More heroes are needed to safeguard Tour’s future

THE cash rich climax to the European Tour will fast become the silly season if our high rollers keep going AWOL when the chips are down.

Despite the top dollar on offer at the final three events of the Rolex Series, you’ll be hard pressed to find too many star names teeing it up.

Purses of $7m are on the table at this week’s Turkish Airlines Open and the forthcoming Nedbank Challenge and DP World Tour.

But it seems almost impossible for European Tour chiefs to get our marquee names to invest fully in the final straight.

It is as depressing as it is disappointing.

The Rolex Series was designed to get the top talent back playing on Tour again and boost revenue streams for the rank-and-file.

But while they are all superb tournaments, we still can’t get our big hitters to commit fully to the end-ofseason bonanza.

Not one of them will play in all three of the final Rolex Series events.

Maybe it’s a stark reminder of how rich these guys are – or how short sighted they can be.

They all started out on the European Tour – or Challenge Tour – but when it comes to planning and prioritising their schedule, loyalty is in short supply.

There’s no denying the lustre and lure of the PGA Tour – where winners regularly pocket $1m – but I firmly believe we could still compete if we had the full support of our top names.

Look how good the recent British Masters was – and that was when only four of our Ryder Cup stars teed it up.

Imagine if nine, 10 or 11 had been in attendance.

Our top players should be encouraged to take a greater sense of ownership when it comes to the European Tour.

Tommy Fleetwood is the latest player after Justin Rose to put his name to the British Masters, but while that is a welcome development, there is no title sponsorship after the end of a four-year deal with Sky Sports. What will the purse be next year?

That remains to be seen but it will do well to match the previous few editions of a hallowed tournament.

Joined up thinking is required for the next five years because with another financial storm predicted, planning needs to be in place to mitigate potential losses.

Money oils the system, but the Tour’s biggest asset is its players.

They have a crucial role to play when it comes to the well-being of European golf.

Fleetwood’s decision to take on the British Masters a week before a major is an example of giving back – and hopefully more follow suit.

After capturing the imagination in Paris, the onus is on Europe’s top stars to safeguard the future of the game here.

Money oils the system but the Tour’s biggest asset is players