• European Tour

Nedbank Challenge joins Race to Dubai

Martin Kaymer will be defending his Nedbank Challenge title against a much larger field this year © Getty Images

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The European Tour's Nedbank Challenge has been restructured and will count toward the season-long Race to Dubai from next season.

Formerly a 12-man event, 30 of the world's best players will now compete for one of the largest prize purses in the sport at £4.2 million - the winner picking up a cheque for £800,000, while the player finishing in 30th will taking home £65,000.

The new selection criteria gives exemption first to the defending champion and Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner, then the leading ten players within the top 30 of both the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup standings, plus the winners of the money titles on the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia.

There will also be an opportunity to qualify for the tournament, held in December at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, through the South Africa Open Championship and Alfred Dunhill Championship - which are played in the weeks prior to the Nedbank Challenge.

"I think with this new structure we have one of the most exciting fields in world golf," tournament director Alastair Roper said.

"We have provided opportunities for the best in world golf to have their shot at qualifying for Africa's major. We'll also have incredible momentum right up to the week before the Nedbank Golf Challenge, with players battling it out for a place in our field.

"And it's a credit to our long time sponsor in Nedbank that we are able to increase the field and still offer such an attractive pay-out in prize money as we did when we were still a 12 man field.

"I have no doubt that we have strengthened the Nedbank Golf Challenge as one of the premier tournaments in world golf and the number one event in its time slot."

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