Replacing the Order of Merit is the 'Race to Dubai', which begins with the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai on November 6 and ends with the $20million (£11.3million) Dubai World Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates from November 19-22, 2009.

The top 60 in the Race to Dubai will qualify for the Dubai World Championship, which has a prize fund of $10million (£5.6million) and a first prize of $3.6million (£2million).

A bonus pool of $10million will also be shared by the top 15 players in the Race to Dubai after the tournament, with the winner taking away another $2million (£1.1million).

The record number of tournaments is due in part to a minimum of two events - the HSBC Champions and the UBS Hong Kong Open - each counting twice on the 2009 schedule - once in 2008 and again in 2009.

In addition there are five 'new' tournaments - the Czech Golf Open, the English Open, the Canal+ Open, the Volvo World Match Play Championship and the Dubai World Championship.

From 2010, the tour will revert to a calendar-year programme starting with the South African Open at Pearl Valley in January and concluding with the Dubai World Championship in November.

That will mean Leisurecorp, the Dubai World company specialising in developments and investments in sport and with whom the European Tour have a wide-ranging partnership, will host the starting and finishing events of the schedule on courses they own.

Leisurecorp have also bought Turnberry, which will stage the 138th Open Championship next year.

George O'Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, said: "We are excited about the start of The Race to Dubai and the superb quality of the field for the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, with five of the top seven currently active players in the world all entered.

"The Race to Dubai will bring a new dimension to the European Tour and the partnership with Leisurecorp is central to our plans for the future.

"The 2009 European Tour International Schedule confirms how the European Tour has become ever more global in its outlook with 26 destinations now featured and the Czech Golf Open returning for the first time in 12 years."

The Omega European Masters in Switzerland from September 3-6 will once more launch the start of the qualifying race for the Ryder Cup.

THE 2008-09 TOUR SCHEDULE

2008

NOVEMBER

6-9: HSBC Champions, Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China
20-23: UBS Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong
27-30: Australian Masters Huntingdale GC, Melbourne, Australia

DECEMBER

11-14: Alfred Dunhill Championship, Leopard Creek, Mpumalanga, South Africa
18-21: South African Open Championship, Pearl Valley Golf Estates, Paarl, South Africa

2009

JANUARY

8-11: Joburg Open Royal, Johannesburg & Kensington GC, Johannesburg, South Africa
15-18: Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE
22-25: Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy, Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
29-Feb 1: Dubai Desert Classic, Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE

FEBRUARY

5-8: EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters, Delhi GC, New Delhi, India
12-15: Maybank Malaysian Open, TBA
19-22: Johnnie Walker Classic, The Vines Resort & Country Club, Perth, Australia
25-Mar 1: WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship, Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, USA
26-Mar 1: Indonesia Open, New Kuta GC, Bali, Indonesia

MARCH

12-15: WGC - CA CHAMPIONSHIP, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Doral, Florida, USA
19-22: Madeira Islands Open BPI - Portugal, TBA
26-29: Open de Andalucia, TBA

APRIL

2-5: Estoril Open de Portugal, Oitavos Dunes, Estoril, Portugal
9-12: MASTERS TOURNAMENT, Augusta National, Georgia, USA
16-19: Volvo China Open, Beijing CBD International GC, Beijing, China
23-26: Ballantine's Championship Pinx GC, Jeju Island, South Korea
30-May 3: Open de Espana, TBA

MAY

7-10: Italian Open, TBA
14-17: he Irish Open, TBA
21-24: BMW PGA Championship, Wentworth Club, Surrey, England
28-31: The European Open, TBA

JUNE

4-7: The Celtic Manor Wales Open, The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales
11-14: Austrian Golf Open, Fontana GC, Vienna, Austria
18-21: US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, New York, USA
18-21: Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC, Aa Saint Omer GC, Lumbres, France
25-28: BMW International Open, Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, Munich, Germany

JULY

2-5: Open de France ALSTOM, Le Golf National, Paris, France
9-12: The Barclays Scottish Open, Loch Lomond GC, Glasgow, Scotland
16-19: THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Ailsa Course, Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland
23-26: SAS Masters, Barseback G&CC, Skane, Sweden
30-Aug 2: Czech Golf Open, Prosper Golf Resort, Celadna, Czech Republic

AUGUST

6-9: WGC - Bridgestone Invitational Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio, USA
13-16: US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Hazeltine National GC, Chaska, Minnesota, USA
13-16: The English Open, St Mellion International Resort, Cornwall, England
20-23: The KLM Open, Kennemer G&CC, Zandvoort, The Netherlands
27-30: Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland

SEPTEMBER

3-6: The Omega European Masters, Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland
10-13: Mercedes-Benz Championship, Golf Club Gut Larchenhof, Cologne, Germany
17-20: British Masters, TBA
24-27: Canal+ Open, TBA
24-27: Volvo World Match Play Championship, Finca Cortesin GC, Malaga, Spain

OCTOBER

1-4: Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Old Course, St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, Scotland
8-11: Madrid Masters, Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
8-11: *Seve Trophy, TBA
15-18: Portugal Masters, Oceanico Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal
22-25: Castello Masters, Costa Azahar Club de Campo del Mediterraneo, Castellon, Valencia, Spain
29-Nov TBA

NOVEMBER

5-8: HSBC Champions, Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China
12-15: UBS Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong
19-22: The Dubai World Championship, Earth Course, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
26-29: *Omega Mission Hills World Cup, Mission Hills GC, China

* Denotes Approved Special Event