Friday 8 December 2017 19:46, UK
The Long Drive World Series will visit 10 different countries around the world in 2018 after their expanded schedule was unveiled this week.
Two-time world champion Joe Miller will be among the 16 players competing at each event, with the series starting in Dubai in February and concluding in Turkey in November and highlights for each competition will be broadcast on Sky Sports.
The remaining eight venues will be Mexico (March), South Africa (April), USA (May), UK (June), Sweden (July), Russia (August), Portugal (September) and China (October) as the longest hitters in the world battling for the title of 2018 Long Drive World Series champion.
Joining Miller in the line-up will be fellow Brits James Tait and Scott Beaven, while Swedish powerhouse Emil Rosberg, winner in London earlier this year, also features along with the likes of Serbian Ilija Djurdjevic and Americans Ryan Steenberg, Ryan Reisbeck and Kevin Shook.
A statement released by LDWS organisers read: "There will be 12 Long Drive World Series players at each event, one local player from each region and three qualifiers who will have the opportunity to compete for a place in the main event through an open qualifying round.
"The 16 players will be ranked at each event, through a quick seeding round prior to the main event starting. Players will then compete in a series of head to head pairings with the remaining two players progressing to the final.
"The 2018 Long Drive World Series will also see the introduction of a new scoring system called 'Load the Grid', where players will have six balls to hit within markers on a grid, in a bid to accumulate the longest total yardage.
"Players will accumulate points on a league basis throughout the Series and the player with the highest number of points at the end of the 10-leg series will be crowned the overall 2018 Long Drive World Series champion."
Long Drive World Series CEO, Martin Westney, said: "2017 was a hugely successful debut year for the Long Drive World Series. Our ambition now is to grow the concept significantly in an effort to introduce new audiences to our fast pace, exhilarating form of golf.
"We have more events planned than ever before, at some of the most iconic locations around the world, and we are looking forward to showcasing the world's best players to our growing fanbase around the globe."
