European Tour Wants Playoff-Type Series, Modeled After PGA's FedEx Cup Playoffs

The European Tour is expected to announce "its own playoff-type series," to debut in '13, according to Alex Miceli of GOLFWEEK.com. The series will most-likely be fashioned after the FedEx Cup playoffs, which have "blossomed into one of the most-exciting events in golf." Euro Tour CEO George O'Grady said, "We won't copy the model, but we'll have what I call a more European version of the thing so Dubai is the finale, with a higher points-scoring basis on the last few tournaments." Details are yet to be finalized, but O'Grady is targeting the BMW Masters in Shanghai; the HSBC Champions in Shenzhen, China; and an inaugural event in Turkey for the run-up to the traditional tour final in Dubai. O'Grady acknowledges that Europe has "lost tournaments in recent years, but emphasizes that companies are eager to sponsor golf tournaments." O'Grady said, "Everybody wants the best field they can get. So we're going to have to pay large sums of money if you want big marquee players, who are playing on the PGA Tour, when you see how financially healthy it's been" (GOLFWEEK, 10/5).