Golf – The Race to Dubai at The Dubai World Championships

The European Golf Tour comes to its culmination in Dubai this week, as winner of the Order of Merit will be decided upon the outcome. The Order of Merit has actually been changed to be known as The Race for Dubai, as it is at this season ender in Dubai, where the man who has won the most money on the European PGA Tour will be known. This is the new season-ender for the tour, hence the name change. The 15 players, who at the culmination of this tournament, are at the top of the earnings list will share a nice $7.5 million between then, with the winner of The Race to Dubai banking a cool $1.5 million. The tournament itself has a prize pot of $7.5 million, and the only players who can take part, are those in the top 60 of earnings before the start of the Dubai World Champions. That means there will have been 52 other prize-winning tournaments completed throughout the season, all ending here.

Four players can win The Race to Dubai, and they are Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Ross Fisher and Martin Kaymer. Lee Westwood, who has been looking favourite to claim the title for some time now, was pushed down into second place at the end of the previous tournament, the Hong Kong Open, when the 20-year-old Rory McIlroy finished second and Westwood was left trailing well down the field. To try and deflect any pressure, Westwood is more insistent that he wants to win a Major more than the Order of Merit, because he has already won one back in 2000. All Westwood has to do to be certain of winning it again though, is with the Dubai World Classic, because it will not matter then what McIlroy does. That doesn’t mean that Westwood has to win the tournament to win the Order of Merit crown, he just needs to finish far enough ahead of McIlroy.

To put all the earnings which are at stake in the Dubai World Champions in perspective, it goes like this. Imagine Lee Westwood striding up to the 18th Green on the Final round. He needs to make the putt to win the tournament and beat McIlroy. What is at stake with the swing of the putter? Over £1.6 million, on that stroke, that’s what, which is the culmination of the Tournament Prize Money, and the bonus for winning The Race to Dubai. Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher could still pinch the Order of Merit if the other two make a real hash of things, but it likely to be Westwood or McIlroy. Westwood has had his chances to have already won the Order of Merit by this point by some distance, but some wayward displays on missing pars when the pressure has been on, has cost him a lot of money this season.

The Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy will be upbeat and fancying his chances after putting in the stronger performance of the two in Hong Kong. He is leading the way, and will be the man to beat. For Kaymer he needs to win the Dubai World Championships to secure the Order of Merit, whereas in Fisher’s case, he needs to win and rely on Westwood and McIlroy not finishing too highly.

To Win Dubai World Championship
Rory McIlroy – 9/1 at BetFred
Martin Kaymer – 14/1 at Bet365
Ernie Els – 16/1 at Boylesports
Lee Westwood – 16/1 at SkyBet
Padraig Harrington – 18/1 at Sporting Bet
Henrik Stenson – 20/1 at Bet365
Ross Fisher – 20/1 at Totesport

Race to Dubai Winner
Rory McIlroy – 11/20 at SportingBet
Lee Westwood – 4/1 at Extrabet
Martin Kaymer – 7/1 at Boylesports
Ross Fisher – 16/1 at Paddy Power