European Tour Membership Commitment Raised to 12 Events

Next season the European Tour schedule will conclude with the lucrative Dubai World Championship, worth $1.7 million to the winner with an overall purse of $10 million. It's rumored that the likes of Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh will join Europeans such as Justin Rose and Padraig Harrington in becoming members of both major professional tours. Now they'll need to play one more event if they want to be eligible for the season-ending tournament in Dubai.

Players wishing to commit to Membership of The European Tour for the 2009 season will now have to participate in a minimum of 12 tournaments, with two of those being staged on the continent of Europe. 

The decision to increase the number of events by one from the current figure of 11 was taken at a meeting of the Tournament Committee held in St Andrews on Tuesday evening.

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “It was a very positive discussion by the Committee who reviewed all aspects of the Tour and took into account the current economic situation.

“They felt this was a correct way to recognise the support of the founding body of The European Tour in Europe. It is a stepping stone and they will continue to review the situation on an annual basis.”

Committee Chairman Thomas Björn, said: “Over the years the seasons have been extended so much and we also think that with a 13 month season coming up that it is reasonable to put the number up by one.

“It is not a big ask to play 12 events especially when a lot of those guys in question (who may want to join The European Tour) play four Majors and three World Golf Championship events anyway. It was never a big ask, it was just time to change.”

Asked whether other numbers of tournaments were considered, Björn said, “No, 12 was always the preferred number. But we will keep it under review.”

Players must be in the Top 60 on The Order of Merit, which will now be known as The Race to Dubai, to qualify for the Dubai World Champioship.