Westwood out of Players Championship...........

[MSDOGS1976]

Roy Mcilroy probably out too. Looks like the Players is sliding down the scale of importance, at least to the Europeans.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/9367827.stm

[Boyder]

Caught this story on The Morning Drive, and as was brought out there, chances are concessions will be made to get LW into the Players by the time it comes around ...

[shades9323]

yawn....does anybody really care that he isn't playing?

[MSDOGS1976]

Originally Posted by shades9323

yawn....does anybody really care that he isn't playing?

Not really. But the Players advertises their tournament as the strongest field in the world. That won't be the case if Lee and Roy skip it. But, sounds like this is a political statement of some kind by these two.

[iacas]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/9367827.stm

Good, I say. The Players is as over-rated as they come and perhaps this will help it to settle back down into a position it deserves - high, but not as high as it is.

[Chilli Dipper]

A lot of the top Europeans are probably saying good riddance; it means they don't they no longer have to fly to America and back right before their tour's biggest event of the year at Wentworth.

[Deryck Griffith]

Just because Lee Westwood isn't coming doesn't mean that it won't be a good tournament?  There are a lot of exciting players who will be attending the players championship so whatever.

If Lee wants to keep to his promise to the European Tour, then kudos to him.  The Euro Tour IMO is attractive (interesting countires, nice courses) and I personally don't blame him.

[Stretch]

I like that Lee gets the dig in about how US players aren't exactly lining up to tee off at the Euro PGA despite the world top 50 being exempt.

Remember, he can only play three regular tour events in America. It's hard to criticize him for picking two warm-up weeks before the Masters and US Open, right? So it really just comes down to whether he plays The Honda in preparation for the WGC, or does the dash for cash at The Players.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by shades9323

yawn....does anybody really care that he isn't playing?

Yep.  This is the (PGA Tour Tournament) Players Championship.  That was it's name before it was shortened.  That is still what it is.  Not the European Tour or Asian Tour, or Nationwide Tour.  A nonmember of the PGA Tour has a few options available.  He makes his choices and lives with them.  If he want special treatment then he can play on the tour as a card carrying member.  The fact that some rating formula lists him at #1 is irrelevant.  The PGA might be more inclined to bend if he was actually a drawing card in the US, but that just isn't the case.  After all, money talks, and he isn't going to enlarge the gallery or the US TV audience, and that is more important to the PGA and their advertising sponsors.

Westwood has sort of become the new Monty... speaking out in a way that seems calculated to ruffle American feathers.  That isn't going to help his cause.

[Zeph]

Though I enjoy watching the best players, The Players is overrated. It's better than the average tournament, but not in the league of majors or playoffs.

[Space Cowboy]

But if Westwood isn't there who's going to shoot even par on the back nine to finish T-2? A situation that I hope one day becomes known as "pulling a Westwood" LOL

[Quinn07]

I personally couldn't care less that Westwood isn't going to be there. I like watching the players, however I don't hold in such high regards as other golfers.  Is the tournament going to drop drastically because the current #1 and 12 players aren't going to be there?! Nah...

[Harmonious]

At the Players, the course is the real star.  The three finishing holes, especially #17, are great TV.  You could see eagles or double bogeys by the leaders, on each of those three holes.  As far as Westwood, maybe if he actually won an important tournament sometime it would be newsworthy that he won't be there.  But otherwise, no great loss.

[mcfc_nick]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

At the Players, the course is the real star.  The three finishing holes, especially #17, are great TV.  You could see eagles or double bogeys by the leaders, on each of those three holes.  As far as Westwood, maybe if he actually won an important tournament sometime it would be newsworthy that he won't be there.  But otherwise, no great loss.

yeah, he's only statistically the best player in the world right now

[jamo]

I don't really care. If he's trying to make some anti-US point, well, fine. And if he's not, whatever, it doesn't really matter to me. I like the Players because of the course.

[Radford Wooly]

Not a Westwood fan anyway!! I don't care, but he has the right to pick and choose.

[PaddyHarrington]

An awful lot of bitterness towards Westwood on here I see....Americans must not like it when one of their own is no longer No.1 Golfer in the World...

[RichF]

Quote:

An awful lot of bitterness towards Westwood on here I see....Americans must not like it when one of their own is no longer No.1 Golfer in the World...

And even moreso when he is no longer No. 2 Golfer in the World...

(like tomorrow afternoon)