Tiger Woods’ European Tour tease simply makes sense

Joint-membership on the PGA and European Tour could quite possibly be the smartest move Tiger Woods will make in his career.

As was reported earlier in the week, Woods is considering membership on the European Tour thanks to recent rule changes that will make him eligible beginning in 2013. The European Tour is expected to announce soon that participation in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Seve Trophy will count towards the 13 events needed for membership, many of which Tiger already plays regularly. Woods had previously considered dual membership back in 2000 when the rules called for 11 events but decided against making the move. Only the major championships were included in both the PGA and Euro tour eligibility.

Despite the present requirement of two additional events, Woods is now faced with a perfect opportunity thanks to the eligibility changes. Sure, he’s already a powerful presence on a global scale, but dual membership provides Woods the same opportunity that Luke Donald achieved in 2011.

Winning both the PGA and European Tour money list titles.

Look, it isn’t too much of a stretch to question whether Woods will achieve his long-time goal of beating Jack Nicklaus’ major record, especially considering his recent career trend. So if you’re Tiger, why not attempt to pad your resume with the rare achievement of dual-money list titles in the meantime?

But Tiger’s not the only American thinking of pulling double duty in 2013. Reports are now surfacing that both Webb Simpson and Rickie Fowler are also considering the move, which may be the sign of a growing trend among American players. Should more PGA Tour players alter their schedule to include additional events overseas, the idea of a “global tour” becomes a little bit closer to fruition.

This is old news for many European players, of course. Donald, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy have “double-dipped” throughout most of their careers. Numerous other pros have attempted the same, realizing that winner’s purses in America are worth the effort.

Nevertheless, current events prove that Europe holds the lion’s share of golf talent and performance over the past few years. Glancing at the Official World Golf Rankings will prove that. What better way for America’ top players to even the playing field than to open their minds - and playing schedules - to include Euro Tour events?

The only way for America’s top players to prove their worth on a global scale is to compete against global players on their home turf. Thanks to the new eligibility on the European Tour, the opportunity to make an impact has never been so attainable.