Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed will return to the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai from December 10-13, hoping to become the first American to be crowned European Tour No.1.
The Ryder Cup star currently leads the Race to Dubai rankings by more than 450 points from Tommy Fleetwood, who will also be heading to Jumeirah Golf Estates next month along with US PGA Champion Collin Morikawa, Lee Westwood and Victor Perez, who complete the top five.
Reed has made no secret of his aim of winning the Race to Dubai since first taking up European Tour membership in 2015. The current world no.11 finished runner-up to Danny Willett in 2018 on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates and has also recorded two top tens in four appearances in the Race to Dubai finale.
Reed returned to the top of the Race to Dubai rankings after finishing in a share of third at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. He topped the standings earlier in the year after his victory at the WGC-Mexico Championship in February, his second World Golf Championship title.
“Winning the Race to Dubai and the European Tours’ Order of Merit has always been a goal of mine. I came close in 2018 and you can bet I will do my best to earn the no.1 spot,” said Reed. “The DP World Tour Championship is an event I’ve been looking forward to since the rescheduled season was announced and it will be a great way to end 2020. Being a worldwide player is certainly at the forefront of my mind as a professional. Experiencing new cultures and playing in different conditions ultimately helps me become a more well-rounded golfer and person.”
He added: “It would be an honour to become the first American to win the Race to Dubai and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of competing at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.”
Westwood will aim to become just the third English golfer in history to win the Harry Vardon Trophy on three occasions alongside Bernard Hunt and Peter Oosterhuis, who went on to top the rankings for a fourth consecutive year in 1974, while Fleetwood could emulate Westwood and Nick Faldo’s achievements if he were to win his second Race to Dubai title in the space of four seasons.
Westwood said: “I’ve had some success in Dubai over the years and it is somewhere I always enjoy playing golf, so it will be great to end the year with two tournaments there. I’m in a good position on the Race to Dubai and hopefully I can play well in both weeks and finish the year strongly. It’s a big honour for any player to be crowned the European Tour’s no.1. I’ve done it twice before, so it’s great to have another chance again this year.”
Attendance at both events will be for invited guests only.