons. Perhaps it’s not surprising it isn’t on the 2021 schedule considering its fall down the European pecking order last year.

After two years as a $7 million Rolex Series tournament, it came with a $1.78 million prize fund last year. The 2018 French Open featured Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Graeme McDowell, Tommy Fleetwood, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matt Wallace, Lee Westwood and winner Alex Noren. It had a strength of field rating of 288, fifth strongest European event outside the majors and WGCs. Last year that rating fell to 51, joint sixth lowest on the schedule, as Nicolas Colsaerts won in a field short name players.

With the constant uncertainty of the Italian Open and 2022 (now 2023) Ryder Cup in Italy, it is hard not to wonder if the pandemic will bring an end to how Europe packages its Cups from a highest-bid approach to going with the best courses and letting the economics fall into place? I know, absurd.

European Tour Rolls "Expansive" Schedule With 42 Events But Major Reduction In Premier

The obvious positives? The 2021 European Tour is going to play 42 times, with 18 events lost to the misery that is 2020 returning. Scheduling is designed to reduce travel and the European Tour sounds like it continues to take COVID very seriously.

The but?

Just four Rolex Series events featuring the PGA Tour-level purses attracting top players, down three from last year’s plan. Low purses dominate and sadly, several events are TBD on the payout front but the tour is touting “increased prize funds” given the slight bumps from 2020.

For Immediate Release:

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$1 million to US$9 million. 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, 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.”                                                                

Whew, Race To Dubai: Westwood Claims Third Vardon Trophy

The European Tour averted a silly Race to Dubai outcome with Lee Westwood becoming the oldest player to ever take the season-long points race. Scenarios included players with no starts in Europe and one with just two leading going into the final event.

Instead, a longtime European Tour member who supported his tour in the pandemic-shortened season took the title.

From Ewan Murray’s Guardian story on the win by Westwood becoming the oldest winner of the prize, as well as Matthew Fitzpatrick’s tournament victory by one over Westwood.

“The motivation’s never changed,” Westwood said. “I get up each day and do the job I love. I’ve always wanted to be a golfer and I don’t want it to end, so I’m prepared to keep working hard and put myself in the line of fire and try to get into contention in tournaments.

“It’s where I’m most comfortable and what I love doing. I love the work away from the course and the gym and on the range, the hard work that people don’t see, I love that. I don’t need to motivate myself very often.”

With muted celebrations, this was Westwood’s reception in the player lounge:

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A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour)

Wait, What? Reed, Morikawa Vie For European Tour's Race To Dubai After Just Two Combined Non-U.S. Starts

There are lame season-long points races and then there are just plain non-sensical, credibility-zappers. While the pandemic undoubtedly cut into the chances of leader Patrick Reed or contender Collin Morikawa from a spot start or two in Europe, that leader Reed played twice outside of the U.S. (Saudi Arabia, Wentworth) and Morikawa has zero Continental starts, making this week’s concluding competition all a bit absurd.

But as Derek Lawrenson reports, one of the “Race” contenders who did play a robust European Tour schedule, Lee Westwood, defends the format on the grounds that Reed and Morikawa turned up in Dubai.

“I can see why people might consider it weird if he won the race but we waived the rules on the number of events you have to be play for reasons we all understand,” said the veteran Englishman. 'I'd rather give him the credit for coming over here and playing. He's seizing his chance to make history owing to his major win and the pandemic.

Reed goes into the season finale starting Thursday in pole position, but Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood and Westwood all have their fate in their own hands, knowing a victory would be sufficient to dislodge the former Masters champion.

The Race purse has been lowered to $7.5 million from $10 million, with $1.5 million going to that season-long winner.