The Red Bull Final 5 – a unique golf competition that rewards the player with the best score over the final five holes of a round – will be contested at three events on The European Tour this summer, broadcast live on the BBC, all in aid of Sport Relief.
It was announced today that the Red Bull Final 5 would be played across all four rounds of The Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters at the Marriott Forest of Arden (May 6-9), the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth Club (May 27-30), and The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond (July 8-11).
In a unique agreement between The European Tour and the BBC, the tournament players will win donations to Sport Relief, underwritten by Red Bull, for the best score under par each day on the final five holes.
George O’’Grady, Deputy Executive Director of The European Tour, said: “Not only will the competition raise money for Sport Relief, a very worthwhile cause, it will create plenty of added interest for both our Members and spectators alike. For any golfer striving to improve their game, the Final Five stats will make intriguing reading.”
Jamie Spence, Chairman of The European Tour’’s Tournament Committee, said: “Anything that benefits good causes while at the same time emphasises the exciting nature of the final five holes can only be good for the game and I am sure all the players will be interested to see who comes out on top.”
On The European Tour this season, in 10 out of the 14 tournaments between the season-opening Omega Hong Kong Open and the 61st Telecom Italia Open, the champion bettered or equalled the second placed player over the final five holes on the final surge towards the winning post.
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The current Final 5 star is Volvo Order of Merit leader Ernie Els who has an average Final 5 score of 1.33 under par for each round. He also has the best final five holes in a single round this season, five under par at the Johnnie Walker Classic at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.
In second place is Thongchai Jaidee from Thailand, currently 12th on the Volvo Order of Merit. Having completed 25 rounds, he is 29 under par for the Final 5 holes with an average of 1.16 under par. Of the 275 players who have competed this season, only 100 are currently under par on the final five holes.
Red Bull said: “We are delighted that the Red Bull Final 5 will be raising money for Sport Relief across these three prestigious tournaments. The final five holes are where golfers of all standards tend to make errors due to fatigue in both body and mind. As Red Bull has been specifically developed for periods of increased mental and physical exertion, it has been proven to benefit golfers at this stage of a round as it increases endurance, concentration and reaction speed.”
The Final 5 was launched on the European Challenge Tour last season. It was played across ten events with players contesting a running order of merit culminating in a shoot-out for the top six players. The winner was Scott Drummond of Scotland, who earned his European Tour card via the Challenge Tour.
He said: “The Red Bull Final 5 demonstrated to us players on the Challenge Tour that your game often falters when you come to the end. The competition's inclusion on The European Tour is for a great cause and we will get an eye-opener as to who performs best when the pressure’’s on down the closing stretch.”
It’’s not just for the stars though. Club golfers will also get their chance to test their ability over the final five holes, as The European Tour events are the launch pad to the Final 5 National Club Competition.
All UK and Ireland clubs have been invited to play the Red Bull Final 5 as part of one of their club competitions. Two winners from each club will progress to regional finals played at Marriott Hotel courses with the winners contesting a Grand Final at a venue to be announced later in the season.
The Red Bull Final 5 was tried successfully as a club competition last year with some 200 clubs and more than 19,000 club players involved. For more information on the Red Bull Final 5 and how to play the competition please contact Red Bull on 0843 3660022, email info@redbullfinal5.co.uk or log on to www.redbullfinal5.co.uk
