Golf-European Tour shelves membership points idea for 2010 (Reuters)
November 18, 2009
By Norman Dabell
DUBAI, Nov 18 (Reuters) – European Tour membership for 2010will remain the same after it was decided to shelve a pointssystem for next year aimed at six key events, the EuropeanTour’s director of operations said on Wednesday.
“We’ve spoken to our sponsors to say we felt it was thewrong time to introduce something like this. You could say ithas been shelved for the moment,” David Garland told reportersat the Dubai World Championship.
Qualification therefore remains a mandatory 12 events, twoof which have to be played in Europe.
A new system, devised last month but not ratified, entaileda points table for each European event played.
To encourage participation in top events, players would havegot extra points at the Irish Open, Europe’s PGA Championship,French Open, Scottish Open, Dunhill Links Championship andPortugal Masters to make membership qualification easier.
The move was designed to halt the exodus of players toAmerica and appease European sponsors dismayed at a shortage oftop class fields in their events.
But the tour, which had promised a decision on any newsystem before the start of the 2010 season next month, hasdecided now is not the time for change.
Although the decision has been accepted by the tournamentcommittee, its chairman Thomas Bjorn, who will resign formallyin 2010, will discuss it further with tour officials.
The 38-year-old Dane had said he would not even serve on thecommittee if the radical membership plans he had guided did nottake place and may stick to his word.
“Thomas says he will accept and abide by any decision madeby the tour,” Bjorn’s manager Guy Kinnings told Reuters. “Overhis place on the committee, he will talk further about that tothe tour.”
(Editing by Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this storyemail sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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