Golf's global tour has been revolutionising the professional game since 1972.
Since the fist shot was hit on the then-European Tour in 1972, the Tour has been taking world-class golf around the globe, nurturing the game's biggest talents and turning them into worldwide superstars.
Here, we take a look at the key moments that made the DP World Tour what it is today.
The 1970s
The European Tour began life in 1972 after a 20-year campaign by former Ryder Cup player John Jacobs to modernise professional golf in the UK and Europe. Jacobs, regarded as the founding gather of the Tour and its first Tournament Director General, saw his plans come to fruition on April 12, 1972 at the Open de España. Home favourite Antonio Garrido became the Tour's first winner, with England's Peter Oosterhuis winning the first Order of Merit. South African Dale Hayes was the first international winner of the Order of Merit in 1975 and a year later he was succeeded by Seve Ballesteros, the man who would go on to be the Tour's biggest star and flagbearer. It was in part due to Ballesteros' success that the Ryder Cup team expanded to include Continental Europe in 1979 after the United States had won every contest barring two since the Second World War. Ballesteros' maiden Major victory at The Open in 1979 was the first Major win by a golfer from Continental Europe since Arnaud Massy at the same event72 years earlier but much more was to come.
• 1972 - The first European Tour event, the Open de España, is played from April 12-15. It is won by Spaniard Antonio Garrido.
• 1975 - Ken Schofield appointed First Secretary and Executive Director.
• 1977 - Neil Coles becomes Chairman of the Players Committee.
• 1979 - Players from Continental Europe are included in the Ryder Cup.
The 1980s
Ballesteros won his second Major at the 1980 Masters Tournament and the Tour's second decade saw it rise to greater international prominence with help from the emergence of the Big Five: Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam. The Major-winning quintet helped seal a first Ryder Cup win for 28 years in 1985 and a first victory on American soil two years later was followed by a tie in 1989, keeping the cup in European hands until the end of the decade. The Tour moved to its long-time home of The Wentworth Club in 1981 and the following year the first event outside of Europe was staged at the Tunisian Open at El Kantaoui, with the Tour also going to the UAE in 1989. The decade ended with the formation of the PGA European Satellite Tour, which would go on to become the Challenge Tour. The penultimate event of the decade saw a 26-year-old Scot called Colin Montgomerie take his first win.
• 1981 - The European Tour moves office from the Oval, Surrey, to Wentworth on April 16.
• 1982 - The Tour embarks on a global expansion programme with the first event outside of Europe at the Tunisian Open at El Kantaoui.
• 1985 - The combined European Ryder Cup team complete their first win, defeating the United States 16½ - 11½ at The Belfry.
• 1987 - More Ryder Cup success follows with a first win on American soil at Muirfield Village.
• 1988 - Volvo becomes the first Official Tour Title Partner.
• 1989 - The first event is played on the European Challenge Tour, The Open dei Tessali, won by Neal Briggs.
The 1990s
The Johnnie Walker Asian Classic saw the Tour make strides into Asia in 1992, the same year the Senior Tour was established to join the European and Challenge Tours. International change came with the establishment of the World Golf Championships in 1999 and Woosnam, Langer and Faldo all continued their worldwide successes with Major wins. The 80s success in the Ryder Cup had seen it become a truly competitive contest, with the five Ryder Cup in the 90s seeing three American wins and two for Europe, with four of them won by a single point. Montgomerie sealed a second victory in 1991 before his two in 1993 helped him win the Order of Merit, the start of a remarkable period of dominance that saw him win seven in a row.
• 1992 - The European Senior Tour (now Legends Tour) is launched, with John Fourie winning the Order of Merit.
• 1995 - Seve Ballesteros wins a record 50th European Tour title at the Open de España.
• 1996 - Nick Faldo wins the Masters for his sixth Major title, the most to date by a European Tour member.
The 2000s
Lee Westwood won the first Order of Merit of the new Millennium, with South African Major winners Retief Goosen and Ernie Els then taking two apiece before Montgomerie won his eighth in 2005, a record which still stands. Pádraig Harrington was the winner in 2006 and over the next two years he would win three Majors as European Tour members continued to shine on the world stage. A Ryder Cup victory in 2002 was followed by record nine-point wins in 2004 and 2006, with Europe winning six of the seven matches from 2002 onwards. Westwood then bookended the decade by winning the inaugural season-ending Dubai World Championship presented by DP World and the renamed Race to Dubai to become Europe's Number One.
• 2005 - George O'Grady succeeds Ken Schofield as Chief Executive.
• 2005 - Colin Montgomerie claims a record eighth Order of Merit title.
• 2009 - Lee Westwood wins the first Dubai World Championship presented by DP World and tops the Race to Dubai, the former Order of Merit.
The 2010s
The 2010s saw one of the most important innovations in the Tour's history with the introduction of the Rolex Series in 2017. Showcasing enriched media, content and broadcast coverage, the Rolex Series provided a superior event experience for the world’s top players with increased prize funds. Innovations also came with new formats as GolfSixes, the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth, the Belgian Knockout and the Shot Clock Masters all gave fans a new experience. Westwood went to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking in October 2010 and a European Tour member would be at number one until March 2013, with Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy all reaching the summit as Kaymer and McIlroy claimed Major wins. Europe saw a run of three consecutive Ryder Cup victories ended in 2016 but hit back in 2018 as Francesco Molinari won five points from five in Paris, part of a season that saw him win The Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the Race to Dubai.
• 2014 - David Williams becomes Chairman of the European Tour on January 1.
• 2015 - Keith Pelley becomes Chief Executive of the European Tour.
• 2017 - The Rolex Series begins with Alex Noren becoming the first Rolex Series winner at the BMW PGA Championship.
The 2020s
The current decade began with the historic Strategic Alliance with the PGA TOUR, a partnership that has seen the Genesis Scottish Open become co-sanctioned and a pathway be developed for players to obtain Dual Membership via the Race to Dubai. Innovation and inclusion also continue to be centre stage via the Scandinavian Mixed - which sees an evenly split field of men and women play one course for one prize fund and has produced the DP World Tour's first female champion in two-time winner Linn Grant. The G4D Tour has also raised the profile for golfers with disability, providing a platform for the world's best to play on DP World Tour courses during DP World Tour event weeks across the world. The introduction of the Global Swings in 2024 made sure that every week counts and golf's global tour continues to go from strength to strength in its sixth decade.
• 2020 - The European Tour and PGA TOUR sign a historic Strategic Alliance.
• 2022 - The European Tour Group's premier tour rebrands as the DP World Tour.
• 2022 - Eric Nicoli takes over from David Williams as chairman of the European Tour Group.
• 2024 - Guy Kinnings becomes the European Tour Group's Chief Executive Officer on April 2.
