ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Davis Love III and Davis Love IV did everything together Thursday at Sea Island.

They have the same pre-shot routine, a full practice swing before setting up over the ball. Both hit 3-wood off the tee and made birdie on the opening hole. Both wound up with an even-par 70 on the Seaside Course. And both have a lot of work to make up ground on Kevin Kisner.

Kisner hit 3-wood to about 25 feet on the fringe and made eagle on his penultimate hole on the Plantation Course for a 7-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead based on par after the first round of the RSM Classic.

Jeff Overton, Canada’s David Hearn and Tom Hoge each had a 6-under 64 on the Seaside Course.

The biggest crowd – which wasn’t much on a day when storms threatened but never arrived – filled the bleachers behind the first tee to see some familiar faces.

Love, the 21-time winner on the PGA Tour, has lived at Sea Island since he was 4. They saw his son, known as Dru, go from a toddler with a plastic club to a 6-foot-5 junior at Alabama who earned a spot in the RSM Classic through a qualifier for the final exemption.

Nerves?

Those belonged mainly to dad.

“I was a little flustered,” Love said. “I was running late and nervous for him, and then he hit it right down the middle and hit it stiff and made birdie. And I stopped worrying about him and started worrying about me a little more.”

Neither made many birdies on a soft, calm and cloudy day that was ideal for low scoring _ 110 players in the 156-man field broke par. Love’s round went the wrong direction with a poor tee shot that led to double bogey on the 13th hole. Dru Love caught his dad with a big tee shot and a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th. On the final hole, Love had a 10-foot birdie putt to finish 1 under and just missed it.

This wasn’t a father-and-son competition – at least not to the father.

Asked his goal for Friday, Dru Love smiled and said, “Beat my dad.”

“I didn’t beat him today,” the son said. “Obviously, my goal is to make the cut. I’ve got that in the back of my head. I’ll try to be more patient. After I birdied the first hole, my expectations were a little high. I’ve played this course a lot and I’ve played it well. So I think I thought I could play better than I did.”

Making it easier for Dru Love was having Justin Thomas along for the ride. Thomas, who missed two short birdie putts at the end and had to settle for a 67, played two years with him at Alabama, and he made it feel like an old college match, even telling Dru Love, “Nice save, Bigfoot,” after a nifty up-and-down on the 16th.

Dru Love has a size 13 shoe and has been called that since his freshman year at Alabama.

Kisner had done everything but win this year. He has lost in a playoff three times – to Jim Furyk at Hilton Head, to Rickie Fowler at The Players Championship and in a four-man playoff at The Greenbrier Classic – and he was runner-up at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai two weeks ago.

“I haven’t been disappointed in any stretch of golf coming down the stretch to have a chance. I always rate myself on that,” Kisner said. “I’ve just gotten beaten a few times, so hopefully I’ll have a chance coming down with a couple-shot lead on Sunday.”

It is rare for fathers and sons to play together on the PGA Tour. Craig Stadler and son Kevin played in the 2014 Masters. Jay Haas has played numerous times with son Bill, a six-time tour winner. Jack Nicklaus played his final full season in 2000 when son Gary earned his tour card.

Love is curious to see if his son can develop into a PGA Tour player.

“I hope that he’s another one of these kids that come out here and is chasing me off,” Love said. “I hit a really good drive at 15 and I think Dru was 20 (yards) by me and Justin was 40 by me. I was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to run me off eventually.’ It’s fun to watch Dru play. … I was proud of him. Heck of a first day.

“With everything going on around our family and him getting in this tournament and all the attention, I thought he handled it really well and played a good round of golf.”

Dru Love conceded to having a few nerves, too, though it helped to be with Thomas, and to know “just about everyone in the stands behind us everyone in fairway.”

And it helped to have his father along for the ride.

“We talked about normal stuff, mostly about what we’re going to have for lunch and dinner,” Dru Love said. “He’s good at leaving me alone when I need to be left alone. He tried to treat me like he would anyone else out there.”

NAPLES, Fla. – Austin Ernst leads the tournament, Sei Young Kim leads the race for $1 million and Lydia Ko has edged closer to everything else that’s at stake this weekend.

So as expected, the LPGA’s finale for 2015 is off to a hectic start.

Ernst shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to take a one-shot lead over South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee after the opening round of the CME Group Tour Championship. Kim, part of a group two shots off Ernst’s pace, would win the season-ending $1 million bonus if the tournament ended in its current order. Ko shot a 69 to move closer to earning player of the year honours, plus the scoring and money titles.

“I’ve just got to think of it as another tournament,” said Ko, the 18-year-old from New Zealand who holds the No. 1 ranking. “That’s what I said for all the majors. I’ve got to focus on one shot at a time and not think like it’s a major so it’s more special and all that. Obviously, it is, at the end of the day. But it’s another tournament. We’ve got the world’s best golfers here, the top players are here, it’s a great field, it does feel like a major.

“And with everything that might come along on Sunday, it might be more than that.”

She would know, after sweeping the tournament and the bonus a year ago. Ko opened with a 71 at Tiburon last year and was five back after the first round; she was two shots better, and two shots closer to the lead, after Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ernst – who has struggled mightily in her past trips to Tiburon – took a new and simple approach to the course this time. All she tried to do was stay out of trouble, and she made it look easy.

“I drove it pretty well today,” said Ernst, an American who hit 17 greens. “I’ve been hitting it well this year. It’s really just a matter of I needed to get myself in better positions. I didn’t really put too much stock in how I’ve played here the last two years.”

Lee was alone in second. At 68, Kim was in a six-way tie for third with five Americans – Jennifer Song, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Jaye Marie Green and Gerina Piller.

“It’s great to come in and have a good round on the first day,” Lincicome said. “My dad always told me, you can’t win it on the first day but you can definitely lose it. So I put myself in contention a little bit.”

Kim, a three-time winner this year, already has wrapped up rookie of the year honours and entered the week as one of the nine players with a shot at winning the “Race to CME Globe” and the accompanying $1 million bonus. Ko, Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis would all capture that bonus by winning the season finale; Park struggled with the Bermuda greens and shot 71, while Lewis opened her last chance at winning a tournament this year with a 72.

“Just wasn’t very good,” Lewis said. “Didn’t really hit the ball very solid and never gave myself a lot of good birdie chances. Just didn’t play very well.”

Ko and Park will decide the world’s No. 1 ranking this week, along with the scoring title, player of the year and the money crown. For Ko to ensure she goes into the off-season with all those, she needs to finish two shots ahead of Park.

“I don’t know how they are sleeping at night, to be honest with you,” said Lincicome, who isn’t one of the nine with a shot at the $1 million. “It’s a lot of pressure, especially Lydia, she is so young and she handles it so well. To have so many different prizes on the line, I don’t think I would sleep.”

Canada’s Brooke Henderson also opened with a 72, while compatriot Alena Sharp had a 74.

It is with great sadness that Golf Canada, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the entire golf community mourns the loss of Daniel (Dan) Albert Halldorson who passed away on November 18, 2015 at the age of 63.

Halldorson suffered a major stroke on Monday, November 16 at his home in Cambridge, Illinois and passed away two days later in hospital. He is survived by his wife Patricia, daughter Angela, son Mark, three grandchildren and countless friends across the Canadian and International golf community.

Born April 2, 1952 in Winnipeg to Alice and Daniel Halldorson, his impact on the game was felt both on and off the golf course.

As a young player, he caddied for fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Honoured Member and Saskatchewan native Wilf Homenuik. The two would become close friends and Halldorson acknowledged Homenuik as one of his golfing mentors.

Halldorson turned pro in 1971 and his first professional victory came later that year when he won the Manitoba PGA Championship.

One of Canada’s most consistent players throughout his professional playing career, Halldorson was a member of the PGA Tour from 1975 to 2004 which included victories at the 1980 Pensacola Open and 1986 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. Among his competitive highlights, he partnered to win the World Cup for Canada on two occasions, pairing with Jim Nelford to claim the 1980 title and then Dave Barr to claim the 1985 title.

A long-time competitor and supporter of the former Canadian Tour (now Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada), he amassed seven victories on the Canadian circuit over his career and was named a lifetime member in 2005. He would go on to become Deputy Executive Director of the former Canadian Tour in 2005, a position he held until 2011.

Halldorson was twice named Canada’s professional golfer of the year by ScoreGolf in 1981 and 1983. In 2013, he became a director of golf at Oak Island Resort in Manitoba.

His contributions to the game earned him induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2002, as well as inductions into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in 2003 and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Statement from Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday:

“It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Dan Halldorson, whose lifetime of achievements in Canadian golf both as a player and a builder of what is now the Mackenzie Tour rank him among the greatest contributors to the game in the country’s history. As a player, Dan’s record ranks among the best of his generation, including one official PGA TOUR victory, seven Mackenzie Tour wins and two victories in the WGC-World Cup for Canada. His contributions to professional golf in Canada, however, go beyond his playing days, including a major role in the creation and later administration as Deputy Commissioner of the Mackenzie Tour. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

Statement from Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons:

“On behalf of the entire golf community including the golfers, associations and fellow competitors whose lives he touched, we are saddened by the passing of Dan Halldorson. Dan’s accomplishments on the golf course and his contributions to the game were outstanding and although we are mourning his loss, his outstanding legacy deserves to be celebrated.”

Dan Halldorson’s competitive accomplishments as an amateur and professional across the provincial, national and international golf landscape included:

• 1970 Manitoba Junior champion
• 1971 Manitoba PGA champion
• 1977 Saskatchewan Open champion
• 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984 Manitoba Open champion
• 1980 Quebec Open champion
• 1980 Pensacola Open champion (PGA Tour)
• 1980 World Cup champion (with Jim Nelford)
• 1983 Canadian Tour Order of Merit winner
• 1985 World Cup champion (with Dave Barr)
• 1986 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic champion (PGA Tour)
• 1982 Colorado Open champion
• 1986 PGA of Canada Championship winner
• 28 top-10 finishes in 431 PGA Tour events

Dan Halldorson (Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Archives)

Tweets from the golf world:

Canadian Golf Hall of Famer, Dan Halldorson and great friend to all of us that came after him, has passed away. Sad day today in golf.

— Ian Leggatt (@LeggoGolf) November 19, 2015

Thoughts & prayers w/the Halldorson family! Sad news as Dan passed away last night! As genuine a man in professional golf & mentor to many!

— Weirsy (@MikeWeir) November 19, 2015

Very sad to hear of the passing of fellow Manitoba golfer Dan Halldorson. Shared good times both on & off the course with him. RIP.

— Gail Graham (@gailgrahamgolf) November 19, 2015

Sadness, sympathies for friends and loved ones of Canadian golf great Dan Halldorson, passed away suddenly at 63.

— Cam Cole (@rcamcole) November 19, 2015

Thoughts & prayers go to the family of Dan Halldorson-sad to hear of the passing of a passionate supporter and great man of CDN golf.

— saundersrodgersgolf (@saundersrodgers) November 19, 2015

This man couldn’t have been more supportive of me and other Canadian golfers! I will miss you my friend! #dantheman pic.twitter.com/jX3SPQycRB

— Stuart Anderson (@stuandersongolf) November 19, 2015

Since its inception in 2009, the Golf in Schools program has grown to be in over 2,700 schools across Canada. In the six years since, Golf in Schools has continued to evolve its programming to appeal to the dynamic interests of both teachers and students.

In its most significant change to-date, Golf in Schools has introduced revamped learning resources to include life skills curriculum for the existing Elementary and High School levels. Alongside the new curriculums, Golf in Schools also expanded with a brand-new Intermediate level for grades 6 – 8—now available for the 2015/16 school year.

Golf Canada, along with in-depth research support from the University of Ottawa, carefully spliced eight life skills throughout all lessons provided in the learning resources. With the change, teachers running the program gain a more streamlined approach on how to best maximize lessons learned through golf—see below:

To register or adopt a school, please click here.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy birdied his last hole to pace Danny Willett in their chase for the Race to Dubai trophy on the opening day of the World Tour Championship on Thursday.

McIlroy chipped in from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole to card a 4-under-par 68, tied with English golfer Willett, two shots behind the four leaders.

The pair are the main contenders to finish No. 1 for the season in the European Tour finale, McIlroy for the third time in four years, and Willett for the first time. Five others are in contention, but whoever finishes higher between McIlroy and Willett is expected to claim the trophy.

Martin Kaymer, English pair Ian Poulter and Andy Sullivan, and Australian Marcus Fraser topped the leaderboard with 6-under 66s at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Two-time defending champion Henrik Stenson dropped five shots in his last four holes to finish on 77.

McIlroy made the turn at 2 under, bogeyed the 10th, recovered with consecutive birdies, and capped his round with an accurate chip off his fourth shot.

“Nice way to finish,” he said. “It was a bit scrappy before that. In between those birdies (on 11-12) and the birdie at the last, there was a bit of ugly golf in there.”

Willett had a similar round: He went 2 under going out, bogeyed one soon after the turn, and birdied the last hole.

“It’s what everyone wanted, it’s very close,” Willett said. “It’s going to be a great tussle all week.”

Poulter made just one birdie on the four par-5 holes, but the Englishman didn’t do much wrong in a bogey-free round.

“Took care of the par 4s and the par 3s, just didn’t really take care of the par 5s.” he said. “There were other birdie opportunities that I would expect to hole. Most of those putts are inside 10 feet. I hit 17 greens in regulation and just two missed fairways . that’s pretty solid.”

Kaymer, winless this season like Poulter, made a couple of bogeys, including one on the par-3 sixth, where he went into the water. But he made up for that with eight birdies.

Sullivan eagled the par-5 7th, and Fraser was 7 under through 14 holes but bogeyed the 16th to fall into the tie for the lead.

Francesco Molinari, on 67, was between the leaders and McIlroy, Willett and six others on 68.

Justin Rose, who was third in the Race to Dubai, made successive bogeys in his last two holes in a 1-under 71.

Patrick Reed was one shot better.

Dan Halldorson greeted my e-mail last week with his usual wit.

“Dan, will you be around on Sunday to chat about the 30^th anniversary of your win at the World Cup of Golf with Dave [Barr]?” I wrote.

He replied, “Hey Tim, it has been awhile. I guess you want to take a break from covering the Leafs and write about your true calling. Ha. Dan.”

The two of us wound up talking for an hour last Sunday evening. We discussed his win with Barr at La Quinta, California – the exact 30^th anniversary is November 24 – for 10 minutes. The rest were old stories, jokes and catching up.

That was Dan Halldorson, a good man, a caring man. I could picture him cradling a glass of red wine as we chatted. The next day he had a stroke. Then, all of a sudden Canada had lost one of its best golfers and even better people, too young at age 63.

“We had a lot of good times,” said Barr, a few days later. The two played the Canadian Tour together, the PGA Tour and were Canadian teammates a dozen times at the World Cup and Dunhill Cup.

“He was a good golfer, a good person and he really cared about the Canadian golf scene,” Barr added.

After his playing days were over, Halldorson made sure the Canadian Tour survived when he became its executive deputy director. He recently became golf director at Oak Island, near Brandon, Manitoba, where he was raised and honed that dependable swing.

Halldorson was a winner on the PGA and Canadian tours. He was a course designer and author of an instructional book, Keys to Effortless Golf. He leaves behind his wife Pat and a legacy on the golf course.

His career highlights included:

• 1970 Manitoba Junior winner
• 1971 Manitoba PGA champion
• 1977 Saskatchewan Open winner
• 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984 Manitoba Open champion
• 1980 Quebec Open winner
• 1980 Pensacola Open winner (PGA Tour)
• 1980 World Cup champion (with Jim Nelford)
• 1983 Canadian Tour order of merit winner
• 1985 World Cup champion (with Dave Barr)
• 1986 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic winner (PGA Tour)
• 1982 Colorado Open champion
• 1986 CPGA Championship winner
• 28 top-10 finishes in 431 PGA Tour events

Halldorson was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. He was so proud of the fact that in the alphabetical list of Canadian Golf Hall of Famers he was next to Dick Grimm, a cherished mentor.

Halldorson is the only Canadian to win the World Cup twice. Canada had won the team championship three times. Al Balding and George Knudson won in 1968. Halldorson won alongside Jim Nelford in 1980.

Barr and Halldorson arrived at La Quinta confident about their chances. The American team of Lanny Wadkins and Tom Kite were the favourites, but the Canadian team was comfortable in the California desert.

Barr and Halldorson had played well enough at past Bob Hope Desert Classics. Barr was coming off a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open earlier that summer. Halldorson also would win on the PGA Tour for the second time five months later.

The two also had plenty of support from Canadians who were wintering there, friends and family.

One of the friends was former Canadian Tour player, Mark Shushack. He was battling brain cancer and shared the victory every step of the way.

“It was an even better week because Mark was able to share the win with us,” Halldorson recalled. “He walked most of the 72 holes. It was nice to have him there because he passed away a few years later.”

Halldorson and Barr began the final round with a five-shot advantage over the Americans. The two North American teams played together in the final round, but the Americans could not put any pressure on the Canadians, allowing England to sneak into second place. Barr and Halldorson combined for a 17-under score for a four-shot win over England’s Howard Clark and Paul Way.

“Danny played really well that week,” Barr said. “I think we had extended our lead to nine at one point.”

Barr remembers two funny stories from that final round. On the par-3, 16^th, he and Halldsorson could hear the Marine Corps band practicing the Canadian national anthem for the trophy presentation.

Halldorson looked at Barr and joked that he hoped the rehearsal was not going to “jinx” the potential win. It certainly didn’t. But Halldorson bogeyed the final three holes to allow Clark to slip by him to win individual honours.

“I also remember we bought a couple bottles of Dom Perignon to take back with us to celebrate,” Barr said. “By the time we did all the press interviews and took pictures, we didn’t get back until late. All we had back at the hotel was a can of peanuts. So we had champagne and peanuts and later ordered a pizza for our champions’ dinner.

“It’s sad what has happened to Dan. But I wish Pat and the family all the best.”

We all do.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community will host one of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Qualifying Tournaments in each of the next five seasons.

Located in Courtenay, B.C., the 7,025 Graham Cooke and Associates layout has hosted qualifying tournaments in each of the past two years, with the 2016 tournament taking place May 2-6. A full schedule of Mackenzie Tour qualifying dates and sites as well as the format for qualifying will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Crown Isle has proven itself to be both a welcoming host facility and a tremendous test for players to earn status on the Mackenzie Tour, wand we’re thrilled to be holding qualifying there for the next five years. We eagerly look forward to seeing the next generation of players get their start at Crown Isle each year,” said Mackenzie Tour President, Jeff Monday.

Players to earn Mackenzie Tour status at Crown Isle over the past two seasons have accounted for nine victories, including J.J. Spaun, C.T. Pan and Tim Madigan, who all finished in The Five and earned status on the Web.com Tour.

“Crown Isle is thrilled to be chosen as the host course for the Mackenzie Tour’s Canadian Qualifier for the next five years. Our associates, members and golf community look forward to this annual event, showcasing our golf facility and our beautiful Comox Valley,” said Rod Prieto, Director of Golf. “We look forward to this long term relationship with the Mackenzie Tour as a unique opportunity for residents and visitors of the Comox Valley to experience golf at one of its highest levels of competition.”

The full 2016 Mackenzie Tour schedule will be announced in early 2016.

NAPLES, Fla. – Without question, it’s a rivalry. Lydia Ko and Inbee Park are just choosing not to make it a heated one.

All they’re playing for this week at the LPGA Tour Championship is the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, the season’s money crown, the yearlong scoring title and the tour’s player of the year award. Oh, a potential payday of $1.5 million might be awaiting them as well. And Park could wrap up her eventual spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

It’s not a head-to-head matchup that starts Thursday at Tiburon Golf Club – there are 69 other players in the field – but it sure seems like one, given that the tour’s biggest award races are left for Ko and Park to decide.

“We have everything on the line,” Park said. “What Lydia is doing can affect so many things and what I can achieve. It’s hard, but there’s nothing I can do. I can’t make Lydia play bad or good. I can’t do anything like that. I’ve got to do good and then just see what happens.”

They’ll be paired together Thursday, along with world No. 3 Stacy Lewis. Like Ko and Park, Lewis also controls her destiny when it comes to the $1 million “Race to CME Globe” bonus; with a win, any of them clinch that cash. There’s another six women in the field who also have a chance to win the million, including world No. 4 Lexi Thompson.

If she’s wrapped up in the Ko vs. Park storyline, it isn’t showing.

“I can’t say I really think about that,” Thompson said. “But with golf … it’s kind of selfish, but you kind of have to just worry about yourself and not worry about all the other players.”

Ko won the tournament last year as a 17-year-old, plus went home with the $1 million bonus after getting doused in a greenside celebration with champagne that she can’t legally drink. The money is displayed in a glass cube, flanked by security guards. And the closest Ko came to disappointment last year was finding out that she couldn’t actually get to keep the cash in that box and would be paid through more conventional means.

Ko skipped the last two weeks in Japan and Mexico, saying she needed a little rest for the finale. Apparently, the grind of an LPGA season is even tiring to talented teenagers.

“I mean, it’s great to come back, and the best part was I pulled out my yardage book from last year and I had to kind of rip the pages apart because of the champagne, the pages stuck together,” Ko said. “So that’s not a bad thing to happen.”

There is a clear respect shared by Ko and Park, both seeing the similarities in their games.

Anyone could see the similarities in their numbers.

Both have five wins this year. Ko enters this week with a slight edge in the world ranking, one that could easily be overtaken by Park for No. 1. Park (69.433) leads Ko (69.449) by a sliver in the race for the Vare Trophy, given to the player with the year’s best scoring average on tour. Ko leads the money list in another race that still isn’t decided, and she also carries a three-point edge in the player-of-the-year race into the finale.

This week decides all those races.

“I really think if I win one, I win it all,” Park said. “If Lydia wins one, she’s going to win it all. I don’t think we get to choose one.”

So there will be tournaments within the tournament. The tour championship and its $500,000 first prize is hardly irrelevant. The way the points for the bonus are structured, it was assured that the $1 million would be decided this weekend. To add all the other award elements into the week, it’s easy to see why the weekend is shaping up for drama.

Ko said she’s going to play the same way she always does, with no plans to worry about anything else.

“I don’t even know how those points systems work to be honest,” Ko said. “I heard last week on TV that the winner gets 30 points. I was like, ‘Oh, sweet.’ I didn’t know how it all works. Too many numbers, and I’m not very good at mathematics, either. Adding and minus – as long as we’re going up, that’s a good thing.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy is planning to round off his season as the European number one with a winning performance at the DP World Tour Championship this week.

Top of the standings, McIlroy is in pole position among seven players with a chance of winning the Race to Dubai on Sunday after the last event of the European Tour season at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

McIlroy, who missed last week’s BMW Masters in Shanghai, leads England’s Danny Willett by 1,613 points. He needs to finish ahead of Willett, and inside the top-three in case any of the next five players win the tournament, to secure his third European number one crown.

“I didn’t quite think I’d be in this position, especially after taking the week off last week,” McIlroy said Tuesday. “But a few of the guys didn’t capitalize on that in China thankfully and I find myself in a position where it’s totally in my hands.

“If I go out and win the tournament, I win the overall thing no matter what anybody else does, and that’s a nice position to be in. I just want to win the tournament. I don’t care who finishes second, who finishes third.”

McIlroy’s bid for the European title has been hampered by an ankle injury this year ruled him out of three tournaments that would have counted toward the Race to Dubai – the Scottish Open, British Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

He has played only 11 events this season and needed special intervention from the European Tour to get into the $8 million DP World Tour Championship.

The event is open only to the top-60 players on the Race to Dubai who have met the minimum requirement of having played at least 12 events.

McIlroy will not be playing any tournaments after this one until the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship from Jan. 21-24 next year.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The European Tour is reducing the number of tournaments needed for players to maintain their membership from 13, a move designed to help those playing a full season on the U.S. PGA Tour.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said Tuesday the move follows “significant dialogue with all of our players” and that the five tournaments will exclude the four majors and the four World Golf Championships.

The mandatory 13 starts was becoming difficult to achieve for players who had fallen outside the top-50 of the world ranking, thus making them ineligible for some of the majors and WGC events.

Explaining the move, Pelley said: “One of the reasons was simple: it is to help some of the players that have been entrenched in the US… This, I believe, will allow our players to schedule more efficiently, schedule at the beginning of the year, so they know exactly how they are going to maintain their membership.

“We are in the midst of structuring our overall Tour in a more, what I call, players-first philosophy. That will be something that will be absolutely critical for us.”

The new membership regulations will apply for the 2016 Race to Dubai schedule.

Speaking ahead of the season-ending WGC event at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Pelley also said the European Tour needed to match the financial draw of the US PGA, particularly for younger players breaking through on the circuit.

“At this particular time, if you are a young player, and you have done very well in the European Tour, and you want to make the most money, you are going to go play in America,” he said.

“You will ask: ‘How are you actually going to have our people play more often here in Europe’? The answer is very simple. We need to provide a viable alternative to the PGA Tour for our elite, medium and low-ranked players. End of story.”