European Tour praises role of Dubai Government as the DP World Tour Championship gets underway

By Gary Anderson

November 12 - On the eve of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, the European Tour has praised the work of the Dubai Government and its officials in helping to stage the £5 million ($8 million/€6 million) tournament which will see the Race to Dubai winner crowned.

Now in its fifth year as the climax to the European Tour, the tournament which takes place on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estate is run under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The international director of the European Tour, Dubai office, Nick Tarratt revealed planning for the event began as soon as last year's tournament finished and he paid tribute to the assistance and support provided by the Government of Dubai.

"There is no doubt the teamwork we enjoy with our colleagues within governmental bodies has played a vital role in the success of the DP World Tour Championship over the past four years of the tournament," said Tarratt, who completed a final site inspection with a number of Government officials ahead of the start of the event on Thursday (November 14).

"Dubai is a city where everyone comes together to make such events a success and we would not be able to put on a show worthy of the occasion without the assistance of the Dubai Police and Emergency Services, Dubai Civil Defence, the Dubai Sports Council, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Trakhees, the RTA, Dubai Calendar, Dubai Immigration, Dubai Civil Aviation, Dubai Airports, Dubai Health Authority and the Emirates Golf Federation."

The European Tour has prasided the efforts of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his Government for their support of the DP World Tour Championship

The European Tour has praised the efforts of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his Government for their support of the DP World Tour Championship
©Getty Images

Government support ranges from efficient policing and attentive medical staff to Group Entry Visas assistance and the road management of the Road and Traffic Authority and Dubai Traffic Police.

"It is important the tournament has a strong Dubai flavour," said Tarratt.

"With the support from Dubai-based contractors and suppliers as well as the Government of Dubai, we are again able to stage yet another fitting finale to The Race to Dubai."

The DP World Tour Championship looks set to provide a thrilling climax to the European Tour season as a number of players can still claim the title of Europe's best golfer.

After 45 events during the year, Sweden's Henrik Stenson sits on top of the Race to Dubai money list followed by England's Justin Rose and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.

Victory for any of these three would secure the European Tour title.

Henrik Stenson is in pole position to claim the Race to Dubai title

Stenson is bidding to become the first man to win both the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup titles in the same year, after he claimed victory at the PGA Tour of America's end-of-season Tour Championship in Atlanta back in September.

Stenson currently leads the Race to Dubai standings by 213, 648 points from reigning US Open champion Rose with 2010 US Open winner McDowell 321, 800 points behind the Swede.

However, with 994,000 points on offer to the winner in Dubai, all three men have their destiny in their own hands.

All points earned at the DP World Championship are turned into euros.

The top ten finishers at the Earth Course also share a pot of £2.35 million ($3.75 million/€2.8 million) which also counts as official points towards the Race to Dubai title which, since its introduction in 2009 has seen the Harry Vardon Trophy claimed by Englishman Lee Westwood, Sweden's Robert Karlsson in 2010, Alvaro Quiros in 2011 and Northern Ireland's Rory McIllroy in 2012.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]