Is European Tour stealing PGA's thunder?

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The worst-case scenario for the PGA Tour is more of its players spending more time in Europe, thus diminishing fields that already suffer without Woods.

Among those likely to take a hit are the Sony Open and Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. They are opposite Abu Dhabi and Qatar, tournaments that offer appearance money, luxurious accommodations and are early enough in the year that travel is no bother.

Garcia will not be playing the Sony Open or the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship because he'll start his year in Abu Dhabi halfway around the world.

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"From a tournament standpoint, I've not heard anything from the tour,'' said Mike Milthorpe, tournament director of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. "I'm not sure we can do anything about it. The question is why? Is it because it's an opportunity to make more money, or are they making a statement?''

PGA Tour members must play 15 times to get three releases for conflicting events (such as Europe). They are to play five more times for each additional release. But those are just guidelines, and there have been exceptions over the years for the likes of Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Will it hurt the PGA Tour if its members join the European tour? Not at all.

It might hurt a couple of tournaments, but only if everyone shows up at the same place in Europe.

This makeover is great news for Europe, and it's good for golf. The PGA Tour ultimately benefits from a strong European tour, for their players bring more value to the United States when they show up, which is more often than they play at home.

The PGA Tour looks like it's reeling because for the last two generations, it was the ultimate destination for the world's best players. Now there's an additional tour to chase dreams, glory and money. That's not a bad thing.

The time to worry is when players like Padraig Harrington, Garcia and Els stop coming to America.

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