The European Tour has announced a new series of big money events for next season that are to be sponsored by Rolex.
Starting next year, Rolex, which has been the official timekeeper of the tour since 1997, is to give its support to a series of at least seven tournaments around the world, which will have guaranteed minimum prize funds of $7 million, with the end-of-season DP World Tour Championship in Dubai featuring a prize fund of $8 million.
The 2017 Rolex Series will begin in May with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, and will be followed by two tournaments in July: the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation at Portstewart; and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Dundonald.
The fourth tournament will be the Italian Open at the Olgiata Golf Club in Rome in October, while the final three events will be in November, comprising the Turkish Airlines Open at Regnum Carya Golf and Spa Resort; the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City in South Africa; and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Plans are in place to increase the number of Rolex Series tournaments in future seasons as part of the multi-year commitment made to the European Tour by the world’s leading Swiss watchmaker.
European Tour CEO Keith Pelley (pictured above) announced the series alongside Rolex’s global head of sponsorship Laurent Delanney at a press conference ahead of this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. He said: “We are delighted to unveil the Rolex Series, and we are committed to developing and building on it over the coming years. The Rolex Series will celebrate the highest quality of golf and the international spirit of the game. We are tremendously proud to have Rolex as our partner in this exciting new venture, and we thank them for their continued support.”