Golf: Foreigners take up the PGA Tour challenge

HONOLULU - Foreign golfers are crowding into the United States PGA Tour in record numbers for a chance to take on Tiger Woods and claim a share of the big money on offer in the 2001 season, which begins in earnest tomorrow.

Forty-six non-Americans, 10 more than last year, have full exemptions this season, ranging from major championship winners such as South African Ernie Els and Fijian Vijay Singh to little-known newcomers, including Emanuele Canonica (Italy) and Ben Ferguson (Australia).

New Zealand will have Frank Nobilo, Craig Perks and Grant Waite on the Tour.

Seventeen foreign nations will be represented. Australia supplies the largest contingent, 13 players, followed by South Africa with six, while golfing minnows such as Mexico and Trinidad supply one each.

After the World Matchplay Championship in Melbourne, won on Sunday by American Steve Stricker over Swede Pierre Fulke, the US season kicks into high gear tomorrow with the select field of the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii and the regular stop in Tucson, Arizona.

The spiralling prizemoney on offer is just one attraction of the US Tour. Foreigners are also lured by the relative ease of travel and consistent quality of the courses.

There is also the greater opportunity to test their games at the highest level and pick up world ranking points for good performances.

The higher a player's ranking, the more likely he is to get into the major championships.

All this feeds on itself. The more world-class players on the tour, the more ambitious foreigners feel they cannot afford to miss the party if they want to reach the highest level.

This is one reason that Spaniards Miguel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal have joined the Tour this year. Indeed, Britons Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke are among the few world-class players who have not yet succumbed to the lure of PGA Tour membership.

They prefer to be big fish in a smaller pond, but some believe their decision to remain loyal to the European Tour has hindered their chances of winning a major.

This raises another reason that the PGA Tour is so popular with the players.

Since three of the four majors are held in the United States, it makes sense for those who aspire to win a major to become as familiar as possible with US conditions.

Non-Americans from seven countries captured 10 PGA Tour events last year. Swede Jesper Parnevik and Australian Robert Allenby won twice each, with Els, Singh, Northern Ireland's Clarke, Paraguay's Carlos Franco, South African Rory Sabbatini and Canadian Mike Weir winning once.

Among the new foreign faces to keep an eye on this year are a couple of qualifying tournament graduates, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) and Kaname Yokoo (Japan).

Ogilvy, a prodigiously long hitter, cut his teeth on the European Tour, where he finished a respectable 48th on last year's money list.

Yokoo, meanwhile, finished 10th on last year's money list on the Japanese Tour, where he won the PGA Matchplay Championship.

Not all the foreigners, of course, will be successful on the Tour, but the international flavour is only likely to increase in coming years as the game's growth produces an increasing pool of talent from every corner of the globe.

- REUTERS

The PGA Tour's fully exempt non-American players this year are:

Australia: Stephen Allan, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Greg Chalmers, Steve Elkington, Ben Ferguson, Mathew Goggin, Paul Gow, Mark Hensby, Brad Hughes, Greg Norman, Geoff Ogilvy, Craig Parry.

South Africa: Fulton Allem, Tim Clark, Ernie Els, David Frost, Andrew McLardy, Rory Sabbatini.

Canada: Glen Hnatiuk, Ian Leggatt, David Morland, Mike Weir.

Japan: Shigeki Maruyama, Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki, Kaname Yokoo.

New Zealand: Frank Nobilo, Craig Perks, Grant Waite.

Spain: Sergio Garcia, Miguel Jimenez, Jose Maria Olazabal.

Sweden: Gabriel Hjertstedt, Per-Ulrik Johansson, Jesper Parnevik.

Britain: Nick Faldo, Ed Fryatt.

Fiji: Vijay Singh.

France: Jean Van de Velde.

Ireland: Richard Coughlan.

Italy: Emanuele Canonica.

Mexico: Esteban Toledo.

Paraguay: Carlos Franco.

South Korea: K. J. Choi.

Trinidad: Stephen Ames.

Zimbabwe: Nick Price.