European Tour to introduce new four-tournament end of year

Next year's European Tour will end with a new four-tournament, big-money series not too dissimilar to the Fed-Ex Cup on America's PGA Tour.

Total prize money of almost £19m will be on offer at the BMW Masters and WGC-HSBC Champions in China, the Turkish Open and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

George O'Grady, chief executive of the Tour, said that the move was intended to bring more excitement to the Tour.

He said: "The introduction of 'The Final Series' and the associated changes to the structure are being made to bring even more drama and excitement to the conclusion of our season, and to further enhance The Race to Dubai."

Next year's schedule sees 45 tournaments played across numerous continents, including six events in South Africa.