European Tour Teeing Off 2009 Season in China

The same day the PGA Tour begins its final tournament of the 2008 season, the European Tour begins the first tournament of its 2009 season. (The European Tour season runs November to November, although in 2010 the tour will adopt a calendar-year schedule.)

On Thursday, the HSBC Champions tees off in China with a field including Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Anthony Kim, K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and Camilo Villegas.

Kim and Villegas have applied for European Tour membership in 2009, and Ogilvy has announced plans to do the same. Mickelson considered the move, but ultimately decided against it. Garcia and Harrington, of course, are longtime Euro Tour members.

What is attracting the new membership interest? This season marks the European Tour's first "Race to Dubai," the new money-list title that culminates in the Top 60 players gaining entry into the season-ending Dubai World Championship in November, 2009. That tournament will boast a purse of $10 million, and there is also a $10 million bonus pool to be divvied up among the Top 15 finishers on the money list.

2009 European Tour schedule