Professional Golf 2024 & 2025

[Arthur Wedge]

There is a big difference between being an ET member and regularly playing ET events. Most of the players playing over the weekend got their points from events that were not purely ET events.

And plenty of them play ET events to ensure that they keep their membership

Rory for example - last 5 events were on the ET , same with Fleetwood ,
BobMac and Fitz pretty similar, a lot of them still play a good number of ET events

The players aren’t machines and need to judge their schedule

 

[Neilds]

And plenty of them play ET events to ensure that they keep their membership

Rory for example - last 5 events were on the ET , same with Fleetwood ,
BobMac and Fitz pretty similar, a lot of them still play a good number of ET events

The players aren’t machines and need to judge their schedule

2 of the last 5 events that Rory played were because he qualified - but most of his points were from events that were joint events. He would not have qualified if he had to rely on purely DP events.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

2 of the last 5 events that Rory played were because he qualified - but most of his points were from events that were joint events. He would not have qualified if he had to rely on purely DP events.

players have to qualify in some way to every event - Rory was also playing in the Irish, Scottish and Indian Open

He only played 21 events last year

4 were majors

He played both “flagship” events on both tours

He played his home Open and he played the event before a major

He also played in playoffs he qualified for on both tours

Do people expect him to be at the KLM before the US Open ?

he supports both tours as best as he can and will do more next season

 

[Swango1980]

And plenty of them play ET events to ensure that they keep their membership

Rory for example - last 5 events were on the ET , same with Fleetwood ,
BobMac and Fitz pretty similar, a lot of them still play a good number of ET events

The players aren’t machines and need to judge their schedule

There is a bit of a difference between top players playing in a few of the biggest European Tour events, and top players being committed to the European Tour as a whole.

I believe McIlroy only played in 6 events that are solely European Tour events in 2025? 3 of them where the end of season events. One was in January in Dubai, then a couple in September (Irish Open and Wentworth), which isn't a shock to see McIlroy play in those. His other DP World Tour events were also PGAT events, so no praise can be dished out for a player playing in those as some sort of sign as a committment to the European Tour.

It is like me starting a tour with no prize money each week, except for an end of season event where the winner gets £100 million. I then say playing in x number of Majors + half a dozen PGAT events also gains a player qualification for my tour, so they can just turn up at the end of the season finale. When McIlroy turns up once a year, I can then boast to the world that players like McIlroy is dedicated to my tour, and my tour has many top players. In reality, it isn't really true at all.

I know why the European Tour do it, money. But, it would feel much better if qualification for the end of season event had to be done by playing in a large number of European Tour events only. So it consists of players that have consistently been seen week in, week out (when not taking their rests), and that the winner of the end of season event is "truly" a European Tour player. Not a PGAT player who occasionally pops across once in a blue moon.

 

[Swango1980]

players have to qualify in some way to every event - Rory was also playing in the Irish, Scottish and Indian Open

He only played 21 events last year

4 were majors

He played both “flagship” events on both tours

He played his home Open and he played the event before a major

He also played in playoffs he qualified for on both tours

Do people expect him to be at the KLM before the US Open ?

he supports both tours as best as he can and will do more next season

He supports one tour significantly more than the other.

 

[Neilds]

players have to qualify in some way to every event - Rory was also playing in the Irish, Scottish and Indian Open

He only played 21 events last year

4 were majors

He played both “flagship” events on both tours

He played his home Open and he played the event before a major

He also played in playoffs he qualified for on both tours

Do people expect him to be at the KLM before the US Open ?

he supports both tours as best as he can and will do more next season

As usual you are missing the point. He may be a ET member but he, along with many others, doesn't really support the ET in the truest sense. He plays the minimum events to keep the committee happy. He could easily play more, but that would mean playing less PGA events (if he thinks that playing more events is beyond a young fit player like himself).
In my opinion, events like the Masters and the rest of the majors should not be sanctioned by the Tours and should not get ranking points for either tour.

 

[wjemather]

There is a big difference between being an ET member and regularly playing ET events. Most of the players playing over the weekend got their points from events that were not purely ET events.

Quite so.
Of the top 10 in the RtD rankings, only 4 truly play the tour; and it was a similar story last year. The top players, and in fact most PGAT members, managed to play almost half a much as Patrick Reed (6 vs 10). It's pathetic.

It is utterly disingenuous to cite the end of season events (or any Rolex Series event for that matter) as evidence of the top players returning to play (or worse "support") the tour, because the overall evidence shows that they are not, and nor are the second tier of players who have gained PGAT membership. Such increasing numbers of members barely playing the tour each year is something that is not sustainable if the tour wants to retain it's status as the number 2 tour, and not drop behind both the KFT and the Asian Tour.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

As usual you are missing the point. He may be a ET member but he, along with many others, doesn't really support the ET in the truest sense. He plays the minimum events to keep the committee happy. He could easily play more, but that would mean playing less PGA events (if he thinks that playing more events is beyond a young fit player like himself).
In my opinion, events like the Masters and the rest of the majors should not be sanctioned by the Tours and should not get ranking points for either tour.

Thankfully for the golf world and it’s professionals to ensure that the tours keep doing well the majors are dual sanctioned

Take away the dual sanction and then even less would keep their members

Players playing on both tours have to hit certain amount of events to keep their cards

He plays the level of events that he thinks is the right amount to keep him fresh and is also planning to play more Opens hence behind in India and down in Aus soon

Maybe some have very unrealistic expectations on top players - maybe the Asian players should go and support the Asia tour more , African the Sunshine Tour, Aus the Aussie Tour and watch as the “ET” crumbles - or is it ok for the top Asian , Aus , African players to come into the European Tour and but not ok for the players from the European Tour to move to PGAT


For 40 years players have been jumping from the ET to the PGAT , players have to find a balance - with 3 of the majors based in the US across a 8 week period the best during that time will concentrate in the US

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Quite so.
Of the top 10 in the RtD rankings, only 4 truly play the tour; and it was a similar story last year. The top players, and in fact most PGAT members, managed to play almost half a much as Patrick Reed (6 vs 10). It's pathetic.

It is utterly disingenuous to cite the end of season events (or any Rolex Series event for that matter) as evidence of the top players returning to play (or worse "support") the tour, because the overall evidence shows that they are not, and nor are the second tier of players who have gained PGAT membership. Such increasing numbers of members barely playing the tour each year is something that is not sustainable if the tour wants to retain it's status as the number 2 tour, and not drop behind both the KFT and the Asian Tour.

As we have seen with the recent big deals with Sky and DP World the ET is in a good place

Players will always chase and play in the biggest and richest events


As players have been moving to the PGAT for decades what is the alternative

Any ideas ?

 

[Steve Wilkes]

DP World Tour players who won a 2026 PGA Tour card​

Final Standings


1. Marco Penge
2. Laurie Canter
3. Kristoffer Reitan
4. Adrien Saddier
5. Alex Noren
6. John Parry
7. Haotong Li
8. Keita Nakajima
9. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
10. Jordan Smith

How long before all the top player's are gone from DP ?

Is this the right way to run the tour ?

Your thoughts.

You do know that it’s been happening for over 40 years now

How many top Europeans played in the competition over the weekend ?

Some will make it , some will be back playing on the ET next season

There is also the next generation coming through

Exactly, last year if you read those 10 names out, most people on here would have said who?

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Exactly, last year if you read those 10 names out, most people on here would have said who?

Not sure what people see as an alternative

Since the 80’s players have moved across to the US , it’s set up to help them better , and that’s players from Asia , African , Aus as well - it’s the biggest market and has the corporate sponsers to attract the big prize money and players

 

[Slab]

Yeah the cream of the European tour have long juggled membership of both tours (or just went to US full time) but its only the last three seasons that has seen an additional 10 ET players ‘win’ a spot in X amount of PGAT events for the following season

Its this repeated excess exodus that has the potential to arguably have a bigger impact on ET fields the longer it goes on

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Yeah the cream of the European tour have long juggled membership of both tours (or just went to US full time) but its only the last three seasons that has seen an additional 10 ET players ‘win’ a spot in X amount of PGAT events for the following season

Its this repeated excess exodus that has the potential to arguably have a bigger impact on ET fields the longer it goes on

Does it really ? They lost ten players last year and it didn’t have that much of an affect as there is more coming through behind them

And out of those ten I suspect many will be still playing a good number of ETs and some will be back full time when they can’t keep their PGAT card

The best Europeans will always move across

Those ten players will be filled by ten other players , out of the ten players who have moved - how many stood out ?!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Why are folk still calling it the European Tour, it has not been called that for quite a time.
BTW the 'European Tour' is in Australia this week

 

[Orikoru]

Why are folk still calling it the European Tour, it has not been called that for quite a time.
BTW the 'European Tour' is in Australia this week

We don't have to bow to corporate sponsorship you know. Just like the League Cup will always be the League Cup, not the Carabao or whatever. We didn't call St James Park the Sports Direct Arena when that was it's official name. European Tour will always be the European Tour.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Not sure what people see as an alternative

Since the 80’s players have moved across to the US , it’s set up to help them better , and that’s players from Asia , African , Aus as well - it’s the biggest market and has the corporate sponsers to attract the big prize money and players

There are some on here old enough to remember the names they called the beloved Seve when he jumped ship to the American tour, I think that was in the 1970's

 

[AussieKB]

Has anyone answered is this the way to run the ET ?

Lose your top 10 every year.....yes some will come back but is this the future ?

Only get back those that don't keep their card.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Why are folk still calling it the European Tour, it has not been called that for quite a time.
BTW the 'European Tour' is in Australia this week

Because it’s still a tour that based in European but co sanctions multiple events around the world with other tours

 

[Doon frae Troon]

We don't have to bow to corporate sponsorship you know. Just like the League Cup will always be the League Cup, not the Carabao or whatever. We didn't call St James Park the Sports Direct Arena when that was it's official name. European Tour will always be the European Tour.

No corporate side of European or World

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Has anyone answered is this the way to run the ET ?

Lose your top 10 every year.....yes some will come back but is this the future ?

Only get back those that don't keep their card.

Again what’s the alternative?

They lost ten last year - which one of those ten had any affect on the tour

It allows multiple other young golfers to come through