2004 European Tour


The 2004 European Tour was the 33rd golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972.
Ernie Els won the Order of Merit, defending the title he won in 2003. Despite Els dominance of the European money-list, Vijay Singh was crowned European Tour Golfer of the Year, having won the PGA Championship and deposed Tiger Woods at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

Major tournaments

For a summary of the major tournaments and events of 2004, including the major championships and the World Golf Championships, see 2004 in golf.

Schedule

The table below shows the 2004 European Tour schedule which was made up of 45 tournaments counting towards the Order of Merit, which included the four major championships and three World Golf Championships.
Changes from 2003 included two new tournaments, the Open de Sevilla and The Heritage, and the loss of the Benson & Hedges International Open, the Trophée Lancôme and the Nordic Open. The HSBC World Match Play Championship also became an official money-list event for the first time with an increased field determined by qualification criteria, which also meant it regained world ranking status, and the Mallorca Classic became a full European Tour event having been a dual-ranking event in 2003.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerOWGR
points		Notes
4–7 DecOmega Hong Kong OpenHong Kong Pádraig Harrington 26Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
15–18 JanSouth African Airways OpenSouth Africa Trevor Immelman 32Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
22–25 JanDunhill ChampionshipSouth Africa Marcel Siem 18Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
29 Jan – 1 FebJohnnie Walker ClassicThailand Miguel Ángel Jiménez 38Co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour
5–8 FebHeineken ClassicAustralia Ernie Els 34Co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia
12–15 FebANZ ChampionshipAustralia Brian Davis 20Co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia
19–22 FebCarlsberg Malaysian OpenMalaysia Thongchai Jaidee 16Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
26–29 FebWGC-Accenture Match Play ChampionshipUnited States Tiger Woods 74World Golf Championships
4–7 MarDubai Desert ClassicUnited Arab Emirates Mark O'Meara 46
11–14 MarQatar MastersQatar Joakim Haeggman 24
18–21 MarCaltex Singapore MastersSingapore Colin Montgomerie 16Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
25–28 MarMadeira Island OpenPortugal Chris Hanell 24Dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
1–4 AprAlgarve Open de Portugal Caixa Geral de DepositosPortugal Miguel Ángel Jiménez 24
8–11 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Phil Mickelson 100Major championship
15–18 AprOpen de SevillaSpain Ricardo González 24New tournament
22–25 AprCanarias Open de EspañaSpain Christian Cévaër 24
29 Apr – 3 MayTelecom Italia OpenItaly Graeme McDowell 24
6–9 MayDaily Telegraph Damovo British MastersEngland Barry Lane 30
13–16 MayBMW Asian OpenChina Miguel Ángel Jiménez 18Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
20–23 MayDeutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of EuropeGermany Trevor Immelman 48
27–30 MayVolvo PGA ChampionshipEngland Scott Drummond 64Flagship event
3–6 JunCeltic Manor Wales OpenWales Simon Khan 24
10–13 JunDiageo Championship at GleneaglesScotland Miles Tunnicliff 24
17–20 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Retief Goosen 100Major championship
17–20 JunAa St Omer OpenFrance Philippe Lima 16Alternate event; dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
24–27 JunOpen de FranceFrance Jean-François Remésy 24
1–4 JulSmurfit European OpenIreland Retief Goosen 40
8–11 JulBarclays Scottish OpenScotland Thomas Levet 48
15–18 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland Todd Hamilton 100Major championship
22–25 JulNissan Irish OpenIreland Brett Rumford 26
29 Jul – 1 AugScandinavian Masters by CarlsbergSweden Luke Donald 24
5–8 AugKLM OpenNetherlands David Lynn 24
12–15 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Vijay Singh 100Major championship
12–15 AugBMW Russian OpenRussia Gary Emerson 16Alternate event; dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
19–22 AugWGC-NEC InvitationalUnited States Stewart Cink 76World Golf Championships
26–29 AugBMW International OpenGermany Miguel Ángel Jiménez 44
2–5 SepOmega European MastersSwitzerland Luke Donald 30
9–12 SepLinde German MastersGermany Pádraig Harrington 42
17–19 SepRyder CupUnited States Europen/aApproved special event; team event
23–26 SepThe HeritageEngland Henrik Stenson 28New tournament
30 Sep – 3 OctWGC-American Express ChampionshipIreland Ernie Els 70World Golf Championships
7–10 OctDunhill Links ChampionshipScotland Stephen Gallacher 54
14–17 OctHSBC World Match Play ChampionshipEngland Ernie Els 48
14–17 OctTurespaña Mallorca ClassicSpain Sergio García 24Alternate event
21–24 OctOpen de MadridSpain Richard Sterne 24
28–31 OctVolvo Masters AndaluciaSpain Ian Poulter 44
18–21 NovWGC-World CupSpain Englandn/aWorld Golf Championships; approved special event; team event

Order of Merit

In 2004, the European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit". It was calculated in euro, although around half of the events had prize funds which were fixed in other currencies, mostly either British pounds or U.S. dollars. In these instances the amounts were converted into euro at the exchange rate for the week that the tournament was played. The top 10 golfers in 2004 were:
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1.Ernie Els4,061,905
2.Retief Goosen2,325,202
3.Pádraig Harrington1,910,394
4.Miguel Ángel Jiménez1,886,237
5.Thomas Levet1,727,945
6.Graeme McDowell1,648,862
7.Lee Westwood1,592,766
8.Darren Clarke1,563,803
9.Ian Poulter1,533,158
10.David Howell1,501,502

Awards