Tuesday 17 November 2015 14:59, UK
The WGC-HSBC Champions will no longer be part of the European Tour’s Final Series from 2016, as part of a new-look three-tournament finish to the Race to Dubai.
This year's end of season swing had contained four events, like the previous two years, although from next year the WGC-HSBC Champions will take place a week before the Final Series.
The changes were confirmed at a press conference which also announced significant alterations to it's membership guidelines that will greatly reduce the number of events players need to compete in.
The season-ending finale will continue to begin at the Turkish Airlines Open from November 3-6, but will now head to a revamped Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa the following week before closing in Dubai, with the BMW Masters dropped from the schedule.
Starting later this month at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, one of six events on South African soil, the schedule takes in 45 tournaments in 26 different countries, with the Australian PGA Championship and the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia featuring for the first time.
"We are delighted to announce the new-look Final Series as part of The 2016 Race to Dubai," Keith Pelley, the Chief Executive of the European Tour, said. "The inclusion of the Nedbank Golf Challenge means we can look forward to visiting Turkey, South Africa and Dubai in an exciting end to the season, with our players competing for $22million across these three events.
"Europe continues to underpin The Race to Dubai, with 20 tournaments in total on European soil, but undoubtedly the strength of our relationships with the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia are also key components in creating a Race to Dubai with a truly global footprint.
"While the Olympic Games in August provided certain challenges in terms of overall scheduling, we nevertheless look forward to golf's return to the Games in Rio as yet another reason to view the new season with excitement.
"With the second staging of the EurAsia Cup in January and Europe's defence of The Ryder Cup at the end of September also adding to the drama, the 2016 season promises to be a memorable year in terms of team golf as well as in the individual arena for our members."
The first event of 2016 will once again be the South African Open Championship from January 7, while the Irish Open, hosted by Rory McIlroy, will take place a week earlier from May 19.
Paul Lawrie's match play event also gets an earlier place in the schedule, sandwiched between the US PGA Championship and the Olympics, with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship being played a week after the Ryder Cup on October 6.
2015
Nov 26-29 Alfred Dunhill Championship - Leopard Greek CC, Malelane, SA
Dec 3-6 Nedbank Golf Challenge - Gary Player CC, Sun City, SA
Dec 3-6 Australian PGA Championship - RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
2016
Jan 7-10 The BMW SA Open - hosted by City of Ekurhuleni Glendower GC, Gauteng, Johannesburg, SA
Jan 14-17 Joburg Open - Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC, Johannesburg, SA
Jan 15-17 EURASIA Cup - presented by DRB-HICOM Glenmarie G&CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jan 21-24 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship - Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Jan 27-30 (Sat Finish) Commercial Bank Qatar Masters - Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
Feb 4-7 Omega Dubai Desert Classic - Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
Feb 11-14 Tshwane Open - Pretoria CC, Waterkloof, SA
Feb 18-21 Maybank Championship - Malaysia Royal Selangor GC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Feb 25-28 Perth International - Lake Karrinyup CC, Perth, Western Australia
Mar 3-6 WGC Cadillac Championship - Trump National Doral, Doral, Florida, USA
Mar 10-13 True Thailand Classic - Black Mountain GC, Hua Hin, Thailand
Mar 17-20 Hero Indian Open - TBC
Mar 24-27 WGC-Dell Match Play - Austin CC, Austin, Texas, USA
Mar 31-3 Apr NO TOURNAMENT
Apr 7-10 The Masters - Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA
Apr 14-17 Open de España - TBC
Apr 21-24 Shenzhen International - Genzon GC, Shenzhen, China
Apr 28-1 May Volvo China Open -TBC
May 5-8 Trophee Hassan II - Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Red Course, Rabat, Morocco
May 12-15 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open - Four Seasons GC, Mauritius at Anahita, Beau Champ, Mauritius
May 19-22 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open - Hosted by the Rory Foundation The K Club, Straffan, Kildare, Ireland
May 26-29 BMW PGA Championship - Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England
Jun 2-5 Nordea Masters - Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden
Jun 9-12 Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity - Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, nr Vienna, Austria
Jun 16-19 US Open - Oakmont CC, Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA
Jun 23-26 BMW International Open - Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof, Pulheim, Germany
Jun 30-3 July Alstom Open de France - Le Golf National, Paris, France
Jul 7-10 AAM Scottish Open - Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, Scotland
Jul 14-17 145th Open Championship - Royal Troon GC, Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
Jul 21-24 NO TOURNAMENT
Jul 28-31 US PGA Championship - Baltusrol GC, Springfield, New Jersey, USA
Aug 4-7 Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play - Murcar Links GC, Aberdeen, Scotland
Aug 10-13 (Sat Finish) Olympic Men's Golf Competition - Olympic Golf Course, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Aug 18-21 D+D Real Czech Masters - Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic
Aug 25-28 Made in Denmark - Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, Farso, Denmark
Sep 1-4 Omega European Masters Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland
Sep 8-11 KLM Open - The Dutch, Spijk, The Netherlands
Sep 15-18 Italian Open Golf Club Milano - Parco Reale di Monza, Italy
Sep 22-25 Porsche European Open - Golf Resort Bad Griesbach, Bad Griesbach, Germany
Sep 30-2 Oct The 2016 Ryder Cup - Hazeltine National GC, Chaska, Minnesota, USA
Oct 6-9 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship - Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland
Oct 13-16 British Masters - The Grove, Chandler's Cross, Hertfordshire, England
Oct 20-23 Portugal Masters - Oceânico Victoria GC, Vilamoura, Portugal
Oct 27-30 WGC-HSBC Champions - Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China
Nov 3-6 Turkish Airlines Open - Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya, Turkey
Nov 10-13 Nedbank Golf Challenge - Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa
Nov 17-20 DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP - DUBAI Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE
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