European Tour introduces points system in an attempt to simplify Race to Dubai

Sport360 staff 18:09 02/12/2014
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  • Current champion: Rory McIlroy won the 2014 Race to Dubai despite only playing in one of the Final Series events.

    The European Tour announced that it has decided to introduce a straightforward points system for the new season in an attempt to make qualifying for the Race to Dubai easier. 

    This year, players were ranked according to their tournament earnings in the lead-up to the Final Series, but each of the season's last four events was worth 10 million ranking points rather than a prize-money figure.

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    The four Final Series events will continue to be worth a combined 40 million ranking points, but for every other event, one euro earned will equate to one point in the Race to Dubai standings.

    "Following the success of The 2014 Race to Dubai, won by Rory McIlroy for the second time in three years after a superb season, The European Tour has decided to implement a points system for the duration of the 2015 campaign," said European Tour chief operating officer Keith Waters in a statement on the organisation's website.

    "We believe that changing to a points system will help simplify and indeed enhance the narrative structure of the Race to Dubai, and particularly the Final Series, which will again carry a combined 40 million points, with 1,666,600 points on offer to the winner of each event.

    "The conversion to a points system will complement an exciting and robust schedule in 2015, which will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments, including the addition of five new events."

    The 2015 season begins this week at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa and concludes next November at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, where the player who finishes with the most points will win the Harry Vardon Trophy.

    Northern Ireland's McIlroy won the 2014 Race to Dubai despite only playing in one of the Final Series events, having previously triumphed at four tournaments including the Open Championship and the US PGA Championship.

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