2011 European Tour


The 2011 European Tour was the third edition of the Race to Dubai and the 40th season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972.
The Race to Dubai was won by Englishman Luke Donald, who also collected the Golfer of the Year award having also headed the PGA Tour money list and ascended to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking during 2011. Compatriot Tom Lewis was Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.

Schedule

The table below shows the 2011 European Tour schedule. The season began in December 2010 with the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa, and culminated with the Dubai World Championship the following December. The full schedule included the four major championships and four World Golf Championships.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerOWGR
points		Notes
9–12 DecAlfred Dunhill ChampionshipSouth Africa Pablo Martín 20Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
16–19 DecSouth African OpenSouth Africa Ernie Els 32Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
6–9 JanAfrica OpenSouth Africa Louis Oosthuizen 22Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
13–16 JanJoburg OpenSouth Africa Charl Schwartzel 20Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
20–23 JanAbu Dhabi HSBC Golf ChampionshipUnited Arab Emirates Martin Kaymer 56
27–30 JanVolvo Golf ChampionsBahrain Paul Casey 38New tournament
3–6 FebCommercialbank Qatar MastersQatar Thomas Bjørn 50
10–13 FebOmega Dubai Desert ClassicUnited Arab Emirates Álvaro Quirós 50
17–20 FebAvantha MastersIndia Shiv Chowrasia 20Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
23–27 FebWGC-Accenture Match Play ChampionshipUnited States Luke Donald 76World Golf Championships
10–13 MarWGC-Cadillac ChampionshipUnited States Nick Watney 74World Golf Championships
17–21 MarSicilian OpenItaly Raphaël Jacquelin 24New tournament
24–27 MarOpen de Andalucía de GolfSpain Paul Lawrie 24
31 Mar – 3 AprTrophée Hassan IIMorocco David Horsey 24
7–10 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Charl Schwartzel 100Major championship
14–17 AprMaybank Malaysian OpenMalaysia Matteo Manassero 42Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
21–24 AprVolvo China OpenChina Nicolas Colsaerts 28Co-sanctioned with the OneAsia Tour
29 Apr – 1 MayBallantine's ChampionshipSouth Korea Lee Westwood 42Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
5–8 MayOpen de EspañaSpain Thomas Aiken 24
12–15 MayIberdrola OpenSpain Darren Clarke 24
19–22 MayVolvo World Match Play ChampionshipSpain Ian Poulter 52
19–22 MayMadeira Islands OpenPortugal Michael Hoey 18Dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour.
26–29 MayBMW PGA ChampionshipEngland Luke Donald 64Flagship event
2–5 JunSaab Wales OpenWales Alexander Norén 30
9–12 JunBMW Italian OpenItaly Robert Rock 24
16–19 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Rory McIlroy 100Major championship
16–19 JunSaint-Omer OpenFrance Matthew Zions 18Dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour.
23–26 JunBMW International OpenGermany Pablo Larrazábal 38
30 Jun – 3 JulAlstom Open de FranceFrance Thomas Levet 40
7–10 JulBarclays Scottish OpenScotland Luke Donald 52
14–17 JulThe Open ChampionshipEngland Darren Clarke 100Major championship
21–24 JulNordea MastersSweden Alexander Norén 24
28–31 JulIrish OpenIreland Simon Dyson 28
4–7 AugWGC-Bridgestone InvitationalUnited States Adam Scott 76World Golf Championships
11–14 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Keegan Bradley 100Major championship
18–21 AugCzech OpenCzech Republic Oliver Fisher 24
25–28 AugJohnnie Walker Championship at GleneaglesScotland Thomas Bjørn 24
1–4 SepOmega European MastersSwitzerland Thomas Bjørn 44Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
8–11 SepKLM OpenNetherlands Simon Dyson 40
15–18 SepVivendi Seve TrophyFrance Great Britain & Irelandn/aTeam event; approved special event
22–25 SepAustrian Golf OpenAustria Kenneth Ferrie 24
29 Sep – 2 OctAlfred Dunhill Links ChampionshipScotland Michael Hoey 54Celebrity pro-am
6–9 OctBankia Madrid MastersSpain Lee Slattery 28
13–16 OctPortugal MastersPortugal Tom Lewis 34
20–23 OctCastelló MastersSpain Sergio García 24
27–30 OctAndalucía MastersSpain Sergio García 38
3–6 NovWGC-HSBC ChampionsChina Martin Kaymer 62World Golf Championships
10–14 NovBarclays Singapore OpenSingapore Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño 46Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
17–20 NovIskandar Johor OpenMalaysia Joost Luiten 24New tournament; co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
17–20 NovAlfred Dunhill ChampionshipSouth Africa Garth Mulroy 20Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
24–27 NovOmega Mission Hills World CupChinaUSAn/aTeam event; approved special event
24–27 NovSouth African OpenSouth Africa Hennie Otto 32Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
1–4 DecUBS Hong Kong OpenHong Kong Rory McIlroy 38Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
8–11 DecDubai World ChampionshipUnited Arab Emirates Álvaro Quirós 58The Tour Championship

Location of tournaments

Race to Dubai

Since 2009, the European Tour's money list has been known as the "Race to Dubai". It is based on money earned during the season and is calculated in euro, with earnings from tournaments that award prize money in other currencies being converted at the exchange rate available the week of the event. The following table shows the final top 10 in the 2011 standings and includes the bonus pool.
RankPlayerCountryEventsPrize money
1Luke Donald135,323,400
2Rory McIlroy194,002,168
3Martin Kaymer223,489,033
4Charl Schwartzel182,929,829
5Lee Westwood192,439,601
6Álvaro Quirós232,259,242
7Anders Hansen222,074,366
8Sergio García131,962,723
9Thomas Bjørn231,814,115
10Simon Dyson291,694,779

Awards

Golfer of the Month

The winners of the European Tour Golfer of the Month Award were as follows:
MonthPlayerCountry
JanuaryMartin Kaymer
FebruaryLuke Donald
MarchPaul Lawrie
AprilCharl Schwartzel
MayLuke Donald
JuneRory McIlroy
JulyDarren Clarke
AugustThomas Bjørn
SeptemberMichael Hoey
OctoberSergio García
NovemberMartin Kaymer