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European Tour may increase minimum number of tournaments

European Tour members may be forced to play more events in Europe to satisfy sponsors feeling short-changed by the absence of top names under plans being discussed by tour organisers.

Big-money events are being spurned by leading players, many of whom are juggling commitments as members of the European and U.S. PGA Tours, European Tour tournament committee chairman Thomas Bjorn told Reuters in an interview.

Sponsors may pull out of events if they feel they are not getting their money’s worth, especially in an economic downturn that has already led to the cancellation of some events and prize money being cut.

“We have a big responsibility to our main sponsors. In these times the primary concern is to look after the sponsors, the players have had it very easy for a long time,” said Bjorn.

“In America there’s a big commitment from the players to their tour. We feel there should be a commitment to our tour from our players.”

Qualification for membership is 12 European Tour events, two of which must be played in Europe. The idea of increasing it to four events in Europe was discussed at a meeting last week in Scotland and is on the agenda again next week, Bjorn said.

“We’ve got some unbelievably big tournaments, like this week’s (Dunhill Links Championship), where a number of guys don’t show up,” said Bjorn.

“There’s the PGA, Irish Open, French Open, Scottish Open where a number of the top guys don’t show up. They never do because they are sticking to their schedule.

“We have to ask: Is it fair for the sponsors to put that kind of money into these events and we can’t provide top fields? We get from everybody, including the press, the fields are not strong enough.”

Any move to impose new requirements could leave players like Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas with a schedule headache next season as they grapple with the demands of playing on two Tours.

Three-times major champion Harrington has already spoken out against the idea, branding it “protectionism which will close the tour down rather than open it up” in the Irish Independent newspaper at the weekend.

The Irishman’s stance has frustrated Bjorn, who said it was disappointing he attacked the plan before a decision had been made.

“We obviously take our top players views into consideration. But you have a committee that has on it the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson, plus myself,” he said.

“We are all players who have travelled the world and a lot of committee men have played both tours. The tour was here before Padraig Harrington and it will be here after him.”

Bjorn added his committee wanted to keep all members happy and hoped to find a compromise that everyone could play under.

“We know that in any sport it’s all about the top players, but every member of this tour has the same rights, no matter how they are playing,” he said.

“We’re under a lot of pressure from tour school and Challenge Tour qualifiers that they don’t get enough opportunity.

“It becomes more difficult for them to keep their cards when there are, say, seven guys in the Race to Dubai who play hardly any golf in Europe but stay members.”

October 6, 2009