The European Tour has a problem. Its problem, specifically, is that when its best players get really good at golf, they flee the continent for the richer, more illustrious PGA Tour. And you can't really blame those players who are seeking Official World Golf Ranking points, richer purses and more prominent trophies.
European Tour CEO Keith Pelley is trying to solve that problem. He announced on Tuesday that the European Tour would implement the Rolex Series, which will be a seven-tournament stretch where each tournament has at least a $7 million purse. This is comparable to the best tournaments on the PGA Tour.
Pelley added the Irish Open, Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship and Italian Open to the Turkish Airlines Open, Nedbank Golf Challenge and World Tour Championship (which currently make up the European Tour's "playoffs"). This Rolex Series will start in 2017.
It is a clear effort to boost a sometimes-sagging European Tour, and Pelley told the Associated Press that the European Tour is going to subsidize some of the tournament purses to get to that $7-million mark.
It seems to be a positive step forward in the eyes of golfers, even those who play both the PGA Tour and European Tour like Rory McIlroy.
"It's fantastic," said McIlroy who hosts the Irish Open and stands to benefit from a richer field. "I think to be able to bring some of the bigger and best tournaments on The European Tour schedule and put them into this Rolex Series where obviously you're playing for an increased prize fund, which is fantastic.
"I think it's going to be a real boost for The European Tour. You know, Keith Pelley has been a huge part of that, and I think him getting involved and giving The European Tour a bit of different energy has definitely helped. I'm excited obviously that The Irish Open is a part of it. It's a massive thing for The European Tour."
It might not stop at just seven events with the $7 million purses. Here's the AP.
Pelley, speaking ahead of this week's DP World Tour Championship, said that eight or nine events could end up as part of the Rolex Series next season and that it's his goal to increase that number to 10 tournaments in 2018. He also said that the $7 million minimum "is the threshold that we felt that was needed to produce something of a high quality" for the series.
This fascinates me on a number of levels. It seems as if Pelley is trying to curtail recent whispers of a potential global tour and protect his home turf. Good for him on that, too. But it creates some problems which McIlroy pointed out. More golfers are going to have to choose one tour or the other.
"I had a meeting with a few of the guys yesterday, and Keith was involved," said McIlroy. "I think one of the big consensus is it's getting more and more difficult to play two tours. With the regulations that the PGA Tour are putting upon us and with how great the events are becoming over here, and it's hard to jump back and forth and play tournaments.
"It is very, very difficult, and you've seen players that have tried it before and it just doesn't quite work for them. It takes a certain type of player and a certain type of mentality to be able to do it.So I think you might see more guys spending prolonged periods in either/or, because jumping back and forth, you can do it for so long, but in the long run, it just doesn't work too well."
McIlroy is probably right. The minimum membership on the European Tour is five non-WGC and non-major events. On the PGA Tour it's 15 including the WGCs and majors. Both sides seem to be ramping up the stakes as we hurtle towards an uncertain future in golf. The European Tour fortified itself with this Rolex Series. What will the PGA Tour do next?
