It all started 20 years ago when Greg Norman decided that the PGA Tour was not the center of the universe, and now that same idea is sending Tim Finchem back to the medicine cabinet for another roll of Tums. Who cares if it makes perfect sense for the tour to go international? The PGA Tour, like my kid, is not into sharing, especially when it comes to their stars and the money they generate.
What I’m talking about is the rights to big-time golf, which the PGA Tour believes they own, more than the Euros, more than the Asians, more than anybody.
As I said, Greg Norman stirred everything up years ago with talk of a world tour, which was cut short (some say bought off) by the creation of the World Golf Championships series. But that was then and this is now. And, as powerful as Tim Finchem believes he and the PGA Tour is, it is no match for Dubai, Singapore, Berlin, South Africa and a half dozen other places around the world that will pay to see the big boys play.
This time around, it’s the “Race to Dubai” that’s causing all the trouble. It’s the Euro Tour’s version of the FedEx Cup that has caused the likes of Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy to commit to playing 12 times next year on the European Tour for a chance at the $10,000,000 paid out in Dubai, plus the additional $10,000,000 bonus money. And, unless someone figures out how to add twelve weeks to the calendar, that’s at least six fewer weeks they’ll play on the PGA Tour.
So what, you say. It’s only a couple of guys.
Well, there’s more, lead by Anthony Kim, perhaps the PGA Tour’s brightest new star, there are a half-dozen other PGA Tour players who have decided to take up joint membership in Europe for the 2009 season.
The likeable Kim, whose two PGA Tour victories skyrocketed him to No. 8 in the world ranking, laid out $3,280 in hard cash and a pledge to play in 12 events to make him eligible for the season-ending $10 million “Race to Dubai” for the top 60 players and the additional $10 million bonus pool. And, because time is a wasting, he is scheduled to play the HSBC Champions in Shanghai this week. And, AK won’t be alone. “Spiderman” Camilo Villegas, who won the final two playoff events in the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, has also paid his $3,280, in Euros I suspect.
And, like sharks smelling blood in the water, golfers can smell the money, so look for Phil Mickelson to join the European Tour, as well. You should also expect the big name U. S. stars to start grabbing a sizable percentage of the appearance money, which is banned on the PGA Tour. Let’s see, I get a million bucks for just showing up in Shanghai, but I have to win to get a million bucks in the U. S. Oh my, what should I do?
Are the Euros becoming a real threat to the PGA Tour? Sergio Garcia thinks so. “Anytime you get players the caliber of Camilo and Anthony to the tour, it’s great. It’s an asset, it’s good for golf, it’s good for the European Tour.”
Sergio went on to say that he expects several other PGA Tour players to take advantage of the opportunity the European Tour has to offer. “Some of the tournaments we play in the Middle East … are bigger than the ones they play in the U.S. You get good players there, so world rankings points increase,” Garcia said. “At the end of the day, that’s what the big players do it for.”
The bottom line is that Anthony Kim has become one of golf’s brightest young stars, and
Villegas is just as hot. If Mickelson drinks the Kool Aid, the European Tour will have nine of the top 10 players in the world. The only exception is Tiger Woods, the No. 1 player in golf, who said his schedule won’t permit him to play in the minimum 12 events required to be a member of the European Tour. However, he might be willing to accept a little of that appearance money now and then.
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