DUBAI, THE FINAL ROLEX SERIES EVENT OF 2020
For the next four days, the European Tour's top 60 golfers on the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex will contest the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Founded in 2009, the championship is the final Rolex Series event of the year and the last opportunity for players to win the European Tour Race to Dubai, the season-long competition that determines the tour's No. 1 player. Traditionally staged in November, the European Tour is to be commended for its resilience during the global challenges faced in 2020, and its leadership in rescheduling the finale of this year's Rolex Series into December. Based on points accumulated at European Tour events over the course of the season, the Race to Dubai rewards consistency and superior performance, attributes that resonate with Rolex's own quest for perpetual excellence in all its endeavours.
For more than 50 years, Rolex has been intimately linked with golf. In a pioneering agreement in 1967, the legendary Arnold Palmer was joined by his great friends and rivals Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player The Big Three to become the Swiss watch manufacturer's first Testimonees in the sport. As part of this enduring partnership, in 1997 Rolex became the Official Timekeeper of the European Tour, an alliance that continues to flourish.
ROLEX WINNER
One Rolex Testimonee who is no stranger to the championship and possesses a detailed knowledge of Jumeirah's Earth course is Matthew Fitzpatrick of England, who returns to challenge for a second title at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
It was here in 2016, aged just 22, that he became the youngest Englishman to claim three European Tour titles, simultaneously announcing his arrival to the very pinnacle of the game. Now competing here for the sixth time in his career, he will look to build on his four top-10 finishes this year as he aims for a first Rolex Series win.
Similarly, fellow Testimonee Martin Kaymer of Germany returns to the shimmering surrounds of the Jumeirah Golf Estates having qualified to contest the championship for the 11th time in his distinguished career.
The two-time Major winner has already enjoyed success at two of this year's Rolex Series events, having finished tied eighth and tied 10th at this year's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA and BMW PGA Championship respectively. With three additional top 10 finishes this season, the 35-year-old has an excellent chance to capture the first Rolex Series win of his career.
Other Testimonees who have qualified for the season-ending championship include Belgian duo Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry. With a combined 11 years' worth of experience playing on the European Tour, in addition to two and four top-five finishes this season respectively, both have the game, and mental fortitude to record a first Rolex Series win.
ROLEX TESTIMONEES WHO HAVE WON THE DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI
Matthew Fitzpatrick (2016)
Jon Rahm (2017, 2019)
ROLEX TESTIMONEES WHO HAVE WON THE EUROPEAN TOUR RACE TO DUBAI
Martin Kaymer (2010)*
Luke Donald (2011)*
Francesco Molinari (2018)
Jon Rahm (2019)
*Then called the European Tour Order of Merit
ABOUT THE ROLEX SERIES
Through an unwavering commitment to the game of golf for more than 50 years, Rolex has developed one of the broadest and most enduring relationships between brand and sport in the world. Rolex has always contributed to the further development of golf worldwide through its partnerships with guardians of the global game organizations with the responsibility of advancing the sport, such as the European Tour.
Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of this partnership, in 2017 the Rolex Series was launched as the premium tournament category on the European Tour's International Schedule. This year's Rolex Series comprised four tournaments, each offering a minimum prize fund of US$7 million.
The 2020 roster of Rolex Series tournaments comprises: the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA (1619 January); Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (14 October); the BMW PGA Championship (811 October); and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (1013 December), where the leading golfer of the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex will be crowned.
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