Money List Fix ?

Money is the root of all golf tours and money lists, the ultimate measure of a player's season, other points calculations notwithstanding. Here's an interesting idea from a Golf World reader on a revision of the present money list calculation.

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Dear Editor,

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It's too bad the PGA Tour doesn't combine the final money totals for players on multiple tours. For example: If you add the money Tom Watson won on the PGA and Champions tours in 2009 his grand total of $1,531,275 would have placed him in 54th place on the PGA Tour and in 6th place (in final money) on the Champions Tour! I am sure you could also make a case for justifying (the final money) for pros like Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Angel Cabrera, Ian Poulter, Camillo Villegas, Anthony Kim, Robert Allenby (and others) playing on both the PGA and European Tours as well!

Dan Lynch

Centerville, OH

Dear Dan,

I'm not sure you'll ever convince the tours, no matter how global their thinking, that it's in their interest to count other-tour earnings (even if the player in question first fulfills the requirement of its tour for active status). That said, the list you're talking about would be an interesting one and one a magazine might create. Total competitive earnings. The problem is, such a list has no impact on a player's eligibility for events around the world. Those are determined by the individual tour lists. Ron Sirak does an earnings list for Golf Digest that includes all tour earnings, but it also includes endorsements. I like your idea. As the men's and women's tours go more global the list will become more relevant. Let us think about this....

--Bob Carney