ESPN Golf

The Race to Dubai, the new season-ending program on the 2009 European Tour schedule that will pay out even more money to the top pros, may tempt some of the best players on the PGA Tour to skip some U.S.-based events and spend a few extra weeks abroad.

But is having the game's most accomplished stars not playing on the PGA Tour a good thing for golf?

Our experts debate the merits of the new developments in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.

FACT OR FICTION? Having top players compete on both the PGA and European PGA tours is good for golf.

Much of this depends on your perspective. If you are in favor of seeing the game prosper around the world, this is a good idea. Players such as Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington have been doing it for years, splitting their time between the PGA Tour and Europe.

So while it is good for the game, it might not necessarily be good for the PGA Tour. Something has to give, and what will happen is those who endeavor to do this will simply skip tournaments, mainly rank-and-file PGA Tour events. From a purely selfish standpoint, especially if you are an American golf fan, that is not such a good thing.

Take Phil Mickelson for example. He has been mentioned as a someone who may take European Tour membership in 2009, and the idea is intriguing. Because the European Tour counts the four major championships and the three World Golf Championship events among its official tournaments, Mickelson could keep his PGA Tour membership and play the European Tour.

At present, he would need to add just five European events to his schedule to meet the newly mandated 12-tournament minimum. He traditionally plays the Scottish Open and will again play in China this fall (which counts on the 2009 schedule). Now he'd need only three tournaments to be eligible for the new Race to Dubai, which will conclude the 2009 season with a big-money event plus a bonus payout.

So will Mickelson add these tournaments to his schedule, or simply cut back on PGA Tour events? I think we know the answer. He played 21 events this year on the PGA Tour. You could easily see that number getting cut back to 16 or 17 because Mickelson and the top players already believe they are stretched too thin.

But he was unlikely to play after the Tour Championship anyway. If he adds a few events in Europe afterward, isn't that better for the game than for him to not play at all?

Environmentalists often urge us to "think globally, act locally." Sometimes the top professional golfers have to practice an alternative approach to their scheduling matters, taking things internationally in an effort to promote the game -- and themselves -- on foreign soil.

It has become vogue for fans of the PGA Tour to complain about upper-echelon stars not committing to more events on the calendar, but a day may be coming when we actually see less of these players on a week-to-week basis. Then again, if they're focusing on more appearances abroad, don't view this as a complete negative.

Golf is among the most global of games, with players currently ranked in the top 10 from Fiji, South Africa, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Colombia and the United States. An optimum way of continuing the growth to the game's next generation is to showcase these players around the world. Sure, it would be nice if Tiger Woods returned to Milwaukee one of these years, but his presence may have more of an impact in China. Likewise, Phil Mickelson may skip an event or two on the West Coast or Florida swings, but in the big picture a trip to Japan may make more of a difference.

Make no mistake: These players are going global for more reasons than just wanting to grow the game. The PGA Tour is the only major tour that doesn't allow appearance fees. Break it down to a monetary standpoint and it makes fiscal sense for a player to travel halfway around the world to receive the equivalent of second-place money for a PGA Tour event.

Private jets be damned, playing multiple tours isn't exactly easy on a golfer. Just ask Padraig Harrington or Paul Casey, both of whom has spoken about the rigors of such a schedule. And these guys can't be in two places at once, so opportunities need to be limited. Look at the big picture, though, and you'll understand why having top players compete more frequently on the European Tour may be considered a small negative for the PGA Tour, but should be thought of as a huge positive for the game itself.

Of course, the more tournaments the big names play together, the better off golf would be. The world's best golfers have been playing dual schedules for years now, and the advent of the European Tour's Race to Dubai and the season-ending championship in the United Arab Emirates won't change things.

While Tim Finchem and company would like all of those events to be a part of his tour, it shouldn't matter to the golf fan whether those tournaments are played in the United States or around the world. The European Tour recently raised the minimum number of events needed for tour membership from 11 to 12, and that number is not going to make a marked difference in the amount of times the big names play on the PGA Tour. Seven events are official on both tours so that means in order to secure membership in Europe a player must play five additional tournaments.

The top players already play that many international events and if Anthony Kim or Phil Mickelson need to play one additional event to qualify for Dubai, it is likely not going to come at the expense of the PGA Tour. Face it, Mickelson is done for the year on the PGA Tour anyway, but if you get a chance to see him play in China or Thailand or Australia, what's not to like about that?

It is silly to say professional golf is transitioning to a global game. It already is a global game. There is no reason the top players can't be members of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. In fact, that might even make it more likely that the best in the world will go up against each other with greater frequency.

By creating the FedEx Cup and moving the Tour Championship to September, the PGA Tour has created a Fall window in which its top members can compete in European Tour events. And let's remember most European Tour events are not played in Europe, with many in Asia and the Middle East. The new Race to Dubai culminating in the Dubai World Championship will lure top players, and we should embrace that development. It will bring more great players together more often.