The European Tour has ramped up efforts to persuade Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and its other elite golfers to turn their backs on the US circuit by launching the money-spinning Rolex Series. Chief executive Keith Pelley described it as "a critical game-changer" after announcing that seven tournaments offering minimum purses of $7 million would feature in the new series next year. It will begin with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May and continue in July with the Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation and the Scottish Open. The fourth event is the Italian Open in Rome in October before the series, and the season, ends in November with the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. "The thing about it is all our resources are magnified and as a result we believe it will be our best fields, our best tournaments and it will lead to a significantly enhanced European Tour brand," Pelley told Sky Sports on Tuesday. "There are a number of reasons why we brought it in but one is the fact we wanted something from the financial perspective that would allow the young players to have an opportunity to choose where they wanted to play and they didn't have to go to the United States. "We are very optimistic this is a critical point for us and a critical game-changer for the European Tour," the Canadian added. World No. 2 McIlroy, fourth-ranked Stenson, No. 14 Justin Rose and 15th-ranked Sergio Garcia are among the European elite who currently elect to play most of their golf on the more lucrative US PGA Tour. Pelley, who took over from George O'Grady just over a year ago, wants the tour to be more innovative with its ideas and announced plans this year for a new six-hole event incorporating a shot clock, music, different clothes and fewer clubs. Last month's British Masters on the outskirts of London also featured the floodlit Hero Challenge one-hole knockout event where the players arrived on the tee to a noisy welcome from the fans with dazzling pyrotechnics up ahead on the green. Spieth seeking the spirit of ‘14 at Australian Open Former world No. 1 Jordan Spieth is hoping a successful return to the Australian Open this week can act as a springboard for a stellar campaign next year, replicating the brilliance that followed his victory Down Under in 2014. The American, now ranked fifth in the world, will be fit and fresh when he returns to Sydney for a third straight year after enjoying a six-week layoff. The 23-year-old finished second behind Matt Jones a year ago but it was lifting the Stonehaven Cup after shooting a final-round 63 to hold off a field including Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy 12 months earlier that really stuck in his memory. "It was one of the best rounds I've ever played," he told reporters on Tuesday from the Royal Sydney venue where the tournament tees off on Thursday. Spieth won the US Masters, the US Open, the Tour Championship and two other tournaments in 2015, making this year's two PGA Tour wins and a Ryder Cup triumph appear a fairly meager return by comparison. "This year will go down as a really good solid year again," Spieth added. "It was just the second half that I would say I maybe tried just a bit too hard, didn't let it come to me, was getting a little frustrated with the lack of first place finishes I guess. World No. 7 Scott also returns to Royal Sydney this week, looking to add a second national open title to the one he claimed in 2009. Rose and Stenson, Day and Fowler to unite at revamped PGA event Rio Olympic champion Justin Rose and runner-up Stenson will partner for next year's PGA Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which announced Monday it will switch to a two-man team format starting next year. The event has been won in the past by such stars as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Byron Nelson, Lee Westwood, K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh and Rose in 2015. "The Zurich Classic is already a special tournament for me," Rose said. "The addition of a team format adds a new, incredibly exciting element to the event. Henrik and I are very excited to tee it up together in April, and hopefully we can continue our longstanding chemistry and success in team formats." Both have been stalwarts for Europe in the Ryder Cup and their exciting last-day duel for gold in August electrified the first Olympic men's Golf competition since 1904. The US PGA Tour policy board changed the event format to two rounds of foursomes and two of four-ball starting with the 2017 edition of the tournament, set for April 27-30 at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans. Among the duos to defeat will be the Rose-Stenson pairing and No. 1 Jason Day of Australia teaming with US star Rickie Fowler.
