Capelle On Golf

The top players on the European Tour are free to roam the globe, and they do. Adam Scott, last week’s winner at the EDS Byron Nelson, considers himself a global player. Here’s what he had to say in a fine article by Tim Rosaforte called The Revival of the European Tour.

“Money is growing, and we’re playing in areas of the world that are emerging, and that is certainly attractive to me. I enjoy playing golf all over the world and the challenge that presents. I think it makes you a complete golfer.”

At home, Tim Finchem would prefer that the top players commit to the PGA Tour, which is a big reason why he created the FedExCup. In the long run, however, his plan for world domination in golf is doomed to failure.

Visionaries today are looking worldwide and striving to become inclusionary, rather than exclusionary. The LPGA knows golf is going global, which is why their tour will play three events in Mexico this year and seven more in Europe and the Far East. The LPGA is lucky. They are not competing against other tours, so they are free to create one big happy tour, all under one roof.

The European Tour started its move towards globalization some time ago, but in recent years has ramped up its efforts. It all started at home. Their tour is comprised of events in 13 different nations in Europe. Bringing differing cultures and people’s together has fostered an “anyone is welcome” attitude. It was only logical that they then expand to distant lands. Part of their formula is to follow the sun, holding numerous tournaments below the equator where it’s warm in the winter. And they have also followed the burgeoning interest in the game – and the money – by expanding into the Middle East and Far East.

And, in a smart little coup, the European Tour gave official status to the three WGC events in the US along with the three US majors, giving them a strong presence in America. Yes, these events are shared with the PGA Tour. However, there was nothing to stop the European Tour from calling them members of their tour. And that speaks volumes about an inherent weakness of the PGA Tour – that they don’t own a single major.

I did a quick count of the WGR top 50. Only 18 are from the USA, which shows that the PGA Tour is losing some of its grip. The balance of power is shifting. Now consider where these 32 non-US players play a lot of their golf. Here’s the breakdown:

The European Tour
13 countries in Europe
6 tournaments in the USA
11 countries (18 events) in the Middle East, Far East and down under

PGA Tour
1 each in the Great Britain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada
44 in the USA

Considering this breakdown, it is easy to see which tour is positioning itself for world domination.

The European Tour has become a misnomer. And the people who run that tour no doubt know it. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if these feisty futurist have plans to rename their tour the World Golf Tour. And why not? They are certainly building a case for the new name – and for being known as the most prestigious tour in the world of golf.