PGA European Tour
Since its inception in 1972, the PGA European Tour has permanently featured the Spanish Open golf tournament or Open de España on its calendar. The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men’s professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors and the developmental Challenge Tour. The European Tour is the primary golf tour in Europe and is second to the US-based PGA Tour in worldwide prestige and prize money.
Most events on the PGA European Tour’s three tours are played in Western Europe with the most lucrative being held in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and Spain. The PGA European Tour continues to spread and grow as does its prize money. In 2006 the European Tour international schedule consisted of 49 tournaments in 26 countries, with total prize money of €122,117,096 (£81,806,797) compared to a total prize fund of £250,000 when the Tour was born in 1972.
Tour members have set extremely high playing standards which have resulted in a number of Major championship victories. This has meant six wins and one tie for Europe in the last ten Ryder Cup matches against the United States. Becoming a Tour member is a coveted honour – so much so that about 900 hopefuls enter for the qualifying school each year knowing that only the top 30 and ties can graduate.
With competition fierce on the PGA European Tour, it continues to be the second most important tour in men’s golf, behind the PGA Tour. Top ranking elite players like Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Sergio García and Adam Scott are members of the PGA Tour and moved to it as their main or joint main tour after playing in Europe first. Even with less prize money, the prestige of playing in the European Tour means it is often the first overseas move for top golfers from non-European countries in the Commonwealth. Players then move across to the PGA.
Although rivalry does exist between the PGA and European Tour, the two are working in partnership. The European Tour added the three US majors to its official schedule and European players’ prize money now counts towards the European Tour Order of Merit.
The European Tour Order of Merit is essentially the European Tour’s money list. It is calculated in Euro and a full list can be found on the European Tour website. With the European Tour career earnings table being regularly updated, it could make for some interesting golf betting.
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