The European Tour will be known as DP World Tour from the start of the 2022 season. The logistics holding company owned by the state of Dubai thus becomes the title sponsor of the circuit as part of a historic agreement starting next season.
The company based in the aforementioned Arab emirate has been associated with the European Tour since 2009, and the season-ending tournament was renamed the DP World Tour Championship in 2012. The agreement heralds a new era in the history of the European Tour group, which, together with DP World, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022.
The 2022 DP World Tour schedule will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries, and the season will offer a total prize pool of more than $200 million for the first time in the Tour’s history.
All DP World Tour-only sanctioned tournaments will offer minimum prize pools of 2 million, with 13, outside of the majors and the World Golf Championship, with larger purses than that, while five events are included in an expanded Rolex Series schedule for 2022.
The first four Rolex Series events will be the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, while the last will be the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, which will offer a record $10 million in prize money.
Keith Pelley, Group Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Today’s announcement is undoubtedly a momentous one in the proud history of our Tour. The launch of the DP World Tour in 2022, coinciding with our 50th anniversary, will herald a new era in global golf, and crucially benefit everyone involved, all our players, caddies, fans and partners, as well as making a significant contribution to wider society.
“The entire ecosystem of our Tour will be strengthened because of this hugely significant agreement, and that was essential to us and to DP World, who have been an incredible supporter of our Tour, as well as golf in general, from the grassroots to the elite. professional game.
“The DP World Tour is therefore a natural evolution of our decade-long partnership, and the presence of ‘World’ in our new title better reflects our global reach.”
New tournaments in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Africa and Belgium will be included in the 2021-22 calendar, which begins with the Joburg Open from November 25-28.
The agreement will also see a significant investment in prize funds on the Challenge Tour, with increased playing opportunities for players and the new John Jacobs Bursary Award that will support the top five players in the Challenge Tour Rankings with their travel and expenses the following year at the DP World.
There is also a commitment to grassroots golf to promote golf at all levels in the countries where tour tournaments will be played, including the United Arab Emirates, where the DP World Tour will work closely with the existing grassroots program.
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