Even after being exempt on the PGA Tour through the end of the 2012 season, Rory Mcllroy decided not to play on the PGA Tour next season. He made the decision public after speaking to new world No. 1 Lee Westwood.
"I switched on the Golf Channel one morning when I was in the States and began watching the Omega European Masters in Switzerland and thinking to myself 'I would rather be there instead,'” he told several British newspapers on Monday. "If you're not playing well in the States, it can be a lonely place. But if you're not playing well on the European Tour, you still have plenty of mates to hang out with.
"The FedExCup is only about money and you shouldn't just be going over to play thinking about how much you can make," said McIlroy.
"I needed a break after the PGA [in August], but had only one week. There is no flexibility in your schedule as the FedEx forces you to appear at those events. I didn't like that."
We do hope that players do take it from players like Rory that this sport should keep its integrity, and players do play to win the tournaments, with true love to the game.
England’s Lee Westwood, the new world No. 1, has not been a PGA Tour member for several years. PGA Champion Martin Kaymer of Germany, who is No. 3 in the world, has indicated he will not join the U.S. circuit next year.
With that 3 of the top 10 in the world rankings are not on the PGA next season. And the recent European success mixes up the world rankings, making things a lot more interesting.
With what is going on now on the golf world, players that maybe did not believe that they could achieve their goals, now start to believe again. Those circumstances promise a very interesting for the future golf seasons around the world.
