TOUR NEWS:IT USED to be that the climax to a European Tour season involved no more than moving from one part of Spain to another. How times have changed.
Paul Casey has flown from China to America to see if he is fit enough to play in Dubai next week, while Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy have moved on from Shanghai to Hong Kong to continue their fight for the number one spot.
McIlroy's fourth-place finish at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai thrust him firmly into contention for the Race to Dubai title. The Holywood, Co Down player, continuing his timely strong finish to the season, trimmed Westwood's lead at the top of the Order of Merit to less than €52,000 with just two events remaining after leapfrogging Martin Kaymer into second place.
But even with Westwood and McIlroy heading to Hong Kong this week as Kaymer heads home to Germany to rest and for further treatment on his foot injury, the race for the Harry Vardon trophy will still go down to the season-ending Dubai World Championship later this month.
"It certainly gives me momentum going into the next two weeks," said McIlroy.
"I'm feeling a lot better about my game than I was. Hopefully, it's a springboard into the next two weeks and I'm looking forward to it."
Other players, meanwhile, are venturing all the way to Melbourne to try to save their Tour cards.
It was only last month it was announced the JBWere Masters - what used to be the Australian Masters - featuring Tiger Woods, was part of the Tour schedule.
That threw a lifeline to the likes of former Ryder Cup Scot Andrew Coltart, Kilkenny's Gary Murphy and England's Benn Barham, who in September was denied a first Tour victory only when Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello produced a closing round of 60 to pip him by one.
The top 115 on the money list earn cards for next season's circuit and, with only four rounds left, Coltart lies 122nd, Murphy 127th and Barham 130th.
Golf rankings:
World Rankings
1 Tiger Woods(US) 15.70pts
2 Phil Mickelson(US) 9.22
3 Steve Stricker(US) 7.38
4 Lee Westwood(Eng) 6.13
5 Paul Casey(Eng) 6.02
6 Padraig Harrington(Ire) 5.71
7 Henrik Stenson(Swe) 5.63
8 Kenny Perry(US) 5.36
9 Sergio Garcia(Spa) 5.31
10 Jim Furyk(US) 5.23
11 Martin Kaymer(Ger) 5.11
12 Geoff Ogilvy(Aus) 4.82
13 Ian Poulter(Eng) 4.71
14 Stewart Cink(US) 4.62
15 Sean O'Hair(US) 4.60
16 Ernie Els(SA) 4.47
17 Rory McIlroy(NIrl) 4.37
18 Lucas Glover(US) 4.20
19 Ross Fisher(Eng) 4.18
20 Retief Goosen(SA) 4.09
Other Irish
51 Graeme McDowell2.34
109 Darren Clarke1.477
125 Gareth Maybin1.338
173 Peter Lawrie1.049
176 Damien McGrane1.042
178 Shane Lowry1.030
European Tour Race to Dubai
1 Lee Westwood(Eng)€2,404,579
2 Rory McIlroy(NIrl)€2,352,259
3 Martin Kaymer(Ger) €2,332,544
4 Ross Fisher(Eng)€2,105,047
5 Paul Casey(Eng)€2,014,063
6 Geoff Ogilvy(Aus) €1,673,814
7 Oliver Wilson(Eng)€1,668,252
8 Simon Dyson(Eng)€1,483,263
9 Ernie Els(SA) €1,375,704
10 Ian Poulter(Eng)€1,369,702
11 Soren Kjeldsen(Den) €1,339,645
12 Sergio Garcia(Spa) €1,321,872
13 Francesco Molinari(Ita) €1,233,517
14 Gonzalo F-Castano(Spa) €1,175,979
15 Peter Hanson(Swe) €1,173,801
16 Henrik Stenson(Swe) €1,134,650
17 Padraig Harrington(Irl) €1,119,349
18 Thongchai Jaidee(Tha) €1,101,907
19 Soren Hansen(Den) €1,095,307
20 Alvaro Quiros(Spa) €1,093,060
US PGA Tour (US unless stated)
1 Tiger Woods$10,508,163
2 Steve Stricker$6,332,636
3 Phil Mickelson$5,332,755
4 Zach Johnson$4,583,213
5 Kenny Perry$4,445,562
6 Sean O'Hair$4,316,493
7 Jim Furyk$3,946,515
8 Geoff Ogilvy(Aus) $3,866,270
9 Lucas Glover$3,692,580
10 Yang Yong-eun(S Kor) $3,489,516
11 Retief Goosen(SA) $3,232,650
12 Nick Watney$3,221,421
13 Brian Gay$3,178,676
14 David Toms$3,017,957
15 Dustin Johnson$2,977,901
16 Hunter Mahan$2,941,349
17 Stewart Cink$2,821,030
18 Rory Sabbatini(SA) $2,752,291
19 Kevin Na$2,724,825
20 Pádraig Harrington(Ire) ... $2,628,377
