Four players still able to become Race to Dubai champion
Wednesday 18 November, 2009
All eyes are on Dubai this week, as the top 60 players on the European Tour money list take part in Asia's richest golf tournament, with more than just the winner's cheque on the minds of some.
The conclusion of the Dubai World Championship will also finalise the Race to Dubai standings, with four players still in the running to complete the European Tour's 51-tournament season as the highest earner.
Currently leading the way is Titleist Pro V1x golf ball user Rory McIlroy after he finished second in the penultimate event - the UBS Hong Kong Open.
However, the Northern Irishman has revealed that he will not be playing defensively with his golf irons in the UAE in an attempt to finish at the head of the standings.
He said: "I won't be trying to protect a lead or finish ahead of this guy or that guy.
"I am number one at the moment but there are four rounds of golf left. It is where I wanted to be going into the final tournament."
If McIlroy does manage to top the Race to Dubai standings, he will become the youngest golfer to do so since Seve Ballesteros.
But four good rounds with his Titleist golf balls will not guarantee overall victory for the 20-year-old, as two other players can be crowned Race to Dubai champion if they are victorious at the Jumeirah Golf Estates course.
Lee Westwood, who topped the money list in 2000, lies €128,172 behind McIlroy, while Germany's Martin Kaymer can also still make a late surge.
Westwood lost his position atop the rankings after a disappointing performance in Hong Kong, but is happy that he does not need to rely on others if he is to regain this position in the season's final event.
He commented: "The Race to Dubai is still in my hands. The difference between first and second this week is more than the difference in the race. So if I win, I win the money list.
"That's what I set out to do at the start of the last few weeks, to make sure I was within the difference between first and second, and I am going to be that."
Meanwhile, Kaymer comes into the tournament fresh off the back of a week's rest and will be looking to fulfil his early-season goal by finishing as the European Tour's number one.
The other player that can still pick up victory is Ross Fisher, but he must win the Dubai World Championship and hope that either McIlroy or Westwood do not finish second.
However, with €830,675 up for grabs for the winner, all of the 60 participants will be hoping to end the season on a high.
Players using Nike golf clubs have been on a positive run worldwide of late, with Michelle Wie winning her first LPGA tournament and Tiger Woods triumphant in Australia in his first visit to the country in over a decade.
Among the players using this golf equipment in Dubai are Francesco Molinari, Charl Schwartzel and two-time European Tour event winner this season Simon Dyson.
All eyes are on Dubai this week, as the top 60 players on the European Tour money list take part in Asia's richest golf tournament, with more than just the winner's cheque on the minds of some.
