Excitement is building with just two weeks of The 2015 Race to Dubai left, with five players still in with a chance of taking Rory McIlroy’s top spot from him before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
With defending Race to Dubai champion McIlroy not playing this week in the BMW Masters at Lake Malaren Golf Club, Shanghai, a real opportunity has opened up for his main contenders to make their mark, with the in-form Danny Willett leading the charge.
Willett, who carded a fine ten under par 62 in the final round of last week’s WGC – HSBC Champions to finish in a tie for third place, is now just over 74,213 points behind McIlroy in the Rankings, and needing to finish 28th or better to move into the top spot.
Aside from the contest for pole position heading to Dubai, there is plenty a competition elsewhere in the Rankings, with those players vying to sneak into the top 60 to qualify for the season’s finale in Dubai, as well as those looking to break into the top 15 positions which will share the Bonus Pool money at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
We look at some of the battles in store this week:
In addition to Willett, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen, Justin Rose and Branden Grace also have the chance to knock four-time Major Champion McIlroy off his perch, with the first three players each needing to finish second or better to move into the number one spot, whilst only victory would be good enough for Grace.
With one event of the 47-tournament Race to Dubai still remaining after the BMW Masters, a good finish from any of the five contenders in this week’s penultimate event will see them well placed to make one final push to be crowned European Number One at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
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James Morrison, who played in his first World Golf Championships event last week, is one of those players looking to get into the top 15, with the Englishman currently 22nd in The Race to Dubai.
Big name players like 2013 Race to Dubai winner Henrik Stenson and two-time Major Champion Martin Kaymer are currently outside the top 15, with the Swedish star currently 18th in the Rankings, and Kaymer 20th.
Ross Fisher is the man trying to fend off a host of challengers after climbing seven places in The Race to Dubai to 15th, courtesy of his tied third finish in last week’s WGC–HSBC Champions.
Indeed, the battle is so open that anyone in the field – bar the China Golf Association invites – can jump inside the top 15 following this week in Shanghai.
Further down the Rankings, there is another almighty battle going on to get into the top 60 in The Race to Dubai and thus gain entry to the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, with defending BMW Masters Champion Marcel Siem currently among those outside the places in 68th position.
Trevor Fisher Jnr, who has enjoyed an impressive first full campaign on The European Tour after winning the Africa Open earlier this year, is one of those in with a good chance of securing his spot in next week’s season finale.
Currently 65th in The Race to Dubai, the South African echoed the sentiments of Morrison, stressing the need to treat the BMW Masters like any other event.
“I’ve got some work to do and I’ve got to have a decent week this week to get into Dubai. I like the course and I got a good nine holes in this morning,” said the 36 year old.
“I need to treat this week the same as any other. With there being no cut you can get a little comfortable, so I will make sure I treat this as a normal event. I have to put my head down this week and work. Trevor Fisher Jnr
“It’s my first full year on tour – I’ve never played a full season on The European Tour so it’s been a good year. If I get in or don’t it will still have been a decent year, so I’ve just got to look at that and say well done and make sure I don’t get too hard on myself, which is easy to do. However, there’s no denying I would love to play the final event. It must be special to get into that.”
A finish of 45th or better this week could move Fisher Jnr into the top 60, a prospect Graeme Storm, who is two places higher in the standings than the South African, was not even contemplating a few months ago.
Fast forward to today, though, and after a second placed finish at the Porsche European Open in Germany, along with a top 20 finish in Turkey, the Englishman no longer has to worry about keeping his card, and can instead turn his attention to the possibility of making it to the final event of the 2015 season.
“It would be great to get into Dubai. With the start I had this season I was nowhere near keeping my card, never mind getting into Dubai, so to have the chance now is a great achievement,” said Storm.
“My game is nice, I’m swinging it well and striking it well, I just need to warm the putter up a little bit. I’m looking forward to it.”
Whether it be battling for the number one spot, getting into the top 15 and qualifying for the Bonus Pool, or gaining entry to the final event of the year, there is so much to play for at the BMW Masters this week.
