Mickelson Calls US Market Stagnant, Mulls Euro Tour

This is news from yesterday, but didn't get to post it since I was busy throwing up after the Phillies won the World Series.  (I didn't watch the Obama infomercial.  I thought trying to curse Philadelphia in advance of the game resumption was more important.)

Phil Mickelson is rumored to be joining the European Tour under the condition that the Barclays Singapore Open be included as a co-sanctioned event on the schedule.  That would make getting to 12 Euro Tour events very easy for him because it wouldn't really require much or any change to his existing routine.  (And Barclays sponsors him.)

He was talking with the AFP in advance of him defending at the HSBC Champions event next week and said this of the US "market":

"Certainly, the dollar weakening over the past few years has made foreign currencies much stronger, which makes the purses much larger, so there's been a lot of international wealth being created," he said.

"The US golf industry has been stagnant for quite some time so all of our growth has been occurring on a global basis.

"As a professional golfer we have to adapt to that by playing more internationally because that is where the opportunities are and that's where they will continue to grow."

The funny thing is that Phil doesn't sound like a guy at Barclays.  As we first reported here, for each penny that the US dollar gains on the British Pound, the 10 million pound Race to Dubai/Dubai World Championship prize pool loses $200,000 in value.  The dollar is right around $1.60 - $0.10 less than just a few weeks ago.  Mickelson would be better served, in absolute terms, if the Euro and Pound were not plummeting.

And the reason that the US industry has been stagnant?  Long-term contracts.  They're the same stagnation that has prevented PGA Tour purses becoming a sinking ship.  It was a good shot at Tim Finchem, but not well thought out, in my opinion.

But, the bottom line for Phil potentially joining the Tour?  It's money.