There is an identity crisis at the heart of the current woes for golf on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean because what the European Tour once was, the DP World Tour cannot be. That status quo no longer exists, and no one quite knows how to deal with it.
The European Tour and European golf were synonymous in the 1980s, when the sport enjoyed a continental revival fuelled not only by the on-course brilliance of world-class golfers, but also their outrage at being snubbed by the big-time Charlies on the PGA Tour. The opportunities available to those golfers were so limited as to be farcical. Ian Woosnam, for example, didn’t play a U.S. Open until 1989, by which time he had played three Ryder Cups – two of them on winning teams – claimed 11 European Tour victories, and finished third and eighth in the Open Championship.
Ironically, of course, it was the success of the 1980s and ’90s that helped manufacture the situation today. The reality faced by Woosnam and his peers was clearly absurd, and it was eventually recognised as such by all the majors.
Pathways were generated to allow Europe’s finest golfers to perform in the States, whereupon the law of unintended consequences kicked in. Fields on the European Tour, known today by its commercial name of DP World Tour, had been withering in quality for decades even before the recent triple offensive of an unhelpful recalibration of the Official World Golf Ranking, the emergence of LIV Golf, and the formation of a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour to counter it.
In short, the stars rarely play in Europe and, as a consequence of those other factors, the majority of members are seeing their world rankings shrivel (while paradoxically playing for more money than ever).
The net result is that the DP World Tour and European golf are no longer synonymous. The young Swedish superstar Ludvig Åberg has used his “home” circuit to further his career, but he did so by choice rather than necessity, as have Spain’s Jon Rahm and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
If the PGA Tour is a six-star resort and LIV Golf a seven-star one, my DP World Tour would be a small boutique hotel which provides character and intimacy rather than gold taps and a pillow expert.
How, then, can the DP World Tour forge a promising future? Initially it would be wise to acknowledge that, while the feistiness of the past was justified and righteous, there is a risk the present chippiness comes across as a bit whiny and entitled, so it is essential to find a positive profile rather than the prevailing negative one.
A pie-in-the-sky notion might be that the DP World Tour faces a quandary somewhat reminiscent of that which confronted organisers of the London 2012 Olympics after they had watched the Beijing 2008 Games present opening and closing ceremonies of such lavish brilliance that no one could imagine anything that might be compared favourably.
It is rather pompous to concede this, but I recall thinking, when listening to these sombre thoughts, that the London team should reconcile themselves to the impossibility of outspending Beijing and instead make a point of reducing the scale.
As it happens, that is exactly what occurred. Danny Boyle, the Academy Award-winning film director and producer from England, created an epic triumph focusing on storytelling instead of expensive razzmatazz.
My castle in the air would produce a DP World Tour which recognises that most of golf’s best stories are not about the stars and which relishes visiting the golf courses and destinations that pull on the emotions of lovers of the game.
Alas, although I can boast that I called the 2012 dilemma right, I am sceptical my DP World Tour daydream would work. Golf is a sport in thrall to business and commerce, not the arts and crafts. It throws money, rather than cosy fairytales, at problems.
So, back in the real world, it is essential that the DP World Tour accepts the new reality that it is not, and will not ever be, a contender.
The brutal truth has been laid bare by two of the Japanese winners this year – Hero Indian Open’s Keita Nakajima and ISPS Handa’s Yuto Katsuragawa – who both said in their victory speeches that they had their sights set on the 10 PGA Tour cards available at season’s end.
Rather than writhe in anguish about this feeder-tour situation, it’s time to get over it. Stop wasting energy on being tormented and demand that significant DP World Tour events remain exactly that (and possibly rise to the status of being co-sanctioned while securing opportunities for European-based performers).
Meanwhile, ensure that progression through the ranks remains attainable. The European Ryder Cup team is not only reliant on the stars but also the likes of Sweden’s Peter Hanson, whose solid golf in Europe got him major starts. As the world rankings of his modern-day equivalents degrade, one wonders how much major golf a Peter Hanson of 2030 would play.
The worst-case scenario would be a return to the early 1980s, the prospect of which is a cock-eyed glimpse into a future that no one should want. Back then, the European Tour was the absolute opposite of a feeder tour. Now, we’re torturing ourselves that it’s all the DP World Tour is. Be careful what you wish for.
E-MAIL MATT
TOP PHOTO: STUART FRANKLIN, GETTY IMAGES