Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose Will Battle on European Tour's Road to Dubai

The European tour has made some very big announcements lately, ones which will affect where the world’s best golfers will play in the future.

The European Tour announced last week that it will accept membership on a Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup or Seve Trophy team as an official appearance on that tour. 

They also announced a new tournament for 2013, the Turkish Open, which will have a $7.2-million purse and a limited 78-man field.

The new lucrative Turkish Open, plus the easing of appearance requirements, will induce more top American players to venture outside the confines of the U.S. and play in more European Tour events.

The European Tour will also take center stage over the next few weeks, as the PGA Tour’s season will end on November 11 with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. 

Over the next three weeks the BMW Masters from Shanghai and the WGC-HSBC Champions from Shenzhen, China will both feature $7-million purses. The Barclays Singapore Open, November 8-11 will offer $6 million in total prize money.

These events will draw the top players from the PGA and the European Tours to Asia for some extra Christmas money.

Justin Rose, the hottest golfer in the world right now is only €500,000 behind Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, and has a real shot at overtaking him to win the European Tour’s money title.

Rose has had a phenomenal year thus far, and has been on fire since a T-3 at the PGA Championship in August. He was runner-up to Brandt Snedeker at the Tour Championship in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.  He also was a putting maniac in the Ryder Cup and blitzed the field at the Turkish Airlines World Golf Finals to pocket the $1.5 million first-place check.

Rory McIlroy hasn’t had too bad a year, either.  Four wins on the PGA Tour, including the Honda Classic, Deutsche Bank and BMW Championship.  Oh yeah, he also collected his second career major, the PGA Championship.

Rory has the PGA Tour’s money title wrapped up for 2012.  He wants to become only the second golfer to win the money title on both the PGA and European Tours in the same year.

However, Justin Rose may have something to say about that. 

The European Tour’s season will end with the 60-man field DP World Tour Championship in Dubai November 22-25.