The European Tour will enact further regulations from the start of next year’s season so that more of its PGA Tour-based players compete on the Race to Dubai Tour.
Thomas Bjorn, as Chairman of the Tounament Players Committee confirmed all European Tour members will be obliged to play more at ‘home’ and also in at least two events in countries where there nation hosts three or more Tour events.
There will be efforts made also to speak to all European-born players competing in the States to ‘encourage’ them to play in their home events.
The move comes after the controversy at last week’s Seve Trophy in France when nine of Europe’s top players, including eight members of last year’s victorious Ryder Cup team, declined to compete at St. Nom-la-Breteche.
“The Committee understands it is so difficult for our leading players competing in the States to play in events like the Seve Trophy when they’re coming off a massive run of tournaments,” said Bjorn.
“But there will be new regulations where you have to play more in your own country and if there’s also more than three events in one country than they will have to play at least two of the three.
“It does not affect that many players because if you look at the schedule in general we don’t have big issues and it’s really only in Sweden where there’s been concern from promoters and sponsors.
“But then you are always going to get players like Rory (McIlroy) and the Irish coming back for the Irish Open, the English hardly miss Wentworth, Martin (Kaymer) always plays in Germany, the French guys play the French Open and Sergio (Garcia) contests the Spanish Open.
“So we just have to speak to those players and just see how we can get the Seve Tropåhy working better to accommodate our top players better in our yearly schedule.”
It was some years back when the Committee increased the number of events to 13 that players have to play at a minimum to retain European Tour members.
As well, the committee that met in Portugal this week made a ruling to take effect also from next year, that Affiliate Members will not count among the top-110 oån the money list for those retaining full Tour membership for the following season.
With just one regular Tour event remaining, and that’s next week’s Perth International in Australia, there is three players in the Swedish pair of Johan Blixt and Carl Pettersson plus South African Tim Clark who took out ‘Affiliate’ membership at the start of the year but will not play the mandatory 13 events to retain 2014 Tour Membership.
Blixt and Pettersson joined with the Ryder Cup in mind but have played four and eight European Tour events this year respectively.
Clark has contested just seven and with the exception of the Nelson Mandella Championship in January the other six events have been a combination of Majors and WGCs.
It means the likes of Ireland’s Peter Lawrie and Scotland’s Chris Doak, lying a respective 111th and 112th on the money list, will need to travel to Perth, Australia next week seeking to get themselves back inside the top-110 to retain automatic 2014 membership.
“We got that aspect wrong this year so for the future there will be an additional list of players coming in after the top-110 and they will be the Affiliates,” said Bjorn.
Bjorn was commenting after posting a second round eight under par 63, and two shots off the Oceanico Victoria course record, to move to five under par on day two of the Portugal Masters.
