Final Rolex Series Event of 2018 Welcomes Europe's Pre-Eminent Golfers to Dubai
Geneva, Switzerland – Now in its 10th year, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai will be contested by the top 60 players on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex on 15 – 18 November 2018 at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Set against the backdrop of Dubai’s glittering city skyline, the tournament marks the final Rolex Series event of 2018. Launched in 2017, the Rolex Series presents a global programme of golfing showpieces on the European Tour, which Rolex has partnered since 1997.
The elite field is set to include many of the stars from the victorious 2018 European Ryder Cup Team, including Testimonees Thorbjørn Olesen and Jon Rahm, who will be defending his 2017 title.
For 28-year-old Olesen, victory on Jumeirah’s Earth Course would make for the Dane’s second Rolex Series win in the same calendar year, after winning the Italian Open in June. In doing so, he would follow in the footsteps of 24-year-old Rahm, who won the 2017 Irish Open ahead of being crowned the winner in Dubai.
The Spaniard said: “I’m excited to return to Dubai and defend my title. It will be all the more special to do so alongside teammates from The Ryder Cup, which was an unbelievable experience for me.”
Fellow players from the Rolex golf family contending the DP World Tour Championship include Rahm’s compatriot Rafa Cabrera Bello, who is also a previous Rolex Series winner; Belgians Thomas Pieters, a three-time European Tour winner, and Thomas Detry; 2016 DP World Tour Champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, from England; and Haotong Li, from China, who won his second European Tour event early this year in Dubai.
RACE TO DUBAI
Established in 2009, the season-long Race to Dubai concludes at the DP World Tour Championship, with the leader of the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex crowned alongside the tournament winner, to wrap up a season comprising 47 tournaments spanning 30 countries.
ABOUT THE ROLEX SERIES
Through an unwavering commitment to the game of golf for more than 50 years, Rolex has developed one of the broadest and most enduring relationships between brand and sport, in the world.
Rolex has always contributed to the further development of golf worldwide through its partnerships with guardians of the global game – organizations with the responsibility of advancing the sport, such as the European Tour.
Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of this partnership, in 2017, the Rolex Series was launched as the premium tournament category on the European Tour’s International Schedule. Presently comprising eight tournaments staged in a variety of golfing locations around the world, Rolex Series events offer a minimum prize fund of US$7 million.
The 2018 roster of Rolex Series tournaments include: the BMW PGA Championship (May 24-27); the Italian Open (May 31-June 3); the HNA Open de France (June 28-July 1); the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation (July 5-8); the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (July 12-15); the Turkish Airlines Open (November 1-4); the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player (November 8-11); and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (November 15-18), where the leading golfer of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex will be crowned.
ABOUT ROLEX
An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex, a Swiss watch manufacture headquartered in Geneva, is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. Its Oyster and Cellini watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. Founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905, the brand pioneered the development of the wristwatch and is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Through philanthropic programmes and a broad palette of sponsorship activities, Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports and exploration, and encourages the spirit of enterprise, as well as the conservation of natural environments.
