"The game's two biggest tours in effect are trying to make two dozen top players more equally divisible by two."

Steve Elling says new European Tour participation minimums would appear to be a reaction to the PGA Tour's upcoming rule change and a sign the two tours are making it tougher to keep dual memberships.

For the second time in 24 months, the European Tour has cranked up the participation minimum required to retain membership, first from 11 events to 12 for the 2009 season, then to 13 tournaments after a vote Wednesday in Portugal. The move takes effect later this fall with the start of the 2011 season and ranked as a surprise, since some tour veterans had no idea the subject was being considered.

For the globe-hoppers, those privileged few who straddle the Atlantic and play the best events on both tours, the future is about to get more complicated. Those cash cows hoping to satisfy membership provisions on two continents, well, their carbon footprints are about to get bigger.

The PGA Tour, in a move designed to help struggling tournaments in the States bolster weak fields, next month is expected to enact some form of a "designated-events" rule for 2011, which would likely require players topping the FedEx Cup points or final money lists to make an appearance at one of the ordained tournaments.

Said an agent whose firm represents players on both circuits: "I guess it'll become a matter of, 'How bad do you want it?'"

The game's two biggest tours in effect are trying to make two dozen top players more equally divisible by two. We've got us a continental divide, folks, and here's our official, first-blush reaction: Good on both counts.

Comments

[Wisconsin Reader]

I for one enjoy watching the "best in the world" get together as often as possible. . . In effect are not these tours trying to limit those occasions? . . . Below is the "Race to Dubai" list - note the players listed who also were Fed Ex Cup finalists. . . Will these changes for 2011 reduce the number of players eligible for both lists?

http://www.golf.co.uk/rankings/european-race-to-dubai/index.shtml

[Tom]

WR, I think not. The ET events that coincided with the FEC were all 2nd (or 3rd)-tier events, IIRC, that the top ET players would seldom play anyway. The reason those (or at least the Johnnie Walker) got attention this year was for Monty's RC selection, which wasn't a good enough reason for the 'FedEx Four.' In that light, this ET move is basically a reminder to the top European stars to take the ET seriously.

It could also be seen as reassertion of a status quo, if Elling is correct that PGAT has agreed to co-sanction the WGC-HSBC (when did that happen?). It brings back to 5 the required minimum number of apearances at events that are directly under ET control. Scheduling should not be a big problem, because 3 of the biggest ET paydays (Dunhill, Singapore, Dubai) all fall after the conclusion of FEC. (The unfortunate corollary is that very few events in the original, geographically European, chronologically May-Sept core of ET are essential for the top ET players.)

Its effect on the top Americans will be nil, because only a few Americans established on PGAT try to keep an ET card as well (Daly and Kim come to mind). Last year I think Kim was the only American eligible for the Dubai World Championship, and he passed it up anyway. The ET move might weed out Kim and maybe a couple others who decide they don't want to bother.

[fatgoalie]

This is nothing new. For at least 5 years, I was exempt into 2nd or third stage of the US
Qschool, and every fucking year, they would schedule the European and US qualifying events
so that it was virtually impossible (or completely in some years) to try both qualifiers with any amount of
preparation. They simply didn't want double dippers, not at the top, or the bottom

[OWGR Fan]

@Tom.... the PGA Tour co-sanction on the WGC-HSBC event started last year. However the money and win are considered unofficial for PGA Tour record keeping purposes. You can use google and find articles that cover this.

[Tom]

Hi OWGR Fan,
I looked, and can't find the answer to this-- if it doesn't count as an official win or official money, does it count towards PGAT's 15-event minimum entry requirement for the year? Elling seemed to say that it does, IIRC.

[Tom Ierubino]

The WGC-HSBC Champions didn't count as an official PGA Tour win in 2009 - when Phil Mickelson won it - but it will in 2010 IF the winner is a PGA Tour member.

[Tom]

Thanks!