The European Tour is to award financial bursaries to the top five players on next year’s Challenge Tour rankings in order to help them make the transition to the top tour.
The John Jacobs Bursary Award will support the leading five players on the Road to Mallorca rankings in the following season on the newly-named DP World Tour in 2022.
The annual bursary is named after the Tour’s founding father, John Jacobs, in recognition of his passion for developing golfing talent through his renowned coaching methods and golfing academies, as well as his overall legacy ahead of the European Tour group’s 50th anniversary next year.
The annual grant will help the quintet of Challenge Tour graduates with their travel and expenses in their first year on the DP World Tour, further strengthening the proven pathway for the developmental Tour to elite professional competition on the DP World Tour.
As part of DP World’s commitment to developing golf at all levels, a significant investment will be made in the Challenge Tour, which will be used to elevate prize funds and increase playing opportunities
Keith Pelley, European Tour Chief Executive, said: “John Jacobs was a hugely influential figure in the history of golf, not only as a Ryder Cup player and Captain and the Founding Father of our Tour, but also in the number of people who enjoyed our game in so many different countries and succeed in it because of him.
“As we prepare to embark on a new chapter in our history in 2022 with the evolution of the DP World Tour, this bursary will ensure future generations are now helped along the way in their own journey in our sport because of John’s legacy and it recognises the incredible passion he had for nurturing golfers.”