BMW to sponsor new Chinese event?
Next year’s European Tour schedule will not be released until Monday. But could a computer glitch have given us a gimpse into the future?
The tour website carried a banner on Wednesday alerting users that the 2012 schedule published that morning was incorrect.
Just how incorrect it was remains to be seen - perhaps the citing of Malaysia at the venue for the Dunhill Links is the error. However, the briefly published “schedule” included new events in back to back weeks in October: the previously announced Perth International Golf Championship at Lake Karrinyup CC in Australia (Oct 18-21) and a new “BMW China Event” at a venue to be confirmed (Oct 25-28).
The latter tournament, which comes just a week before the WGC-HSBC Champions, could be the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters, where Rory McIlroy claimed the biggest first prize in golf - $2m - last month after a play-off with Anthony Kim. It was a limited field event and did not award world ranking points due to the fact that it was not sanctioned by any tour.
Alas, there was no leak of the host venue for the 2012 Irish Open which is listed as TBA (to be announced) with Discover Ireland the only sponsor in the title.
There is just one gap in the “calendar”, May 10-13, which could be earmarked for the Iberdrola Open in Mallorca, where Darren Clarke triumphed earlier this year.
2012 European Tour Schedule?
Jan 05-8 Africa Open, East London GC, East London, South Africa €1,000,000
Jan 12-15 Joburg Open, Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, Johannesburg, South Africa €1,300,000
Jan 19-22 Volvo Golf Champions, The Links at Fancourt, George, South Africa €2,000,000
Jan 26-29 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates $2,700,000
Feb 2-5 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, Doha GC, Doha, Qatar $2,500,000
Feb 9-12 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Emirates GC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates $2,500,000
Feb 16-19 Avantha Masters, DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India €1,800,000
Feb 22-26 WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship, Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, USA $8,500,000
Mar 8-11 WGC - Cadillac Championship, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Florida, USA $8,500,000
Mar 15-18 Open de Andalucia de Golf, TBC, TBC, Spain
Mar 22-25 Trophée Hassan II, Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco €1,500,000
Mar 29-Apr 1 Sicilian Open, Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sciacca, Italy €1,000,000
Apr 5-8 MASTERS TOURNAMENT, Augusta National, Georgia, USA
Apr 12-15 Maybank Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia $2,500,000
Apr 19-22 Volvo China Open, Binhai Lake GC, Tianjin, China RMB20,000,000
Apr 26-29 Ballantine’s Championship, Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, Korea Republic €2,205,000
May 3-6 Open de España, Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, Seville, Spain €2,000,000
May 10-13 TBC, TBC
May 17-20 Volvo World Match Play Championship, Finca Cortesin GC, Casares, Andalucia, Spain €3,400,000
May 17-20 Madeira Islands Open, Santo da Serra, Madeira, Portugal
May 24-27 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Wentworth Club, Surrey, England €4,500,000
May 31-June 3 ISPS Handa Wales Open, The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales €1,800,000
Jun 6-9 Nordea Masters, Bro Hof Slott GC, Stockholm, Sweden €1,500,000
Jun 14-17 US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Olympic Club, San Francisco, USA
Jun 14-17 SAINT-OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC, Aa Saint Omer GC, Lumbres, France €500,000
Jun 21-24 BMW International Open, Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof, Cologne, Germany
Jun 28-July 1 The Irish Open Presented by Discover Ireland TBA, TBA, Republic of Ireland
Jul 5-8 Alstom Open de France Le Golf National, Paris, France
Jul 12-15 The Scottish Open, Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, Scotland
Jul 19-22 THE 141st OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England
Jul 26-29 Austrian Golf Open, Diamond Country Club, Atzenbrugg, Austria
Aug 2-5 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio, USA
Aug 9-12 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina, USA
Aug 16-19 Czech Open, Prosper Golf Resort, Čeladná, Czech Republic
Aug 23-26 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland
Aug 30-Sep 2 Omega European Masters, Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland
Sep 6-9 KLM Open, Hilversumsche GC, Hilversum, Netherlands
Sep 13-16 Italian Open, Royal Park I Roveri, Turin, Italy
Sep 20-23 Bankia Madrid Masters, TBC, TBC, Spain
Sep 27-30 The Ryder Cup, Medinah Country Club, Illinois, USA
Oct 4-7 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Malaysia (???)
Oct 11-14 Portugal Masters, Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal
Oct 18-21 Andalucia Masters, TBC, TBC, Spain
Oct 18-21 Perth International Golf Championship, Lake Karrinyup CC, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Oct 25-28 BMW China Event, TBC, TBC, China
Oct 25-28 Castello Masters Costa Azahar, Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, Castellón, Valencia, Spain
Nov 1-4 WGC - HSBC Champions, Mission Hills GC, Shenzhen, China
Nov 8-11 Barclays Singapore Open, Sentosa GC, Singapore
Nov 15-18 Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong
Nov 22-25 DP WORLD - TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dec 6-9 Alfred Dunhill Championship (Date TBC) Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, South Africa
Dec 13-16 South African Open Championship (Date TBC) Serengeti Golf Club, Ekurhuleni, South Africa