Thanks for the feedback from last week on the difficult decisions top players have to make when compiling their upcoming playing schedules.
To perhaps underline this conundrum, Rory McIlroy recently announced that he was changing his schedule to allow him to be based in America.
The Northern Irishman said that his focus has always been on the biggest events in the world since he got into the top 50, but wants now to travel less whilst spending more time at home.
This is as much a quality of life choice as it is a career decision. McIlroy wants to win more, but he also wants to enjoy the life he's created for himself in South Florida.
Exactly what this all means for McIlroy's schedule remains unclear but not to play traditional stops on the European Tour, that include Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has been a big shock for the European Tour -- so much of a shock that CEO Keith Pelley flew to Belfast to try to talk to McIlroy, and according to various reports McIlroy will now be expected to make his minimum number of starts to maintain his membership requirements but not much more.
For McIlroy, this was a relatively easy decision. The purses are bigger in the US, the fields are deeper, and the world-ranking points are aplenty.
What made the European Tour 'wake up' was Rory's following comment: "I want to play against the best players in the world.
"I get a buzz from that. I'd much rather go down the stretch against Justin Thomas or Dustin Johnson. I'm not putting anyone down in Europe, but the depths of the field and everything is just that little bit better over here. It's what everyone is striving for. It's why Francesco Molinari is here in Hawaii this week. It's where it's heading."
McIlroy isn't the first player to give the European Tour a stiff arm. Before he regained his membership prior to last year's Ryder Cup, Paul Casey was perfectly at ease with his decision to focus entirely on the PGA Tour. And as the transatlantic juggling act has become more difficult, it's become common for top players to prioritise performance and preference over patriotism.
Out of Bounds: So now you can take drop from "knee height". Although that sounds relatively simple, a recent poll of players at this week's tour stop in Hawaii think that more education still needs to be done. Charles Howell said that he's not sure exactly what that means, asking: "Can you drop while kneeling?"
