2003 European Tour#Order of Merit

{{Infobox golf season

| year = 2003

| tour = European Tour

| regular_season = {{Start date|2002|11|21|df=y}} – {{end date|2003|11|2|df=y}}

| no_of_events = 45

| most_wins = {{flagicon|ZAF}} Ernie Els (4)

| honor1 = Order of Merit

| honoree1 = {{flagicon|ZAF}} Ernie Els

| honor2 =

| honoree2 =

| honor3 = Golfer of the Year

| honoree3 = {{flagicon|ZAF}} Ernie Els

| honor4 = Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year

| honoree4 = {{flagicon|IRL}} Peter Lawrie

| prevseason = 2002

| nextseason = 2004

}}

The 2003 European Tour was the 32nd season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

Changes for 2003

There were four new tournaments to the European Tour in 2003, the Nordic Open{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com.sg/golf/story?id=1456890 |title=Nordic Open will make debut in 2003 |work=ESPN |agency=Reuters |date=6 November 2002 |access-date=5 May 2003}} and three dual-ranking events, the Aa St Omer Open, BMW Russian Open and Mallorca Classic. Lost from the tour schedule were the English Open, Great North Open and the dual-ranking North West of Ireland Open.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/630540606/ |title=Golf |newspaper=The Charlotte Observer |location=Charlotte, North Carolina |date=27 November 2002 |page=24 (2C in paper) |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=5 May 2020 |url-access=subscription |quote=Russia will host its first top-tier European Tour event next year one of four new tournaments for 2003. The tour also added events in Denmark, France and Majorca. The English Open, the Great North Open in England and the North West of Ireland Open were dropped after sponsors withdrew.}}

Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 2003 season.{{cite web |title=2003 Tournament schedule |url=https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/schedule/2003/ |publisher=European Tour |access-date=17 October 2023}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !Date !Tournament !Host country !Purse !Winner{{efn\|name=totals\|The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of European Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for European Tour members and are inclusive of the three United States-based major championships which were included on the schedule for the first time in 1998, with earlier editions having retrospectively been recognised as official tour wins.}} !OWGR points !Other tours{{efn\|AFR − Sunshine Tour; ANZ − PGA Tour of Australasia; ASA − Asian PGA Tour; CHA − Challenge Tour.}} !Notes
24 Nov	BMW Asian Open	Taiwan	align=right\|US$1,500,000	{{flagicon\|IRL}} Pádraig Harrington (6)	align=center\|16	ASA
1 Dec	Omega Hong Kong Open	Hong Kong	align=right\|US$700,000	{{flagicon\|SWE}} Freddie Jacobson (1)	align=center\|16	ASA
12 Jan	South African Airways Open	South Africa	align=right\|£500,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Trevor Immelman (1)	align=center\|32	AFR{{efn\|Sunshine Tour flagship event}}
19 Jan	Dunhill Championship	South Africa	align=right\|£500,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Mark Foster (1)	align=center\|18	AFR
26 Jan	Caltex Masters	Singapore	align=right\|US$900,000	{{flagicon\|CHN}} Zhang Lianwei (1)	align=center\|20	ASA
2 Feb	Heineken Classic	Australia	align=right\|A$2,000,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Ernie Els (12)	align=center\|30	ANZ
9 Feb	ANZ Championship	Australia	align=right\|A$1,750,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Paul Casey (2)	align=center\|30	ANZ
16 Feb	Johnnie Walker Classic	Australia	align=right\|£1,000,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Ernie Els (13)	align=center\|44	ANZ, ASA
23 Feb	Carlsberg Malaysian Open	Malaysia	align=right\|US$1,100,000	{{flagicon\|IND}} Arjun Atwal (2)	align=center\|20	ASA
style="background:#dfe2e9;" \|2 Mar	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship	United States	align=right\|US$6,000,000	{{flagicon\|USA}} Tiger Woods (n/a)	align=center\|76		World Golf Championship
9 Mar	Dubai Desert Classic	UAE	align=right\|US$2,000,000	{{flagicon\|NLD}} Robert-Jan Derksen (1)	align=center\|30
16 Mar	Qatar Masters	Qatar	align=right\|US$1,500,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Darren Fichardt (2)	align=center\|24
23 Mar	Madeira Island Open	Portugal	align=right\|€600,000	{{flagicon\|WAL}} Bradley Dredge (1)	align=center\|24	CHA
style="background:#e5d1cb;" \|13 Apr	Masters Tournament	United States	align=right\|US$6,000,000	{{flagicon\|CAN}} Mike Weir (n/a)	align=center\|100		Major championship
20 Apr	Algarve Open de Portugal	Portugal	align=right\|€1,250,000	{{flagicon\|SWE}} Freddie Jacobson (2)	align=center\|24
27 Apr	Canarias Open de España	Spain	align=right\|€1,750,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Kenneth Ferrie (1)	align=center\|24
4 May	Italian Open Telecom Italia	Italy	align=right\|€1,100,000	{{flagicon\|SWE}} Mathias Grönberg (4)	align=center\|24
11 May	Benson & Hedges International Open	England	align=right\|£1,100,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Paul Casey (3)	align=center\|42
18 May	Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe	Germany	align=right\|€2,700,000	{{flagicon\|IRL}} Pádraig Harrington (7)	align=center\|48
style="background:#f2ecce;" \|25 May	Volvo PGA Championship	England	align=right\|€3,500,000	{{flagicon\|ESP}} Ignacio Garrido (2)	align=center\|64		Flagship event
1 Jun	Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open	Wales	align=right\|£1,500,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Ian Poulter (4)	align=center\|24
8 Jun	Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters	England	align=right\|£1,500,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Greg Owen (1)	align=center\|24
15 Jun	Aa St Omer Open	France	align=right\|€400,000	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Brett Rumford (1)	align=center\|16	CHA	New to European Tour
style="background:#e5d1cb;" \|15 Jun	U.S. Open	United States	align=right\|US$6,000,000	{{flagicon\|USA}} Jim Furyk (n/a)	align=center\|100		Major championship
22 Jun	Diageo Championship at Gleneagles	Scotland	align=right\|£1,200,000	{{flagicon\|DNK}} Søren Kjeldsen (1)	align=center\|24
29 Jun	Open de France	France	align=right\|€2,500,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Philip Golding (1)	align=center\|24
6 Jul	Smurfit European Open	Ireland	align=right\|£2,000,000	{{flagicon\|WAL}} Phillip Price (3)	align=center\|44
13 Jul	Barclays Scottish Open	Scotland	align=right\|£2,200,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Ernie Els (14)	align=center\|50
style="background:#e5d1cb;" \|20 Jul	The Open Championship	England	align=right\|£3,900,000	{{flagicon\|USA}} Ben Curtis (1)	align=center\|100		Major championship
27 Jul	Nissan Irish Open	Ireland	align=right\|€1,800,000	{{flagicon\|NZL}} Michael Campbell (6)	align=center\|24
3 Aug	Scandic Carlsberg Scandinavian Masters	Sweden	align=right\|€1,900,000	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Adam Scott (4)	align=center\|24
10 Aug	Nordic Open	Denmark	align=right\|€1,600,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Ian Poulter (5)	align=center\|24		New tournament
17 Aug	BMW Russian Open	Russia	align=right\|€400,000	{{flagicon\|AUS}} Marcus Fraser (1)	align=center\|16	CHA	New to European Tour
style="background:#e5d1cb;" \|17 Aug	PGA Championship	United States	align=right\|US$6,000,000	{{flagicon\|USA}} Shaun Micheel (n/a)	align=center\|100		Major championship
style="background:#dfe2e9;" \|24 Aug	WGC-NEC Invitational	United States	align=right\|US$6,000,000	{{flagicon\|NIR}} Darren Clarke (10)	align=center\|78		World Golf Championship
31 Aug	BMW International Open	Germany	align=right\|€1,800,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Lee Westwood (15)	align=center\|30
7 Sep	Omega European Masters	Switzerland	align=right\|€1,600,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Ernie Els (15)	align=center\|30
14 Sep	Trophée Lancôme	France	align=right\|€1,800,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Retief Goosen (9)	align=center\|26
21 Sep	Linde German Masters	Germany	align=right\|€3,000,000	{{flagicon\|KOR\|1997}} K. J. Choi (n/a)	align=center\|48
28 Sep	Dunhill Links Championship	Scotland	align=right\|US$5,000,000	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Lee Westwood (16)	align=center\|52		Pro-Am
style="background:#dfe2e9;" \|5 Oct	WGC-American Express Championship	United States	align=right\|US$6,000,000	{{flagicon\|USA}} Tiger Woods (n/a)	align=center\|76		World Golf Championship
12 Oct	Dutch Open	Netherlands	align=right\|€1,000,000	{{flagicon\|NLD}} Maarten Lafeber (1)	align=center\|24
19 Oct	Turespaña Mallorca Classic	Spain	align=right\|€400,000	{{flagicon\|ESP}} Miguel Ángel Jiménez (7)	align=center\|16	CHA	New tournament
26 Oct	Telefónica Open de Madrid	Spain	align=right\|€1,400,000	{{flagicon\|ARG}} Ricardo González (2)	align=center\|30
style="background:thistle;" \|2 Nov	Volvo Masters Andalucía	Spain	align=right\|US$4,000,000	{{flagicon\|SWE}} Freddie Jacobson (3)	align=center\|46		Tour Championship

=Unofficial events=

The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !Date !Tournament !Host country !Purse !Winner(s) !OWGR points !Notes
19 Oct	HSBC World Match Play Championship	England	align=right\|£2,300,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Ernie Els	align=center\|n/a	Limited-field event
9 Nov	Seve Trophy	Spain	align=center\|n/a	{{flagdeco\|GBR}}{{flagicon\|IRL}} Team GB&I	align=center\|n/a	Team event
style="background:#dfe2e9;" \|18 Nov	WGC-World Cup	United States	align=right\|US$4,000,000	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Trevor Immelman and {{flagicon\|ZAF}} Rory Sabbatini	align=center\|n/a	World Golf Championship Team event

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit was titled as the Volvo Order of Merit and was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Euros.{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/stats/OrderOfMerit.sps?iTourID=1&sRankID=&iYear=2003 |title=2003 Order of Merit |publisher=European Tour |access-date=17 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050314231217/http://www.europeantour.com/stats/OrderOfMerit.sps?iTourID=1&sRankID=&iYear=2003 |archive-date=14 March 2005}}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/3203540.stm |title=Els takes European title |work=BBC Sport |date=18 October 2003 |access-date=17 October 2023}}

class="wikitable" !Position !! Player !! Prize money (€)
align=center\|1	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Ernie Els	align=center\|2,975,374
align=center\|2	{{flagicon\|NIR}} Darren Clarke	align=center\|2,210,051
align=center\|3	{{flagicon\|IRL}} Pádraig Harrington	align=center\|1,555,623
align=center\|4	{{flagicon\|SWE}} Freddie Jacobson	align=center\|1,521,303
align=center\|5	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Ian Poulter	align=center\|1,500,855
align=center\|6	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Paul Casey	align=center\|1,360,456
align=center\|7	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Lee Westwood	align=center\|1,330,713
align=center\|8	{{flagicon\|DNK}} Thomas Bjørn	align=center\|1,327,148
align=center\|9	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Brian Davis	align=center\|1,245,513
align=center\|10	{{flagicon\|WAL}} Phillip Price	align=center\|1,234,018

Awards

class="wikitable"

!Award!!Winner!!{{abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}}

Golfer of the Year

{{flagicon|ZAF}} Ernie Els

{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2003/SPORT/12/11/golf.els/ |title=Els named European player of year |work=CNN |date=11 December 2003 |access-date=17 October 2023}}

Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year

{{flagicon|IRL}} Peter Lawrie

{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/article-golf-channel-newsroom-lawrie-named-euro-tour-rookie-year |title=Lawrie Named Euro Tour Rookie of the Year |work=NBC Sports |date=4 November 2003 |access-date=17 October 2023}}

Notes

References

External links

{{official site|https://www.europeantour.com/}}

Category:European Tour seasons

European Tour

class="wikitable" !Position !! Player !! Prize money (€)
align=center\|1	{{flagicon\|ZAF}} Ernie Els	align=center\|2,975,374
align=center\|2	{{flagicon\|NIR}} Darren Clarke	align=center\|2,210,051
align=center\|3	{{flagicon\|IRL}} Pádraig Harrington	align=center\|1,555,623
align=center\|4	{{flagicon\|SWE}} Freddie Jacobson	align=center\|1,521,303
align=center\|5	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Ian Poulter	align=center\|1,500,855
align=center\|6	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Paul Casey	align=center\|1,360,456
align=center\|7	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Lee Westwood	align=center\|1,330,713
align=center\|8	{{flagicon\|DNK}} Thomas Bjørn	align=center\|1,327,148
align=center\|9	{{flagicon\|ENG}} Brian Davis	align=center\|1,245,513
align=center\|10	{{flagicon\|WAL}} Phillip Price	align=center\|1,234,018