Dubai: Emirates will be the official airline of golf's season finale The Dubai World Championship from November 25 to 28, after a tie-up with the European Tour was announced.
As the climax to the Race to Dubai, The Dubai World Championship will see every member of Europe's triumphant Ryder Cup team to contest the Dh42 million prize fund, (split among the top 15) with defending champion Lee Westwood among the star-studded field.
Also in attendance will be three 2010 major winners, Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen, US PGA champion Martin Kaymer and US Open winner Graeme McDowell.
The tournament at Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth course will see Team Europe reunited for the first time since that famous victory as the curtain is drawn on the second Race to Dubai. This year the series has consisted of 48 tournaments played in 26 destinations to decide who will be crowned Europe's No 1 for 2010. An estimated 59,000 spectators attended the event last year while a televised audience of 350 million people worldwide was recorded.
Emirates already supports nine European Tour tournaments, including the Ryder Cup and the airline's sporting ambassador is none other than Team Europe captain Colin Montgomerie. Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, said: "The European Tour stages tournaments at many of the 25 destinations on our European network, as well as at a number of the 80 other locations we fly to across the globe, so it really is a perfect fit for Emirates."
European Tour COO Keith Waters said: "Emirates is a true global brand based in Dubai and their confidence in the Dubai World Championship, as a committed commercial partner, enhances the profile of the event and The Race to Dubai on the European Tour."
