The European Tour was invited to respond to a recent letter printed in Golf Weekly in issue 33 and the following response was first printed in this week’’s Golf Weekly (Issue 36).
Following Mr Hilton's Star letter "Stars must play in USA" in issue 33 you expressed an interest in ascertaining the European Tour's position.
Since its inception in August 1971 the European Tour's philosophy for all of its Membership is one based on opportunity (to play) and incentive (prize money).
The terms of Membership have always and remain today compatible with the fact that European players may wish to take-up Membership of others Tours - principally the US Tour which has traditionally offered the highest prize money rewards in International golf.
In recent years the European Tour has expanded its international operations by firstly combining with the Southern African; Australasian and Asian Tours during the European "winter months". Secondly, together with the US PGA Tour and the other Tours the European Tour became a Founder Member of the International Federation of PGA Tours with the aim of offering leading ranked players World Championship level competition.
Additionally, continuing intensive efforts have been made with the respective authorities of the 3 United States Majors - the Masters; US Open and US PGA - resulting in record numbers of
European Tour Members participating in these American Championships.
All of these efforts, with the significant support of the Tour Membership, Promoters, Sponsors, Federations and television revenues have combined to offer available prize money in excess of £50 million (80 million euro; US$75 million) during this Millennium season. The requirement for a Member to achieve a Volvo Order of Merit Ranking is a minimum 11 Tournaments and this does include participation in the 4 Major Championships, 3 of which take place in the United States and the 3 individual Championships, 2 of which are scheduled this year in the USA. The European Tour believes a minimum of 11 ranking tournaments to be a reasonable requirement from a schedule encompassing in 2000 no fewer than 44 tournaments. Therefore leading ranked European Tour Members have considerable freedom to play in the United States while maintaining a commitment to their Home Tour. Such commitment has helped enormously to develop the European Tour today to a competitive level that compares most favourably with any other Tour, including the US PGA Tour.
The facts of the matter remain that both Nick Faldo and Severiano Ballesteros - the two most successful European golfers for a hundred years in terms of victories in Majors - played more golf on the European Tour than the US Tour in the years in which they accumulated their wonderful total of 11 Majors. (Please see appended tabular). The same can be said of Sandy Lyle (1985), Ian Woosnam (1991), José Maria Olazábal (1994 and 1999), Paul Lawrie (1999) and Bernhard Langer 1985 and 1993.
Similarly the playing schedules of Colin Montgomerie, Europe's most consistent player by any standard over the past decade, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke are based on successful international participation. Colin remains (with Greg Norman) the one non-American player to have tied for both the United States Open and US PGA Championship titles. Lee has won on the US PGA Tour and on every other recognised Tour during his brilliant run into the world ranking top 6 position. Darren Clarke has become Europe's first World golf Champion with a magnificent victory in the Andersen Consulting Championship in California defeating en-route Americans Paul Azinger, Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton and David Duval before his unforgettable 36-hole final with Tiger Woods. (Incidentally Darren also overcame Thomas Björn in the 3rd round at La Costa and given the brilliant Danish player's superb play at St Andrews and Valhalla who is to say had that result been reversed Denmark may have had its first World Champion?)
Talking of Valhalla the European Tour salutes all 31 of it's Members who played, all 18 who made the cut (including 13 Europeans) and especially 4 year Member Bob May from Las Vegas who tied (and so very nearly tamed!) the Tiger - already proclaimed as a golfing phenomenon
At this very time when Tiger Woods is re-writing virtually all of golf's record books it may be tempting to overlook the fact that European Tour Members have pushed him closest on numerous occasions and achieved supreme success on others. Take José-Maria Olazábal, US Masters Champion 1999, Paul Lawrie, Open Champion 1999; Sergio Garcia, Runner-up US PGA 1999; Miguel Angel Jimenez tied first, American Express Championship 1999; Darren Clarke, winner of the Andersen Consulting World Match Play Championship 2000; Ernie Els, runner-up US Masters; US Open (with Miguel Angel Jiménez) and Open Championship (with Thomas Björn); Bob May, tied first US PGA 2000 and Lee Westwood, winner of the Deutsche Bank-SAP TPC of European 2000.
These performances together with many others - including participation in the Ryder Cup dating back to 1983 - we believe best demonstrate the qualities and structure of the European Tour based on opportunity and incentive for all Members since inception by first Tournament Director General John Jacobs in 1971 and continued by current Executive Director Ken Schofield since 1975. We trust you and your readers will support these efforts for and by the European Tour.
Mitchell Platts
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Major Championship Years
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Nick Faldo and Severiano Ballesteros
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Nick Faldo European Tour US PGA Tour
. events events
.
1987 (Open Championship) 16 6
1989 US Masters 9 16
1990 US Masters and
. Open Championship 9 7
1992 Open Championship 15 7
1996 US Masters 5 16
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. 54 52
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Severiano Ballesteros
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1979 Open Championship 16 3
1980 US Masters 13 6
1983 US Masters 15 8
1984 Open Championship 8 15
1988 Open Championship 14 7
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. 66 39
