Lee Westwood winning the first Race to Dubai in 2009
The elite European Tour is organised and operated by the PGA European Tour, along with the European Seniors Tour and the Challenge Tour. The European Tour is the primary golf tour in Europe and in terms of worldwide prestige and the ammount of money involved it is second only to the US PGA Tour.
Most events on the European Tour are held within Europe, but in recent years an increasing number have been held in other parts of the world outside of North America. The European-based events on the European Tour are nearly all played in Western Europea and the most lucrative of them take place in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and Spain.
In 1989, the European Tour first visited Asia for the Dubai Desert Classic and by 1990 there were 38 events on the schedule, including 37 in Europe. A first visit to East Asia for the Tour occurred at the 1992 Johnnie Walker Classic in Bangkok. This has since proven to be one of the most notable initiatives in the history of the Tour, as East Asia is becoming almost it's second home. In 1998, the European Tour added the three U.S. majors to the tour - the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open - after the European PGA Tour had steadily formed a partnership with PGA Tour. This meant that now members of the European Tour would have their prize money counted towards the European Tour Order of Merit, which can make a great deal of difference to the end-of-season rankings.
In 2009, the Order of Merit was replaced by 'The Race To Dubai', the name reflects the addition of a new season ending tournament, the Dubai World Championship, held at the end of November in Dubai. The winner of The Race To Dubai receives a ten-year European Tour exemption, while the winner ofthe Dubai World Championship tournament receives a five-year European Tour exemption.
2011 EUROPEAN TOUR INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE - RACE TO DUBAI
DECEMBER 2010
9-12 Alfred Dunhill Championship Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, South Africa
16-19 South African Open Championship Durban CC, Durban, South Africa
JANUARY 2011
6-9 Africa Open East London GC, East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa
13-16 Joburg Open Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC, Johannesburg, South Africa
20-23 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE
27- 30 Volvo Golf Champions The Royal Golf Club, Kingdom of Bahrain
FEBRUARY 2011
3-6 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
10-13 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
17-20 Avantha Masters DLF G&CC, New Delhi, India
23-27 WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, Arizona, USA
MARCH 2011
10-13 World Golf Championship Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Doral, Florida, USA
17-20 Sicilian Open Golf Donnafugata Golf Resort & SPA, Sicily, Italy
24-27 Open de Andalucia de Golf Parador de Málaga Golf, Málaga, Spain
31-3 Apr Trophée Hassan II Golf du Palais Royal and Golf de L’Océan, Agadir, Morocco
APRIL 2011
7-10 MASTERS TOURNAMENT Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA
14-17 Maybank Malaysian Open TBA
21-24 Volvo China Open TBA
28–1 May Ballantine's Championship Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, South Korea
MAY 2011
5-8 Open de España TBA
12-15 Iberdrola Open Pula GC, Son Servera, Mallorca, Spain
19-22 Volvo World Match Play Championship Finca Cortesin, Casares, Andalucia, Spain
19-22 Madeira Islands Open BPI - Portugal Porto Santo Golfe, Madeira, Portugal
26-29 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Wentworth Club, Surrey, England
JUNE 2011
2-5 The Celtic Manor Wales Open The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales
9-12 BMW Italian Open Royal Park I Roveri, Turin, Italy
16-19 US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Congressional CC, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
16-19 SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC Aa Saint Omer GC, Lumbres, France
23-26 BMW International Open Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany
30-3 Jul Alstom Open de France Le Golf National, Paris, France
JULY 2011
7-10 The Barclays Scottish Open TBA
14-17 THE 140th OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Royal St George's GC, Sandwich, Kent
21-24 Nordea Scandinavian Masters Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden
28-31 Irish Open TBA
AUGUST 2011
4-7 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio, USA
11-14 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Georgia, USA
18-21 Czech Open Prosper Golf Resort, Celadná, Czech Republic
25-28 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland
SEPTEMBER 2011
1-4 Omega European Masters Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland
8-11 KLM Open Hilversumsche GC, Hilversum, The Netherlands
15-18 The Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros* Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, Paris, France
22-25 Austrian GolfOpen Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, Austria
29-2 Oct Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Old Course, St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Scotland
OCTOBER 2011
6-9 Madrid Masters TBA
13-16 Portugal Masters TBA
20-23 CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, Castellón, Valencia, Spain
27-30 Andalucia Masters Venue TBA, Andalucia, Spain
NOVEMBER 2011
3-6 WGC - HSBC Champions Shanghai, China
10-13 Barclays Singapore Open The Tanjong & The Serapong, Sentosa GC, Singapore
17-20 Iskandar Johor Open TBA
24-27 Omega Mission Hills World Cup Mission Hills Resort, Hainan Island, Southern China
DECEMBER 2011
1-4 UBS Hong Kong Open Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong
8-11 DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP presented by DP World Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE
FREE EUROPEAN TOUR GOLF BETS
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REDEEMING EUROPEAN TOUR FREE GOLF BETS
Normally, using your best free bet is simply a matter of making your selection and indicating on the bet slip that you wish to use your free bet. Some bookmakers’ methods vary slightly, however their websites will contain instructions on how to redeem your free bet.
There will be restrictions placed on the use of free bets which vary between bookmakers and is advisable to make yourself familiar with those restrictions before signing up.
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Best Free Bets bookmaker reviews provide details of each bookmaker’s offers and promotions. By their nature, offers and promotions can change and we advise you visit the bookmaker’s website and check the available promotions before placing your bet. CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR LIST OF BOOKMAKER REVIEWS.