(Reuters) – World number one Tiger Woods is to compete in the inaugural Turkish Open in Antalya in November, the European Tour said yesterday.
The $7 million event at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal course in Belek will form part of the new Final Series on the Race to Dubai, Europe’s lucrative end-of-season equivalent of the U.S. Tour’s FedExCup competition.
Fourteen-times major winner Woods also featured in last year’s unofficial World Golf Final in Turkey played at the nearby Antalya Golf Club.
That invitational eight-man tournament was won by Justin Rose who claimed a first prize of $1.5 million after he defeated fellow Briton Lee Westwood by one stroke in the final.
“I had a great time during my first visit to Turkey,” Woods said in a news release. “The fans who came to watch made it a really special event and I’m looking forward to playing there once again.”
The Turkish Open is to be held from November 7-10 and will have a 78-strong field.
The European Tour’s inaugural Final Series also comprises two events in Shanghai, the $7 million BMW Masters from October 24-27 and the $8.5 million WGC-Champions Tournament from October 31-Nov 3.
The series offers a combined prize fund of $30.5 million and ends with the $8 million DP World Tour Championship in Dubai from November 14-17.
