ADU DHABI – “Shane Lowry” is the answer to the question many are asking at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week. There are currently 19 golfers in the world considered to be at least statistically better than the Irishman, but Lowry is the highest-ranked player this week, four places ahead of runner-up Tommy Fleetwood.
This strange fact begs another question: Why was the Rolex Series, one of the biggest events on the DP World Tour, with a $9 million purse, ignored by 19 of the top 20 players on the planet?
Given the DP World Circuit’s “strategic relationship” with the PGA Tour, why does the 17-man roster of “certain” events host only one outside the United States, the Open Championship?
Given all of the above, should the DP World Tour be concerned about the PGA Tour’s commitment to an alliance that exists only to combat the growth of the LIV Golf League?
These questions and answers are, of course, interrelated. But the end result is hardly positive for European golf. Join the Dubai Desert Classic next week in the absence of defending champion Victor Hovland.
“I know the guys in the US this week and next week want to get off to a good start there,” former European Ryder Cup player Nicolas Kolsaerts said. “It’s a shame. It would be nice to see a few Europeans come to play here, just because of how big these events are on our calendar. But it’s a question of how often guys have to play in the US. These events are victims of that. happened.
Of course, the defection of many of Europe’s long-standing players to the LIV Golf League contributed to this. “These are the two main reasons why we don’t see a better field at the Dubai Desert Classic next week,” Kolsaerts said. “I think the tour is going really well. Take a look at the standard of golf we saw at the Hero Cup last week. There are many more players we can be proud of in the future. We play for more money than ever before. So we need to take a step back and look at what it was like five or 10 years ago and compare it to what it is now. We are doing very well.”
2018 Open champion Francesco Molinari, riding a 10-over 67 after 36 holes at Yas Links, is looking positive, at least in the medium to long term.
“I think the European side of golf is in very good hands,” said the Italian. “There are a lot of young talents emerging. Yes, some weeks you’re going to get better pitches than others, but obviously it’s tough right now in all situations. Good to see Rory [McIlroy] will play in Dubai next week.
Molinari sees a current trend for DP World Tour players to split their time between their home circuit and the PGA Tour. “It’s certainly not that different from the last few years,” he said. “When you get to the top of the game, you play a little bit more in America. But we have young European talent emerging. I think we’ll be fine.”
However, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, a Ryder Cup player at Whistling Straits two years ago and now a member of LIV, offered a more even-handed view.
“About what happened last year [with the emergence of LIV] “And the way the prize pool is progressing, even though it’s a great event on our tour, it offers half of the purse at about 25 to 30 events around the world,” he said. “The players are making decisions. None of the top guys play more than 18-20 games and you have to pick and choose. Although the Rolex Series is really important to our membership and there are a lot of great players here, you would like to see a stronger field in terms of world rankings.”
Speaking of the list, Wiesberger did a good job of conveying the prevailing sentiment on an increasingly controversial topic during the DP World Tour. The vast majority of players clearly feel that the re-adjustment of points assigned to events around the world has not had a favorable effect on the Old World circuit.
“I’m playing here to collect world ranking points,” said Wiesberger, who is winless from his start at LIV Golf. “But I don’t think the Rolex Series should be giving away half the points it’s playing in the U.S. That’s a concern. I don’t think the guys here are in a good place. [in ranking terms]. They must have a great season to finish in the top 100 and be eligible to play in the PGA Championship. “Unfortunately, I don’t think the balance is right, and the value of the guys is greatly devalued.”
