Pres. Cup, Ryder Cup, Seve Trophy to count for Euro Tour

• By Rex Hoggard
• Oct 10, 2012 5:41 PM ET

European Tour players were informed via a memo on Tuesday that the circuit would begin counting starts at the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Seve Trophy among their 13-event minimum.

The move will help players who split time between the PGA Tour and European Tour, including Luke Donald who told the Associated Press recently the Ryder Cup is, “one of the busiest weeks we play all year, hence we’d like to get the European Tour to count it as a counting event. We actually do quite a lot of work that week.”

Donald, for example, has 10 European Tour starts this season not counting this month’s Ryder Cup and is now faced with a hectic schedule the rest of the year to meet his minimum

The PGA Tour has counted the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup toward players’ 15-event minimum for years despite the fact there is no prize money or World Golf Ranking points awarded.

The move could also prompt some top Americans to consider duel memberships. The four majors and four World Golf Championships count as official starts on both the European and PGA tours which, with the new team-event provision, would leave players needing just four additional starts, although according to European Tour regulations at least three of a player’s 13 starts must be at events played in Europe.

“I don't know what my numbers are as I know I played 19 in the (United) States this year and whether it crosses over or not but I will again look at (European Tour membership),” Tigers Woods told the Associated Press this week in Turkey.