European Tour 2016 schedule controversy

Blog Post by Sorts Writer Derek Clements

HOW is this for lunacy...the European Tour has announced that the Alstom Open de France will count as two tournaments on The 2016 Race to Dubai.

Yes, you read that correctly. It will also carry enhanced Ryder Cup points as it celebrates its centenary edition. Paul Casey has just announced that he will not be rejoining the European Tour - initially, there was some concern about his decision as he would clearly be an asset to Darren Clarke's side at Hazeltine next year. But can you blame him? I mean, can you really blame him?

There will also be an increase of more than £350,000 in prize money for continental Europe’s oldest national Open, which will take place from June 30 to July 3 at Le Golf National, in Paris, the venue for The 2018 Ryder Cup.

For reasons best known to itself, the Tour announced last month that it will not sanction the 2016 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which moved dates to the same week. This is the same tour that sanctioned the WGC-HSBC Champions event as one of its Final Series, even though Victor Dubuisson, who won the previous week in Turkey, was told he would not be allowed to play.

So, having decided not to recognise the Bridgestone Invitational, the European Tour's tournament committee agreed that the French Open will count as two events. Apparently it is a move designed to help players meet their new minimum requirement of five regular European Tour events. Erm, so that means if they play in France, they will then only have to compete in a further three tournaments. It is clearly three too many for Casey.

In addition, the tournament committee also agreed to increase the Ryder Cup points on offer that week for both the World Points List and the European Points List. So the winner in France will pick up 64 points towards the Ryder Cup World Points List and one million points towards the European Points List, with subsequent points also increased for other players making the cut.

Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour, said, with an entirely straight face: “We recognise that many of our members play a global schedule, and with the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational not part of The Race to Dubai next year, these measures will help them do that again next year.

“At the same time, the changes for 2016 also reflect the importance of the Alstom Open de France to The European Tour, with the tournament having been an ever present on our International Schedule since our inception in 1972. Next year will be the 100th edition of the tournament, while it will be only two years until Le Golf National hosts The 2018 Ryder Cup, so I am confident these enhancements will add to the celebrations in Paris next year.”

Withdrawing the sanction for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational means it will not be part of the 2016 European Tour international schedule, nor will money or world ranking points won in it count towards the Race to Dubai or for Ryder Cup points. Remember that the top 50 in the world rankings will all be able to compete in the Bridgestone, including defending champion Shane Lowry. How bizarre it would be if Lowry or another European were to play in America, win the event and miss out on Ryder Cup selection.

Oh yes, did I also tell you that not only does one tournament count as two, but this will be a season during which the Nedbank Challenge will actually be played twice, once as a run-of-the-mill but highly lucrative tournament in December and again in November 2016 when it will count as one of the tour's Final Series? It's not just me, is it?

I say again. It is lunacy!