Dubai: The local Director of the European Tour International has stressed on the relevance of a stellar event like The Race to Dubai to cap a perfect season.
With Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy winning the title on Sunday without even lifting a club six weeks, questions were being asked about the Race to Dubai’s relevance.
However, Nick Tarratt, who heads the European Tour’s Dubai Office, has insisted that it is but fair to recognise the quality of a champion.
McIlroy has enjoyed a dream run this year with two Majors (The Open and the US PGA) along with the World Golf Championships and the BMW Championship at Wentworth, handing him the year-ending crown.
“It’s always an interesting debate whether the winner is decided in the final event. I don’t think it is right to manufacture a photo finish to the last nine holes of the final tournament,” Tarratt told Gulf News.
“I think that if someone has come to Dubai already winning it, then it is not a criticism of the set-up but it’s an indication that we have an outstanding player who has dominated this year. In my opinion there should be a separation of a remarkable year from what Rory [McIlroy] has achieved.
“Of course, there is a huge relevance with huge world rankings points. The best players in the world are here and it’s not just about the money. It’s also about the ranking points, status in getting in at the Majors and the world golf championships.
“This tournament is right up there giving the most world ranking points for any tournament and the players want to be here,” he added.
“If he didn’t win then something would have been wrong with the system. It has been an incredible year by Rory and this could be a celebration of this year. It should also be a celebration of a great year for the European Tour with all 12 members of the Ryder Cup winning team coming here for the first time.”
In addition, all of Paul McGinley’s Ryder Cup heroes are in the draw at the DP World Tour Championship — reuniting for the first time since their emphatic 16 ½ — 11 ½ victory over the USA.
“We’ve kept the same template, but the format has been tweaked this year to ensure we have a full field,” said Tarratt. “The ingredients are all there. We’ve had five great tournaments and five great winners.
“The course is set up in arguably the best condition ever by the golf course superintendent and now it’s left up to the players to play at the level they have and we will see how the next four days pan out,”
