2010 Tour schedule unveiled

The 2010 European Tour schedule has been announced and will once again culminate in the Dubai World Championship.

Season will again climax with the Dubai World Championship

The 2010 European Tour schedule has been unveiled and will once again culminate in the Dubai World Championship. The calendar will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments, including six new ones, as the new Race to Dubai format enters its second season. There had been fears that the Dubai World Championship could be under threat because of the global economic downturn which has badly affected the Gulf State and the tournament's property developer sponsors. However, the Tour today have now announced that there will again be £9million up for grabs at the Jumeirah Estates next November 25-28. The six new events on the schedule are the Africa Open in South Africa, Avantha Masters in India, Hassan Trophy in Morocco, Open Cala Millor Mallorca in Majorca, the Vivendi at a venue yet to be announced and the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama. In September of this year the Vivendi Trophy was a match-play fizture between a Great Britain and Ireland team and one from Continental Europe. But with the Ryder Cup being held in October next year, the tournament will revert back to individual stroke-play next season. As yet a date still has to be fixed for the Volvo World Match Play won by Ross Fisher last month, but it will be staged at the Finca Cortesin course in Spain once again. Wentworth, the tournament's former home, will present its new look at the Tour's flagship event - the BMW PGA Championship in May. Changes have been made to all the greens at the Surrey lay-out and the 18th now features a ditch short of the putting surface. A couple of well-established events have dropped off the calendar; the European Open - which has been played every season since 1977 and has been at The London Club in Kent the last two years - and also the Madrid Masters. Tour schedule: 2009 Dec
10-13 Alfred Dunhill Championship, Leopard Creek, South Africa
17-20 South African Open, Pearl Valley, Western Cape 2010 Jan
7-10 Africa Open, East London, South Africa
14-17 Joburg Open, Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, South Africa
21-24 Abu Dhabi Championship, Abu Dhabi GC, United Arab Emirates
28-31 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Doha, Qatar Feb
4-7 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates, Dubai
11-14 Avantha Masters, New Delhi, India
17-21 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Dove Mountain, Arizona, USA Mar
4-7 Maybank Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur
11-14 WGC-CA Championship, Doral, Miami, Florida, USA
18-21 Hassan II Trophy, Royal Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco
25-28 Andalucian Open, Parador de Malaga, Malaga, Spain Apr
1-4 Estoril Portuguese Open, Penha Longa, Sintra
8-11 MASTERS, AUGUSTA NATIONAL, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, USA
8-11 Madeira Islands Open BPI-Portugal, Porto Santo, Madeira
15-18 to be announced
22-25 Ballantine's Championship, Jeju Island, South Korea
29-May 2 Spanish Open, Real Club, Seville May
6-9 BMW Italian Open, Royal Park, Turin
13-16 Open Cala Millor Mallorca, Pula, Majorca
20-23 BMW PGA Championship, Wentworth, Surrey, England
27-30 Madrid Masters, venue tba Jun
3-6 Celtic Manor Wales Open, Celtic Manor, Newport, Wales
10-13 Austrian Golf Open, Fontana, Vienna
17-20 US OPEN, PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA, USA
17-20 St-Omer Open, Aa Saint Omer, Lumbres, France
24-27 BMW International Open, Munchen Eichenried, Munich, Germany Jul
1-4 Alstom French Open, Le Golf National, Paris, France
8-11 Barclays Scottish Open, Loch Lomond, Scotland
15-18 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND
12-25 Nordea Scandinavian Masters, Bro Hof Slott, Stockholm, Sweden
29-Aug 1 3 Irish Open, Killarney, Co Kerry, Ireland Aug
5-8 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Firestone, Akron, Ohio, USA
12-15 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, WHISTLING STRAITS, WISCONSIN, USA
19-22 Czech Open, Prosper Resort, Celadna, Czech Republic
26-29 Johnnie Walker Championship, Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland Sept
2-5 Omega European Masters, Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
9-12 KLM Open, Hilversum, The Netherlands
16-19 tba
23-26 The Vivendi, tba Oct
1-3 RYDER CUP, CELTIC MANOR, NEWPORT, WALES
7-10 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Scotland
14-17 Portugal Masters, Oceanico Victoria, Vilamoura
21-24 Castellon Masters, Club de Campo del Mediterraneo, Castellon, Spain
28-31 Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain Nov
4-7 WGC-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International, Shanghai, China
11-14 Barclays Singapore Open, Sentosa, Singapore
18-21 Hong Kong Open, Fanling, Hong Kong
25-28 Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah Estates, Dubai Dates to be confirmed: Volvo China Open, Jinji Lake; Volvo World Match Play Championship, Finca Cortesin, Spain; JBWere Masters, Kingston Heath, Melbourne, Australia