The European Tour’s 2021 season comes to a finish this week with the DP World Tour Championship. The event, the final stop on the Race To Dubai, begins on Thursday. Here are the key details.
What is it?
First played in 2009, the tournament takes place on the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course, with a field comprising the top 50 players in the Race to Dubai — the circuit’s season-long standings. Given the limited field, there is no cut. As one of the four Rolex Series events on the tour, the DP World Tour Championship (DPWTC) carries a purse of $9 million. The Race to Dubai, meanwhile, offers a bonus pool of $5m, shared between the top 5-ranked players. The winner of that will bank $2m.
When is it?
November 18-21.
Where is it?
The event is played on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Who is playing?
The provisional cut for this week’s event had been extended to 54 after world No 1 Jon Rahm withdrew on Sunday. The Spaniard, a two-time winner of the DPWTC and the 2019 Race to Dubai champion, cited fatigue following a gruelling season. Former European No 1 Justin Rose and current world No 10 Viktor Hovland have also pulled out. Those three players were ranked in the Race at 3rd, 12th and 22nd, respectively.
Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed have been handed special exemptions by the European Tour to be part of the field. The pair, both former Masters champions, failed to fulfil the minimum requirement of four regular European Tour events.
The current Open champion, Collin Morikawa, goes into the DPWTC top of the Race to Dubai standings, with the world No 2 holding a 236.2-point advantage over recent BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel. Both players are looking to become the first American winner of the Race to Dubai.
England’s Tyrrell Hatton sits fourth, in-form Australian Min Woo Lee is fifth, while defending DPWTC champion Matt Fitzpatrick is sixth. Also, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy returns to play the event this year.
Past champions
The DPWTC has had eight previous winners, with reigning title-holder Matt Fitzpatrick also capturing the crown in 2016. The Englishman, who prevailed last year by one shot, sits alongside Jon Rahm (2017, 2019), Rory McIlroy (2012, 2015) and Henrik Stenson (2013, 2014) as two-time winners of the event.
Lee Westwood won the inaugural tournament in 2009, followed by Robert Karlsson (via a play-off) and Alvaro Quiros. England’s Danny Willett triumphed in 2018.
The Race to Dubai — the rebranded Order of Merit — roll of honour features Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald, Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari, Rahm, Stenson (2), Westwood (2) and McIlroy (3). Westwood bookends the rebrand: he is the first and the most recent Race to Dubai champion.
Tickets
Free general admission tickets are available www.ticketmasteruae.ae. To gain entry to the event, all UAE residents & citizens must provide proof at the entrance of a vaccination administered at least 14 days before the event date through the Al Hosn application, or a negative PCR test result within 96 hours of attendance to the first day of entry. Children under 12 do not require proof of vaccination. Gates open at 7am.
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match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
