The Race to Dubai is hurtling towards another thrilling finish with more than €11million still to play for before the end of the season and the top two, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell, locked in a tight tussle.
There was little movement at the top after the WGC-HSBC Champions, with Kaymer finishing tied 30th to McDowell’s tied 34th to stay more than half a million euros ahead, but Francesco Molinari rose to fourth with his victory in Shanghai and Lee Westwood cemented his place in third with the runner-up spot.
With plenty of prize money still on offer it promises to be a mouthwatering final stretch as we head towards the season-ending Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.
Westwood has ruled himself out of the next two events – the Barclays Singapore Open and the UBS Hong Kong Open – and Molinari could take advantage with another good performance in Singapore as he is just over €160,000 behind.
The focus is not only at the top of The Race, however. Over the next three weeks numerous players will be vying for position, knowing that huge benefits are at stake. Miguel Angel Jiménez slipped one place to seventh but should stay in the top 15, thereby ensuring a share of the $7.5million Bonus Pool and entry next season’s most lucrative tournaments, including The Open Championship.
“It has been a very good season for me,” said Jiménez, who at 46 is the oldest player to win three tournaments in a single season on The European Tour. “The aim for the rest of the year is just to play well in the last three tournaments and it would be great to finish in the top five in The Race to Dubai.”
At the other end of the age spectrum, Matteo Manassero cemented top 60 status on The Race to Dubai, moving up one place to 46th and practically guaranteeing his inclusion in the Dubai World Championship with only two events left to seal a place in the field.
Manassero said: “My goal for the season was to earn my European Tour card for next year, but to win my first tournament at the Castello Masters and get into the Dubai World Championship is fantastic.
“I am very excited about 2011, my first full season on the Tour, but first I will be trying to finish as high up The Race to Dubai as possible by playing well over the next few weeks.
“To win one tournament in a season is a great feeling but to win three, like Miguel has, is amazing. It shows what a great player he is. He has been winning titles for many years and I hope my career will be as long and successful as his.”
Jiménez said of Manassero: “There’s nearly 30 years between us but we are playing on the same Tour and it’s very nice. He has great opportunities and is showing what a talent he is.
“When I was 17 it was completely different. I had only been playing for two years and it was the only way I could make some money so I worked very hard at it. There is no way I could have played professionally when I was Matteo’s age.
“Matteo has a talent which was recognised when he was almost a baby, so all his life he has been working towards this, but still it is amazing that he has reached this level so young.”
Richie Ramsay’s tied third place finish in China lifted him from 65th to 39th and others who have it all to play in the next fortnight are Fabrizion Zanotti, currently 76th, and Bradley Dredge, who needs to improve on his current 64th place to gain entry to the Dubai World Championship and the lucrative prizes on offer there.
Ramsay said: “The goal at the start of the season was to make The Race to Dubai. I've surpassed that. And I don't need to worry about anything. All in all it was a fantastic week and now I can pitch up in Singapore with no pressure and go and play.”
