Top stars for richest golf event

Dubai: Top 60 European players will contest for the $10 million prize in the inaugural Dubai World Championship.

The 2009 event will take place from November 19-22 on either the Fire or Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, with the winner earning $1,666,660.

The Race to Dubai, formerly The European Tour Order of Merit, comprising all events on The European Tour International Schedule, will start in November 2008.

The No 1 player will receive $2 million, the runner-up $1.5 million and the third-placed $1million, with prizes down to the 15th player, who will earn $250,000.

The European Tour and Leisurecorp, the company developing Dubai's leading residential golf community at Jumeirah Golf Estates, on Monday announced a wide-ranging partnerships.

The construction of a new international headquarters for The European Tour at Jumeirah Golf Estates was the highlight of the unique deal.

Unique base

The purpose-built facility at Jumeirah Golf Estates will include a "Centre of Excellence", providing a unique base for European Tour Members to practice and train at any time of the year.

The partnership will run initially for five years, with an option to extend for a further five years, and will include the creation of the end-of-season Dubai World Championship; an additional annual $10 million Bonus Pool; significant support for selected European Tour events; funding of The European Tour's Physio Truck.

From 2010 it is anticipated that The Race to Dubai will commence in January and The Dubai World Championship will complete the season in November.

Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World, the parent company of Leisurecorp, said: "At Jumeirah Golf Estates we are creating the world's leading residential golf community based around four of the world's leading courses. It is absolutely fitting therefore that we should welcome the world's leading tournament.

Dubai's evolution

"This deal is yet another step in Dubai's evolution as one of the most important golf centres anywhere in the world. From golf tourism to world-beating golf communities to world-class tournaments we can claim to offer it all."

George O'Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: "The scale of this agreement is testament to the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who has recognised the dynamic role golf can play in developing the global profile of this amazing city.

"The Race to Dubai will bring a new dimension to The European Tour, creating great drama and theatre throughout the year as all the best players in the world are given the opportunity to compete in the world's richest tournament - The Dubai World Championship.

Four courses - Fire, Earth, Water and Wind - will pay tribute to the power of nature, each employing the distinctive characteristics of their own surroundings to deliver their own unique challenges.

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