2005 European Tour


The 2005 European Tour was the 34th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972.
The Order of Merit race came down to the final tournament, and was won by Colin Montgomerie for a record eighth time, and the first since 1999. The Player of the Year award was given to Order of Merit runner up and U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell of New Zealand. The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year was Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño of Spain, who won his first title, the KLM Open during his début season.

Major tournaments

For a summary of the major tournaments and events of 2005, including the major championships and the World Golf Championships, see 2005 in golf.

Schedule

The 2005 season began with three tournaments held in late 2004 and consisted of 47 official money events, which was a new record total. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which were also sanctioned by the PGA Tour. 27 events took place in Europe, 10 in Asia, six in the United States, two in South Africa and one each in Australia and New Zealand. Total prize money exceeded €97 million, including nearly €40 million in the four major championships and three individual World Golf Championships events.
Changes from the 2004 season included five new tournaments: the Volvo China Open and TCL Classic in China, making a total of five events in the country, the Indonesia Open, the New Zealand Open and the Abama Open de Canarias, as the tour retained a stop in the Canary Islands. The ANZ Championship, Open de Sevilla and The Heritage were lost from the schedule.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerOWGR
points		Notes
25–28 NovVolvo China OpenChina Stephen Dodd 16Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
2–5 DecOmega Hong Kong OpenHong Kong, China Miguel Ángel Jiménez 24Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
9–12 DecDunhill ChampionshipSouth Africa Charl Schwartzel 18Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
20–23 JanSouth African Airways OpenSouth Africa Tim Clark 32Co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour
27–30 JanCaltex MastersSingapore Nick Dougherty 30Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
3–6 FebHeineken ClassicAustralia Craig Parry 40Co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia
10–13 FebHolden New Zealand OpenNew Zealand Niclas Fasth 24New to European Tour; co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia
17–20 FebCarlsberg Malaysian OpenMalaysia Thongchai Jaidee 26Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
23–27 FebWGC-Accenture Match Play ChampionshipUnited States David Toms 76World Golf Championships
3–6 MarDubai Desert ClassicUnited Arab Emirates Ernie Els 36
10–13 MarQatar MastersQatar Ernie Els 26
17–20 MarTCL ClassicChina Paul Casey 20Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
24–27 MarEnjoy Jakarta Standard Chartered Indonesia OpenIndonesia Thaworn Wiratchant 16Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
31 Mar – 3 AprEstoril Open de Portugal Caixa Geral de DepositosPortugal Paul Broadhurst 24
7–10 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Tiger Woods 100Major championship
7–10 AprMadeira Island OpenPortugal Robert-Jan Derksen 16Alternate event; dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
14–17 AprJazztel Open de España en AndalucíaSpain Peter Hanson 24
21–24 AprJohnnie Walker ClassicChina Adam Scott 46Co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour
28 Apr – 1 MayBMW Asian OpenChina Ernie Els 38Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
5–8 MayTelecom Italia OpenItaly Steve Webster 24
12–15 MayThe Daily Telegraph Dunlop MastersEngland Thomas Bjørn 36
19–22 MayNissan Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Stephen Dodd 38
26–29 MayBMW ChampionshipEngland Ángel Cabrera 64Flagship event
2–5 JunCeltic Manor Wales OpenWales Miguel Ángel Jiménez 26
9–12 JunKLM OpenNetherlands Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño 24
16–19 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Michael Campbell 100Major championship
16–19 JunAa St Omer OpenFrance Joakim Bäckström 16Alternate event; dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
23–26 JunOpen de FranceFrance Jean-François Remésy 24
30 Jun – 3 JulSmurfit European OpenRepublic of Ireland Kenneth Ferrie 46
7–10 JulBarclays Scottish OpenScotland Tim Clark 50
14–17 JulThe Open ChampionshipUnited Kingdom Tiger Woods 100Major championship
21–24 JulDeutsche Bank Players Championship of EuropeGermany Niclas Fasth 44
28–31 JulScandinavian Masters by CarlsbergSweden Mark Hensby 24
4–7 AugJohnnie Walker Championship at GleneaglesScotland Emanuele Canonica 24
11–15 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Phil Mickelson 100Major championship
11–14 AugCadillac Russian OpenRussia Mikael Lundberg 16Alternate event; dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
18–21 AugWGC-NEC InvitationalUnited States Tiger Woods 74World Golf Championships
25–28 AugBMW International OpenGermany David Howell 36
1–4 SepOmega European MastersSwitzerland Sergio García 24
8–11 SepLinde German MastersGermany Retief Goosen 46
15–18 SepHSBC World Match Play ChampionshipEngland Michael Campbell 36
22–25 SepSeve TrophyEngland Great Britain & Irelandn/aApproved special event; team event
29 Sep – 2 OctDunhill Links ChampionshipScotland Colin Montgomerie 38
6–9 OctWGC-American Express ChampionshipUnited States Tiger Woods 72World Golf Championships
6–9 OctAbama Open de CanariasSpain John Bickerton 16Alternate event; dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
13–16 OctOpen de MadridSpain Raphaël Jacquelin 24
20–23 OctMallorca ClassicSpain José María Olazábal 24
27–30 OctVolvo MastersSpain Paul McGinley 46
17–20 NovWGC-World CupPortugal Walesn/aWorld Golf Championships; approved special event; team event

Order of Merit

In 2005, the European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit". It was calculated in euro, although around half of the events had prize funds which were fixed in other currencies, mostly either British pounds or U.S. dollars. In these instances the amounts were converted into euro at the exchange rate for the week that the tournament was played. The top 10 golfers in 2005 were:
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1.Colin Montgomerie2,794,223
2.Michael Campbell2,496,269
3.Paul McGinley2,296,423
4.Retief Goosen2,261,211
5.Ángel Cabrera1,866,277
6.Sergio García1,828,545
7.David Howell1,798,308
8.Henrik Stenson1,585,750
9.Thomas Bjørn1,561,190
10.José María Olazábal1,489,016

Awards