Next year's Alstom Open de France will play a massive part in deciding who qualifies for Europe's Ryder Cup team after the European Tour strengthened its support for the event.
A re-working of the PGA Tour's 2016 calendar to accommodate golf's return to the Olympics saw the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational brought forward to the end of June, bringing it into direct conflict with the French Open at Le Golf National, venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup.
The European Tour responded by withdrawing its sanction of the WGC event just two days after Shane Lowry won it in August, meaning money won in Akron will not count for Ryder Cup points or towards the Race to Dubai.
And chief executive Keith Pelley has now announced that the French Open will also offer increased prize money and extra world ranking points, as well as counting as two of the five tournaments outside majors and WGC events which players now need to play to fulfil their membership.
The winner will collect 64 points towards the Ryder Cup world points list - Bernd Wiesberger won 36 in July - and one million towards the European points list, while the overall prize fund has increased by 500,000 euros to 3.5million.
In 2014, Graeme McDowell needed 171 points to claim the last qualifying place via the world points list, while Jamie Donaldson required 2.6million to secure the equivalent place on the European list.
Pelley said: " We recognise that many of our members play a global schedule and with the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational not part of The Race to Dubai next year, these measures will help them do that again next year.
"At the same time, the changes for 2016 also reflect the importance of the Alstom Open de France to The European Tour, with the tournament having been an ever-present on our International Schedule since our inception in 1972.
"Next year will be the 100th edition of the tournament, while it will be only two years until Le Golf National hosts The 2018 Ryder Cup, so I am confident these enhancements will add to the celebrations in Paris next year."
Speaking in August, Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke said he would advise prospective team members to play in France rather than Akron, but added: ''I can't tell the guys what to do, I can tell them what I'd like them to do.
''It's a tough decision for Shane, he won his first World Golf Championship at Firestone and he may have a decision to make come next summer.
''Withdrawing the sanction means that the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational will not be part of The 2016 European Tour International Schedule, nor will money won in it count towards The Race to Dubai or for Ryder Cup points.''
Ryder Cup qualifying will end after the Made in Denmark event on August 28 next year.
Source: PA
