New name, new place: The "World Tour" is planning the perfect new start

As every year, the European Tour starts this Thursday with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - and yet everything is different: new name, new place.

This tournament series now hosts competitions on all five continents, with the new name DP World Tour.

The logistics company from Dubai is paying ten million dollars for the ten-year title sponsorship, one of the reasons why record prize money of around 200 million dollars can be awarded for the remaining 44 tournaments.

After only one of the first three tournaments of the 2021/2022 season could be held in South Africa due to the Omicron wave - and that only over 36 holes, the new "World Tour" wants to make a perfect restart this time. After all, the top stars of this series of events are there, including Rory McIlroy. The business trip to the United Arab Emirates is worthwhile. Because the first of the five tournaments is about eight million dollars in prize money, of which 1.33 million goes to the winner.

For the second in the world rankings, Collin Morikawa, who last year was the first American to win the "Race to Dubai", the European Tour's money list, the prize money and the associated world ranking points offer the opportunity to displace the Spaniard Jon Rahm. To climb the top spot for the first time, the Californian would have to win in Abu Dhabi and the Basque would have to finish worse than seventh at the PGA Tour tournament in La Quinta (California).

Perhaps Morikawa will benefit from the fact that after 16 years the Abu Dhabi Golf Club with the iconic Falken clubhouse is switching to the Yas Links. The 7,450-yard (6,812-meter) course with eight holes that run along the coast is, according to its designer, American Kyle Philips, the first links course in the Arabian Peninsula. Morikawa proved that he can do well on courts in dune landscapes with a second major victory in July last year when he confidently triumphed at the British Open.

Although eight German professionals, more than they have for a long time, now have the so-called Tour Card, i.e. full entitlement to play on the DP World Tour, only two German golfers are at the start in Abu Dhabi because the climbers, with the exception of Matthias " Matti" Schmid are not yet eligible to compete in such top-class tournaments.

Schmid as "Rookie" of the year

In addition to the 24-year-old from Maxhütte, only 31-year-old Maximilian Kieffer from Düsseldorf will compete with the elite at the start of the season. But while the Rhinelander is still waiting for a win, Schmid is already being heralded as one of the upcoming stars. Last year he became the second German professional after Martin Kaymer to be named “Rookie” (newcomer) of the year. The 24-year-old, two-time European amateur champion, secured full eligibility to play in the Race to Dubai after only taking part in eleven tournaments, coming 114th. Two years ago, national coach Ulrich Eckhardt considered Schmid, who was then an amateur, to be the "best golfer we have".

Schmid is currently ranked 253 in the world, far behind the former leader Martin Kaymer (121st). But the 37-year-old from Düsseldorf will continue to fall in the pecking order, because the young family man is taking a three-month baby break. Kaymer is therefore not taking part in Abu Dhabi. In 2010 he won his first of three successes at this tournament, but 2015 marked a turning point in his career. That year he was leading by ten strokes after five holes on the final day.

But he gambled away the victory with a final round of 75 strokes and is still waiting in vain for another success.

In order to finally be able to do this, the young family moves to Florida.

There Kaymer wants to prepare for a new start on the PGA Tour in March with his long-time coach Günter Kessler.

Since Kaymer only finished 216th in the FedExCup, the PGA Tour's seasonal standings, last year, the Rhinelander has to hope for invitations.

Due to his two major victories in 2010 and 2014 and his success at the Players Championship in 2014, he has no doubts that he will receive it – even though these brilliant achievements felt like an eternity ago.