Au contraire, by showing how the European Tour has grown without hindering other tours, I have answered the question on the subject of how Europe would react if boot was on other foot.
The European Tour is losing players to USA because the money and ranking points are in the States. When money is elsewhere the overpaid Americans either can not be bothered, or the USPGA insists on asking for releases . If USA went back to 30 years ago, when only Americans were allowed to play in America, who would lose most?
It's easy for #2 to be so concerned about "other tours" when they're not threatened by them. I don't think the Euro Tour would be quite so cavalier if they were top dog. Professional golf is a business and you can only be so nice to your competition before that competition starts taking your business. As for going back 30 years......do you really want to go there given the quality level of the Euro Tour of the 1970's?
BTW.....You can't have it both ways. You can't complain about the PGA Tour ruining other tours and also complain that 30 years ago players from those same "other tours" were discouraged from playing over here.
"Overpaid Americans?" I don't see any of your Euro buddies declining any American checks. In fact, it's just the opposite. They play over here for the sole purpose of earning those huge American checks. If they stayed home and supported your Euro Tour the Euro prize money would rise dramatically and the WGR points would do the same. Again, you knock Americans for providing and enjoying the best the golf world has to offer. Green just isn't your colour.
If they stayed home and supported your Euro Tour the Euro prize money would rise dramatically and the WGR points would do the same.
They did and it did, but over the last five years the money in US has balooned dramatically and the WGC events came in with huge purses and criteria from worl rankings. That is one factor in the move of international players away from their home tours to US.
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Again, you knock Americans for providing and enjoying the best the golf world has to offer. Green just isn't your colour.
Money does not automatically mean best. Today there are two events, one in US one on European tour in the middle east. Which is best? The US event has a first prize four times higher, but is it a better event?
Money does not automatically mean best. Today there are two events, one in US one on European tour in the middle east. Which is best? The US event has a first prize four times higher, but is it a better event?
It's not about the money when it comes to which event is best. It's about the players. For me, the "better event" would be the one containing the best players. If the Middle Eastern event had a better field then that's the one I'd be watching. Why do you think the US event would have a purse 4 times higher? That's an easy one. The US event would have a better field.....because it offered more money. It's the old "Chicken and the Egg" thing. I can't see the PGA Tour, or any tour for that matter, ever proclaiming "We're offering less money so that some of the better players will play in other worldwide events this week. We want to encourage more players to play in our competitor's event.......for the good of golf fans worldwide..........Especially Lefty"
Many tournaments are finding out that a huge purse isn't the draw that it once was so the money offered at an event often isn't the deciding factor on whether or not a top player attends. That's a pressing concern for every tournament worldwide, not just those on the PGA Tour.
The only thing I've seen the European Tour do so as not to trample on other Tours' events is their policy of co-sanctioning many events. The PGA Tour does this as well, with the exception that often, the co-sanctioned events are played in America rather than on the other tours' soil. It wouldn't bother me to see a few more events cosanctioned in places like Asia or Europe on a more regular basis, and as I mentioned before, I believe the Tour is taking a step in that direction with the addition of the WGC in China in the future as well as the playing of the WGC-Amex Championship in Europe every other year. Time will tell how much farther that goes.
BTW there are more of the World top twenty in Middle East desert than the Californian desert.
Playing in the Middle East: Singh (2), Garcia (6) Montgomerie (10) and DiMarco (11)
Playing in California: Mickelson (5)
A quick review of both fields shows that there are only 19 of the top 50 players in the world playing this week. Not exactly stellar fields in either event.
This was at a quick glance and may contain omissions.
As you know ,the stronger the field, the higher the points, hence the consistently higher points on US soil.
The European Tour has shown how to grow ,benefiting other tours ,not hindering them.
OK I'll bite. How has the European grown? Unless by that you mean become older and less competitive. By that standard I suppose that the PGA Tour hasn't grown in the last 10 years.
January 19th, 2006, 09:46 AM
I don't see any of your Euro buddies declining any American checks.
In fact, it's just the opposite. They play over here for the sole purpose of earning those huge American checks. If they stayed home and supported your Euro Tour the Euro prize money would rise dramatically and the WGR points would do the same. Again, you knock Americans for providing and enjoying the best the golf world has to offer. Green just isn't your colour.
It's about the players. For me, the "better event" would be the one containing the best players. If the Middle Eastern event had a better field then that's the one I'd be watching. Why do you think the US event would have a purse 4 times higher? That's an easy one. The US event would have a better field.....because it offered more money. It's the old "Chicken and the Egg" thing. I can't see the PGA Tour, or any tour for that matter, ever proclaiming "We're offering less money so that some of the better players will play in other worldwide events this week. We want to encourage more players to play in our competitor's event.......for the good of golf fans worldwide..........Especially Lefty" 
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