The European Tour launches Your Race to Dubai today. The new fan game enables golfers to take on top tour pros in match play every week via the live-scoring app, Golf GameBook.
Golfers simply challenge the stars of The European Tour to a match play game and record their own scores using the free Golf GameBook iPhone app, then earn ranking points based on each match’s outcome.
The launch of Your Race to Dubai coincides with The European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Surrey, 21-24 May, giving golfers the opportunity to challenge defending champion and World Number One, Rory McIlroy and major winners Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.
The scores of professionals will be updated automatically and instantly on the Golf GameBook app, so fans watching tournament rounds in real time will know whether they are up or down in their match play. The app has been specially configured to automatically adjust for amateur handicaps as well as the different courses being played by the tour pros.
Tim Hunt, Marketing Communications Director of The European Tour, said: “Technology and social media has brought fans closer than ever to their heroes. Now, with Your Race to Dubai, golfers can go a step further and compete week-after-week with the stars of the game playing on The European Tour.”
Each week, before a European Tour event, the pros available to challenge on Your Race to Dubai are updated with 10 contesting that week’s event. These will be made up of five from the top of the latest Race to Dubai ranking and five additional wild cards.
Among the wild cards for the first week of Your Race to Dubai is Mikko Ilonen, a five-time European Tour winner including the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship.
Mikko, who is also a Golf GameBook ambassador, said: “From my experience of playing with golfers in Pro-Ams, people get a kick out of going up against a tour pro and Your Race to Dubai is a fantastic means of opening this experience up to a global golf audience.
“It’s fun that golfers around the globe can now play against me this week. I have already been contacted by golfers at my local club in Finland who have been practising in preparation of challenging me, so there will be some pressure on me there!”
The full list of European Tour professionals available to challenge in week one of Your Race to Dubai include: Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Mikko Ilonen, Danny Willett, Alex Noren, Branden Grace, Martin Kaymer, Joost Luiten, Graeme McDowell and Anirban Lahiri.
Kalle Vainola, co-Founder of GameBook, said: “Your Race to Dubai is unique in sport because it enables fans to go head-to-head and compete with the best in the game on a weekly basis. Golfers can now have a real European Tour experience for themselves against the likes of Rory, Rose, Garcia and Stenson, and they can do so from anywhere in the world.”
Your Race to Dubai www.yourracetodubai.com
Golf GameBook www.golfgamebook.com
European Tour www.europeantour.com
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