European Tour Reports

Find out about the hottest golf events taking place on a green near you! With reports on some of the most important events from the European and PGA Tours

Westwood now World's Number One golfer

Westwood now World’s Number One golfer

Valderrama, the last stop to Dubai

The Andalucia Valderrama Masters smashed hopes this weekend. Martin Kaymer failed to take the lead in the overall European Tour rankings; the German ace finished 21nd instead of securing the necessary first or second place in Spain. And after 281 weeks in the leadership position, Tiger Woods finally lost his title.

In windy Sotogrande a new king was crowned: Lee Westwood. Making him the new leader in the Official World Golf Ranking. After Valderrama he is the first European to hold this position since Sir Nick Faldo in 1994. Westwood is only the fifth European in history to claim top spot.

Fierce competition

At the end of four days of fierce competition at Club de Golf Valderrama, Graeme McDowell from Northern Ireland went round in 74 to finish three under, enough to take home the prize money of € 500,000. McDowell handled the strong winds in the south of Spain better than runners-up Søren Kjeldsen, Gareth Maybin, Damien McGrane and Thomas Björn.

Kaymer: Lee deserves it

Kaymer did not mourn his 21st place and missed leadership opportunity for long. Offering his congratulations to Lee Westwood, the German stated: “Lee really deserves it, he’s one of the greatest guys on Tour.” And so, European Tour followers anxiously anticipate the final event of the European Tour: The Dubai World Championship from November 25th to 28th at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. Check out our special video report on The Back 9!

Next stop: Dubai

In Dubai, sixty players will go head-to-head over four days to claim golf’s most prestigious prizes. First there is the Dubai tournament itself, which has US $7.5 million in prize money to be divided amongst the golfers that finish in the top 15. Then there is the overall European Tour season bonus for those finishing in the top 15 in The Race to Dubai. They will split the US $7.5 million bonus pool.

Winning The Race to Dubai is the ultimate achievement of the European Tour. To win, a player must end his season at the very top. Spanning a full year, the competition began in South Africa with the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December 2009 and will end at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 25th 2010. Four days later, the crowd will cheer not just for the tournament’s winner. The applause will be for a full year of great European Tour golf!

So who are you betting on to bring this year's European Tour to a successful end? And how long do you think Westwood will be able to hang on to his title? Please let us know in the comments...

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