2011 European Tour Rankings: Kaymer Tops Order of Merit

2011 European Tour Rankings: Kaymer Tops Order of Merit

This article is part of our Golf Draft Kit series.

The highly successful European Tour's Race to Dubai again focused attention to the strength of the European Tour. In addition, three European Tour regulars were highly successful at the major tournaments: Graeme McDowell won the U. S. Open, Louis Oosthuizen won The Open Championship, Martin Kaymer won the USA PGA Championship and Lee Westwood finished second at the Masters. Six Euro Tour players were in the top 10 in the world rankings at the close of the season. Also, the capture of the Ryder Cup put an exclamation point on the depth of strength on the European Tour. These numbers are better than 2010, and the players have the talent to do better in 2011.

European Prize monies shown here were earned at the majors, WGC events and The Players.

The European Tour's top-60 on the 2010 money list - Order of Merit/Road to Dubai - qualified for the Dubai World Championship, Nov. 25–28, 2010 at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Sweden's Robert Karlsson, at 14-under, won the tournament in a playoff with England's Ian Poulter. Germany's Martin Kaymer finished at the top of the 2010 Race-to-Dubai. The Dubai competition, gathering world-wide attention, is again a headline feature of the 2011 European Tour.

Considering the volatility of the economic situation, earnings projections reflect conservative expectations. Euro-to-dollar factor as used by PGA Tour: 1.32 as of Nov. 28, 2010

Order of Merit is the 2010 final European Tour money list as of Nov. 28, 2010

OWGR is Official World Golf Ranking

The highly successful European Tour's Race to Dubai again focused attention to the strength of the European Tour. In addition, three European Tour regulars were highly successful at the major tournaments: Graeme McDowell won the U. S. Open, Louis Oosthuizen won The Open Championship, Martin Kaymer won the USA PGA Championship and Lee Westwood finished second at the Masters. Six Euro Tour players were in the top 10 in the world rankings at the close of the season. Also, the capture of the Ryder Cup put an exclamation point on the depth of strength on the European Tour. These numbers are better than 2010, and the players have the talent to do better in 2011.

European Prize monies shown here were earned at the majors, WGC events and The Players.

The European Tour's top-60 on the 2010 money list - Order of Merit/Road to Dubai - qualified for the Dubai World Championship, Nov. 25–28, 2010 at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Sweden's Robert Karlsson, at 14-under, won the tournament in a playoff with England's Ian Poulter. Germany's Martin Kaymer finished at the top of the 2010 Race-to-Dubai. The Dubai competition, gathering world-wide attention, is again a headline feature of the 2011 European Tour.

Considering the volatility of the economic situation, earnings projections reflect conservative expectations. Euro-to-dollar factor as used by PGA Tour: 1.32 as of Nov. 28, 2010

Order of Merit is the 2010 final European Tour money list as of Nov. 28, 2010

OWGR is Official World Golf Ranking as of Nov. 29, 2010.

The top-15 ranked players by Oder of Merit are exempt for the 2011 U.S. Open.

OM Rank 1: Martin Kaymer (Germany)
OWGR Rank: 3
2010 $ Earnings: 5,888,535
2010 € Earnings: 4,461,011
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 3,500,000
2011 Outlook: He's not joining the PGA Tour but will play the three majors, THE PLAYERS and three WGC events along with others in the USA. His first "major" win , the 2010 USA PGA Championship, bodes well for 2011. He and Greame McDowell shared the European Tour Golfer of the Year. Another major? He certainly has the game.

OM Rank 2: Graeme McDOWELL (Northern Ireland)
OWGR Rank: 11
2010 $ Earnings: 5,144,035
2010 € Earnings: 3,896,996
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 3,800,000
2011 Outlook: 2010 was his best career year to date with four wins that included his first major, the U. S. Open plus sinking the putt that cinched the Ryder Cup. McDowell takes a healthy confidence that can produce another major in 2011. He will be quite active on the PGA Tour inasmuch as this is an off-year from the Ryder Cup competition.

OM Rank 3: Lee Westwood (England)
OWGR Rank: 1
2010 $ Earnings: 4,253,598
2010 € Earnings: 3,222,423
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 4,000,000
2011 Outlook: Persistence and determination brought him to 1 in the world. Very close in the past three years, 2011 sees him nailing down his first major. Continuing leg problems call for scheduled breaks. Concentration will continue to be on the European Tour with play in the WGC events, the four majors plus a very few more in the USA.

OM Rank 4: Ian Poulter (England)
OWGR Rank: 8
2010 $ Earnings: 3,999,505
2010 € Earnings: 3,027,008
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 3,800,000
2011 Outlook: Expect him to play 15 Euro events while doing about the same on the PGA Tour. He will continue to show improvement in medal play. We look for him to be a solid top-10 player doing well in domestic and international events.

OM Rank 5: Francesco MOLINARI (Italy)
OWGR Rank: 15
2010 $ Earnings: 3,695,593
2010 € Earnings: 2.799,692
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 2,700,000
2011 Outlook: Making very good progress playing in high octane fields. His confident attitude supports his talented fundamental abilities.

OM Rank 6: Robert Karlsson (Sweden)
OWGR Rank: 16
2010 $ Earnings: 3,031,362
2010 € Earnings: 2,296,486
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 2,000,000
2011 Outlook: Big win at Dubai World Championship made an ordinary year into a good one. We see Karlsson registering a solid 2011 season but not as good as 2010.

OM Rank 7: Ernie ELS (South Africa)
OWGR Rank: 13
2010 $ Earnings: 2,985,321
2010 € Earnings: 2,261,607
2011Proj. $ Earnings: 2,750,000
2011 Outlook: Els has a very good situation for his autistic son in the USA that allows Els to play effectively on both the European and the PGA Tours. He should continue his 2010 level of play in 2011.

OM Rank 8: Charl SCHWARTZEL (South Africa)
OWGR Rank: 38
2010 $ Earnings: 2,914,514
2010 € Earnings: 2,207,965
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 2,800,000
2011 Outlook: Will be splitting time after taking PGA Tour membership for 2011. After respectable 2010 PGA Tour results, he will have opportunities to exceed 2010. While he plays well early in the season, he has to gain overall consistency.

OM Rank 9: Miguel Angel JIMENEZ (Spain)
OWGR Rank: 29
2010 $ Earnings: 2,876,832
2010€ Earnings: `2,179,418
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,850,000
2011 Outlook:Will have trouble matching the three wins in 2010. His career 18 Euro tour wins is a testimony to his durability, talent and desire to excel. He had significant contributions to the Ryder Cup victory.

OM Rank 10: Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa)
OWGR Rank: 23
2010 $ Earnings: 2,733,407
2010 € Earnings: 2,070,763
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,800,000
2011 Outlook: Significant big win at the 2010 Open Championship. Some concerns about lingering injury last fall. We
expect a slight fall off from 2010.

OM Rank 11: Edoardo MOLINANRI (Italy)
OWGR Rank: 17
2010 $ Earnings: 2,652,325
2010 € Earnings: 2,009,337
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 2,800,000
2011 Outlook: We expect results a little better than 2010. The filial competition with brother Francesco is a healthy motivator.

OM Rank 12: Paul CASEY (England)
OWGR Rank: 7
2010 $ Earnings: 2,493,282
2010 € Earnings: 1,888,850
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 3,750,000
2011Outlook: Play will again be split with PGA Tour where he has the game for multiple wins. European Tour events will also produce a win.. Casey is capable to have a career season.

OM Rank 13: Rory McILROY (Northern Ireland)
OWGR Rank: 10
2010 $ Earnings: 2,405,786
2010 € Earnings: 1,821,050
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 3,000,000
2011 Outlook: Emphasis on European Tour will be fruitful. Not being a PGA Tour member will not have heavy impact inasmuch as healthy purses are available in WGC events, majors, the PLAYERS and four others in the USA.

OM Rank 14: Alvaro QUIROS (Spain)
OWGR Rank: 46
2010 $ Earnings: 2,310,337
2010 € Earnings: 1,750,255
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 2,800,000
2011 Outlook: He shows signs of progress each year and next year looks good too. High finishes are coming more often and exposure to invitationals and majors will help the bank deposits.

OM Rank 15: Luke DONALD (England)
OWGR Rank: 9
2010 $ Earnings: 2,215,055
2010 € Earnings: 1,678,072
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 3,000,000
2011 Outlook: His concentration on the PGA Tour limits his number of European starts but he'll do better than just one Euro win in 2011. He's a quiet bulldog who stays close to the top under all situations.

OM Rank 16: Ross FISHER (England)
OWGR Rank:31
2010 $ Earnings: 1,839,666
2010 € Earnings: 1,393,686
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 2,600,000
2011 Outlook: His 2010 slight slump will be reversed in 2011. High level of talent will prevail.

OM Rank 17: Peter HANSON (Sweden)
OWGR Rank: 40
2010 $ Earnings: 1,745,556
2010 € Earnings: 1,322,391
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,700,000
2011Outlook: Steady play serves him well. We see a win and a handful of top-25s.

OM Rank 18: Rhys DAVIES (Wales)
OWGR Rank: 7
2010 $ Earnings: 1,608,600
2010 € Earnings: 1,128,636
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,500,000
2011 Outlook: Showing upward movement in past two years. Slight improvement again in 2011.

OM Rank 19: Anders HANSEN (Denmark)
OWGR Rank: 71
2010 $ Earnings: 1,539,174
2010 € Earnings: 1,166,041
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,500,000
2011 Outlook: Some slippage in 2010 that needs repair. 2011 results will be close to the final stats last year.

OM Rank 20: Padraig HARRINGTON (Ireland)
OWGR Rank: 22
2010 $ Earnings: 1,511,422
2010 € Earnings: 1,145,017
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 2,000,000
2011 Outlook: Very difficult 2010 slipping 17 spots in the OWGR. We guess he is still struggling with his swing. It's difficult to go beyond guessing what he can do with his basic talent and pride in his performance. We think he'll capture at least one win.

OM Rank 21: Richard GREEN (Australia)
OWGR Rank: 62
2010 $ Earnings: 1,489,574
2010 € Earnings: 1,128,465
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,800,000
2011 Outlook: Has momentum with big move from 125th to 62nd in 2010 OWGR. This will continue.

OM Rank 22: Fredrik ANDERSSON HED (Sweden)
OWGR Rank: 72
2010 $ Earnings: 1,673,718
2010 € Earnings: 1,112,253
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,250,000
2011 Outlook: Gained 254 spots in the OWGR with a win and some high finishes. We expect continued improvement.

OM Rank 23: Danny WILLETT (England)
OWGR Rank: 77
2010 $ Earnings: 1,402,389
2010 € Earnings: 1,062,416
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,000,000
2011 Outlook: 23-year old Willett had significant improvement in 2010. He's one of the under-25'ers that are blooming.

OM Rank 24: Retief GOOSEN (South Africa)
OWGR Rank: 19
2010 $ Earnings: 1,312,531
2010 € Earnings: 994,342
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,500,000
2011 Outlook: Heavy concentration on PGA Tour is expected to continue. Steady-as-you-go Goosen is capable
of jumping up and grabbing a win at any time, internationally or on the PGA Tour. Plays well in tough fields.

OM Rank 25: Simon KHAN (England)
OWGR Rank: 123
2010 $ Earnings: 1,283,946
2010 € Earnings: 972,686
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,000,000
2011 Outlook: Khan won a big one, the BMW PGA Championship along with a very decent year that bolted him 262 spots in the world rankings. He might well return to his regular game without the big win in 2011.

OM Rank 30: Darren CLARKE (Northern Ireland)
OWGR Rank: 100
2010 $ Earnings: 1,177,952
2010 € Earnings: 892,388
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,000,000
2011 Outlook: Never mind the gray hair, he can still play. 2011 will be as good as 2010 and maybe even better.

OM Rank 31: Matteo MANASSERO (Italy)
OWGR Rank: 59
2010 $ Earnings: 1,175,331
2010 € Earnings: 890,402
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,500,000
20101Outlook: A little improvement in 2011 from the 17-year old who became the youngest player to get a Euro Tour win.

OM Rank 32: Sergio GARCIA (Spain)
OWGR Rank: 75
2010 $ Earnings: 1,017,926
2010 € Earnings: 771,156
2011 Proj. $ Earnings: 1,700,000
2011 Outlook: After a two month sabbatical, Garcia came back with new energy and reasonable results near the end of the season. He will probably move steadily up the ladder in 2011 with efforts on the PGA Tour as well as on the European Tour.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ed Cushing
Cushing covers the PGA Tour for RotoWire, bringing a sabermetric approach to golf stats. Retired and living in the mountains of North Carolina, Cushing is in the running for the Most Interesting Man in Fantasy Sports. He's golfed the Doral Blue Monster, Harbour Town GC, Hilton Head and Augusta National, among many other tough courses. A classically trained pianist, Cushing still plays professionally. He roots for the University of Virginia because the Cavaliers may lose the game, but they ALWAYS win the party. He also made a fortune off the '72 Dolphins.
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