I cannot tell you, one way or the other, who will be the "successor" to Tiger Woods.  It could be any of the young kids like Ryo Ishikawa, Danny Lee, or Rory McIlroy.  It could be Sergio Garcia, though he is yet to prove himself as such.  Could be Anthony Kim or Camilo Villegas.  It very well will be someone that we don't even know yet.

But, the developments of the past few months have inspired a continental boasting from European golf fans and journalists.  It comes across as very anti-American, anti-PGA Tour. 

Perhaps it stems from the fact that European Tour stars really do not seem to get much recognition or play here in the States for their achievements around the world.  Paul Casey has about ten wins around the world, but is basically considered an unknown here in the States except for his snarky comments about Americans at a Ryder Cup.  Ross Fisher and Oliver Wilson are fantastic young players that, by all indications, will have solid careers.

Maybe it stems from the talent drain that plagued the European Tour for so long.  Many top flight European players came to the PGA Tour because of the higher purses and higher quality tournaments.  In the last five years - really the last two - the European Tour has committed itself both growing its schedule and its purses.  It has done so with critical partnerships with other tours, some better sponsors, and Leisurecorp.  Though Europe is not immune from the global economic strife, so far, the European Tour has come out looking better than the PGA Tour.

Europe deserves credit that they are not getting from many Americans for having some solid, up and coming young players.  Of the top 25 ranked players in the world, Anthony Kim is the lone American on the list that is under the age of 30.  By my count, Europe has five.

Still, the over exaggeration that three players under 20 - two of which are not European - are the future of golf is a bit much at this stage.  To say that the PGA Tour is dying is not yet substantiated, though if you look at how the Tour is doing with its sponsors there may be some merit to those claims.

We will have to see how this all plays out over time.  I, too, am excited to see these very young players making a big splash around the world.  Hopefully their energy and success will fuel global popularity of the sport.  Still, American golf and its Tour are not dead. 

My feeling, though, has been that the PGA Tour is on the verge of facing a much greater challenge than it has in the past.  Yes, the Race to Dubai is a motivator, but the more relaxed tournament minimums and attitude toward appearance fees has made the European Tour a much stronger competitor with the PGA Tour.  Continental European events still do not have many Americans in their fields because many have stronger attitudes toward appearance fees.

The real intrigue in all of this discussion is that the concept of the professional tour may well eventually be rendered moot because of the evolution of the European and Asian Tours as more viable competitors with the PGA Tour. 

The growth of the professional tour around the world has worked to the advantage of players.  By and large, they have more freedom than ever to pick and choose their schedules.  The players will not dictate which tours survive.  They will determine which tournaments survive, regardless of the Tour. 

There is some serious danger in this for global golf fans.  Forget that many lesser American tour stops could fade away for a moment.  Consider that the same could happen on a much grander, global scale.  In effect, a new hierarchy will be created in professional golf.  Players that subscribe to any one particular Tour will be on the same plane as players that are on the Nationwide and Challenge Tours today.  The best players will be able to operate on a schedule that is more reminiscent of the "Tiger Tour" that exists today.

That is good for the sport in a globalization sense.  Sponsors - those that are left after the world recovers - will be able to spread their message with fewer players over broader spaces.  I'm not sure how that will play out for fans, though.  In the end, everyone may lose something.  Fans may also gain better fields on a more frequent basis.  In that regard, everyone can gain.