LONDON -- The European Tour announced its full schedule for the 2005 season on Thursday, featuring three tournaments before Christmas this year and a return to St. Andrews for the 134th Open Championship.
The new season gets underway with the Volvo China Open from Nov. 25-28, 2004 followed by the Omega Hong Kong Open from Dec. 2-5. The dunhill championship in South Africa is next from Dec. 9-12 before a short break over the new year.
The action returns with the South African Airways Open in January. The Holden New Zealand Open will now be co-sanctioned by the European Tour, earning a spot on the schedule from Feb. 10-13. The European Tour heads to the United States from Feb. 23-27 for the WGC-Accenture Match Play where Tiger Woods will defend his title.
The first tournament in Europe is the Madeira Island Open in March followed by the Open de Portugal. The Volvo PGA Championship is scheduled for May 26-29 at the Wentworth Club and the top players in the game will be gathered on the Old Course at St. Andrews for the British Open from July 14-17.
The Seve Trophy returns from Sept. 22-25 and the final official Order of Merit event on the 2005 schedule will once again be the Volvo Masters at Valderrama from Oct. 27-30.
2005 European tour schedule
November 2004
25-28 Volvo China Open, Shanghai
December 2004
2-5 Omega Hong Kong Open, Fanling, Hong Kong
9-12 dunhill championship, Leopard Creek, Mpumalanga, South Africa
January 2005
20-23 South African Airways Open, Durban Country Club, Durban
27-30 Caltex Masters presented by Carlsberg, Laguna National, Singapore
February 2005
3-6 Heineken Classic, Royal Melbourne, Australia
10-13 Holden New Zealand Open, Gulf Harbour, Auckland
17-20 Carlsberg Malaysian Open, Saujana, Kuala Lumpur
23-27 WGC-Accenture match play, La Costa, Carlsbad, California, USA
March 2005
3-6 Dubai Desert Classic, Emirates, Dubai
10-13 Qatar Masters, Doha, Qatar
17-20 Madeira Island Open, Santo da Serra, Madeira
31-3 Portuguese Open Caixa Geral de Depositos, venue to be confirmed
April 2005
7-10 MASTERS, Augusta National, Augusta, Georgia, USA
14-17 Spanish Open, tbc
21-24 Johnnie Walker Classic, tbc
28-1 BMW Asian Open, Tomson Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai, China
May 2005
5-8 Telecom Italian Open, Castello di Tolcinasco, Milan
12-15 Daily Telegraph British Masters, tbc
19-22 Nissan Irish Open, Carton House, Maynooth, County Kildare
26-29 PGA championship, Wentworth, Surrey, England
June 2005
2-5 Celtic Manor Wales Open, Celtic Manor, Newport, Wales
9-12 KLM Open, tbc
16-19 US OPEN, Pinehurst No 2, North Carolina, USA
16-19 Aa St Omer Open, Aa St Omer, Lumbres, France
23-26 French Open, Le Golf National, Paris, France
30-3 Smurfit European Open, K Club, Dublin, Ireland
July 2005
7-10 Barclays Scottish Open, Loch Lomond, Scotland
14-17 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland
21-24 Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship of Europe, Gut Kaden, Hamburg, Germany
28-31 Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg, Kungsangen, Sweden
August 2005
4-7 Diageo Championship, Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland
11-14 US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Baltusrol, Springfield, New Jersey, USA
11-14 BMW Russian Open, Le Meridien, Moscow
18-21 WGC-NEC Invitational, Firestone, Akron, Ohio, USA
25-28 BMW International Open, Munchen Nord-Eichenried, Munich, Germany
September 2005
1-4 Omega European Masters, Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland
8-11 Linde German Masters, Gut Larchenhof, Cologne, Germany
15-18 HSBC World Match Play, Wentworth, Surrey, England
22-25 Seve Trophy, The Wynyard, Billingham, England
29-2 dunhill links championship, Old Course, St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns
October 2005
6-9 WGC-American Express championship, Harding Park, San Francisco, USA
20-23 Mallorca Classic, Pula, Majorca, Spain
27-30 Volvo Masters, Valderrama, Spain
November 2005
17-20 WGC-Algarve World Cup, Vilamoura, Portugal