Willett joins the PGA Tour

[Deleted member 15344]

I'll probably get shot down in flames for this, but I look at this from a different angle.

I don't think which tour you play on should make any difference to Ryder Cup selection, as in any team sport, it's the selectors duty to pick the best team to win the competition. As has been stated before it's Team Europe, not team European Tour, so the best European players should be picked regardless of which tour they play on.

It's almost blackmail to impose this restriction. It would be like expecting an improving footballer to stay with the club who discovered him out of loyalty. Players of all sports will want to play at the highest level amongst their peers, and in the most prestigious tournaments.

The onus should be on the European Tour to improve what they offer to make it more attractive, not use the Ryder Cup as a tool to retain the star names. With the amount of comps they hold in the middle east, the prize money must be out there?

Any tour event will be dictated by the amount of sponsership they get

That sponsership will be also directly connected to the players playing.

All the US events get millions thrown at them in prize money and also are able to give top players appearance fees.

The ET can't do that - even with rich Middle East states.

Just look at the crowds around the ET - very sparse - especially in places like Dubai and China etc - where as the US events get a lot of crowds.

The ET can't compete with the finances - it can't grow money

It doesn't matter what the history or prestige is of a tournament it will be about the prize money.

Having those top European players having to come across and play a handful of events keeps some golf comps going - without them the ET which just wither away and the PGA tour would just get stronger - that's not good for golf in Europe.

Allow them to play in the RC without being a member of the ET will just kill of the ET - PGA would become the level of a challenger event - Irish Open will go the same way as the Welsh , Dunhill the same no doubt and the British Masters would just disappear again.

Let's not forget a lot of these players would be nowhere without the ET - especially Paul Casey

 

[Val]

The only way I ever seeing the criteria change is if the PGA tour and European Tour get together and create a worldwide tour. We are half way there now in terms of where some golf is played.

IMO the European tour is spot on regarding RC eligibility. Paul Casey made his bed.

As for Danny Willett, good on him. I hope he takes the chance as other Europeans did when the chance presented itself and he pushes on to bigger and better.

 

[BubbaP]

As people have said on Casey he made a choice, perhaps based on amount of travel, young family, yada, yada

Some of us may remember this controversy
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/casey-in-a-bunker-over-hate-claim-towards-americans-533614.html

How times have changed.

 

[Carpfather1]

Good for him I say plying pga tour is where the money is.hes living the golf dream now

 

[mcbroon]

The only way I ever seeing the criteria change is if the PGA tour and European Tour get together and create a worldwide tour. We are half way there now in terms of where some golf is played.

IMO the European tour is spot on regarding RC eligibility. Paul Casey made his bed.

As for Danny Willett, good on him. I hope he takes the chance as other Europeans did when the chance presented itself and he pushes on to bigger and better.

I think that's the inevitable conclusion, Val, and I think it would be a good thing. Having two competing tours splits fields and audiences. One big World Tour would be better.

And like you said, good on Danny Willett. All of us would do the same. I hope he goes on to great things on the back of this. Anyone who finds himself catapulted into the lead with three holes of the Masters to go and then knocks his very next shot stiff at 16 for birdie, deserves all the good things that come his way.

 

[Ethan]

The PGA and Euro Tours won't get together. The PGA Tour won't share with anyone. More likely the European Tour will join up with the Aussie, Sunshine or Asian Tours taking things a step further than the current co-sanctioned events. The PGA Tour revolves around their sponsors and many of them are only interested in US markets.

 

[Val]

The PGA and Euro Tours won't get together. The PGA Tour won't share with anyone. More likely the European Tour will join up with the Aussie, Sunshine or Asian Tours taking things a step further than the current co-sanctioned events. The PGA Tour revolves around their sponsors and many of them are only interested in US markets.

I agree on all this but still reckon a single world wide tour even with second tiers like both tours have now with challenge and web.com would be the best way forward.

As you say $$$ sponsorship will have the PGA tour as is

 

[drdel]

All this waffle about the USA centred golf v the 'European Tour is irrelevant to Danny Willet.

Its a career for a professional golfer and, like any of us, if you're successful in your chosen field you get offered the rewards you were striving for.

Danny Willet chose golf to make a living and he's going to aim to make the best he can. Good luck to him.

 

[Tongo]

All this waffle about the USA centred golf v the 'European Tour is irrelevant to Danny Willet.

Its a career for a professional golfer and, like any of us, if you're successful in your chosen field you get offered the rewards you were striving for.

Danny Willet chose golf to make a living and he's going to aim to make the best he can. Good luck to him.

There's also no guarantees that one's career will carry on for season after season. Look at how the careers of David Duval and Ian Baker-Finch nosedived after winning their Open titles.

 

[Val]

There's also no guarantees that one's career will carry on for season after season. Look at how the careers of David Duval and Ian Baker-Finch nosedived after winning their Open titles.

Yes, but both made plenty off the back of their wins and Danny Willett will have more money right now than he'll spend in his lifetime.

Best of luck to him, I hope he becomes a multiple PGA tour winner

 

[Nashy]

Casey has been passed by in previous RC's when he was playing some very good golf before hand and deserved a captains pick over other players. I can understand his reasons for choosing to just play PGA Tour golf, he is doing what's best for himself to get more wins and hopefully majors.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Casey has been passed by in previous RC's when he was playing some very good golf before hand and deserved a captains pick over other players. I can understand his reasons for choosing to just play PGA Tour golf, he is doing what's best for himself to get more wins and hopefully majors.

He possibly should have had a pick in 2010 but Monty went with a form player in Molinari , expirence in Donald and Harrington and it looks like it was the right choice - since then Casey prob hasn't been anywhere near a RC team since then. Other players have missed out qualifying - Rose , Donald etc but they have then gone on to work even harder to ensure they qualify. Casey has showed his desire and how much it means to him

 

[Val]

He possibly should have had a pick in 2010 but Monty went with a form player in Molinari , expirence in Donald and Harrington and it looks like it was the right choice - since then Casey prob hasn't been anywhere near a RC team since then. Other players have missed out qualifying - Rose , Donald etc but they have then gone on to work even harder to ensure they qualify. Casey has showed his desire and how much it means to him

Casey should have been picked ahead of Harrington that year, Paddy was playing cack and Monty just didnt fancy Casey as a person despite the fact he was playing well. Apparently he's not a likeable lad on tour, very arrogant.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Casey should have been picked ahead of Harrington that year, Paddy was playing cack and Monty just didnt fancy Casey as a person despite the fact he was playing well. Apparently he's not a likeable lad on tour, very arrogant.

Harrington hadn't played well for a couple years until then - reading Montys book Harrington was always going for his expirence and saw him as the leader role alongside Westwood - he said the choice was between Molinari and Casey and Molinari sealed it at the Jonny Walker. Lots of rumblings that Monty wasn't pleased that Casey didn't come over to play in the Welsh or the Jonny Walker. And yep certainly been lots of rumours about Casey being arrogant. Heard that he had a very big fall out with Howell at one RC ?

 

[palindromicbob]

Since March

PGA - Florida (WGC) - Florida - Florida - Texas - Puerto Rico or Texas (Dell MP)- Georgia - South Carolina - Texas

European - Florida (WGC) - Thailand - India - Texas (Dell MP) - Georgia - Spain - China

Prize fund removed thats a very demanding travel schedule. No wonder the PGA is a preferred option if you can get it.

 

[Val]

Harrington hadn't played well for a couple years until then - reading Montys book Harrington was always going for his expirence and saw him as the leader role alongside Westwood - he said the choice was between Molinari and Casey and Molinari sealed it at the Jonny Walker. Lots of rumblings that Monty wasn't pleased that Casey didn't come over to play in the Welsh or the Jonny Walker. And yep certainly been lots of rumours about Casey being arrogant. Heard that he had a very big fall out with Howell at one RC ?

Despite not playing well and us needing to win the cup back? I think that is probably the diplomatic answer.

 

[Oddsocks]

Money talks and the truth is as a pro sportsman you need to cash in while you can.

It's a fact that most if not all sports pay better stateside, from a motor cross background one state in the US would by more bikes that Europe put together. The global sport was driven by the the US preferences and I'd be surprised if the same wasn't there in golf.

Until the euro tour pays the same money, it's simple to say that it will only be a breeding ground for the pga tour

 

[Tongo]

Since March

PGA - Florida (WGC) - Florida - Florida - Texas - Puerto Rico or Texas (Dell MP)- Georgia - South Carolina - Texas

European - Florida (WGC) - Thailand - India - Texas (Dell MP) - Georgia - Spain - China

Prize fund removed thats a very demanding travel schedule. No wonder the PGA is a preferred option if you can get it.

And i think that is lost amongst all the chat about ranking points, sponsorship etc. Playing a considerable schedule on the European Tour actually means a great deal of travel. Its not like the days of Seve and Faldo when the majority of the tour was in Europe with the odd event in the Middle East. Now more than half of the tour is played outside of europe, requiring players to travel vast distances across any number of time zones.

4 zones max in the states and the PGA tour is sensible enough to have a west coast swing and a florida swing.

So, before there is the inevitable rant about the European Tour chasing the money where it is available, yes the money is in the middle east and China but from an individual player's perspective that not much of a consolation, particularly if you have a family. Tis a bit different jetting home from China, Australia or South Africa than Spain, Germany or Italy.

 

[Slab]

Since March

PGA - Florida (WGC) - Florida - Florida - Texas - Puerto Rico or Texas (Dell MP)- Georgia - South Carolina - Texas

European - Florida (WGC) - Thailand - India - Texas (Dell MP) - Georgia - Spain - China

Prize fund removed thats a very demanding travel schedule. No wonder the PGA is a preferred option if you can get it.

With you re prize funds but not so much on the travel and would ask if that's a fair comparison.

Wasn't much of Europe's courses unfit to host professional tournament golf up to now though due to winter conditions so it either takes place further afield or there's simply no ET golf until the season kick in

What sponsor is going to cough up the dough to host a comp in much of Europe when there's a good probability it'll pee down and which course will risk being wrecked in a week such that it takes months to recover

From mid-May to Oct you'd barely spend two hours on a flight going from one ET event to the next (leaving out the Majors/Olympics) Seems pretty easy as travel goes

 

[HomerJSimpson]

From a family perspective it seems sensible to move while the baby is small. As for the RC, he's already played a number of ET events http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/players/playerid=36030/index.html and I can't see how he won't be able to play the remaining number required to be eligible and considering he's already said he wants to play in it he'll find a way to get it done.

I don't really see the issue and while it would be ideal for sponsors, fans and the ET to keep their best players for as long as possible, it's inevitable they will go chasing the lucre of the dollar. I don't think the likes of Rory, et al will turn their back on the RC and if it looks like there will be issues going forward for the next one in two years I'm sure the ET will find a way to change the criteria