DAVID MOIR
Lee Westwood will split his time between the European and PGA Tours in 2012 after deciding to take up his PGA Tour card for the coming year.
The world number three will make his PGA Tour debut at the Accenture Match Play event in Arizona in February. The Englishman is now obligated to play in a minimum of 15 events on the United States-based Tour.
"It just felt right in Ryder Cup year to commit to a full programme in the United States," said Westwood in a statement released by his management team, International Sports Management. "The FedEx Cup looked pretty good on TV this year. I thought it would be great to give it a go, having never taken part."
The move will also mean Westwood will take part in The Players Championship, a tournament he missed last year over what he claimed was a scheduling conflict.
"It was always a scheduling issue for me," he said. "Though the rules changed making it exempt from PGA Tour restrictions, I had already set my schedule for later in the year in Asia. I didn't want to break any of those commitments."
Last January, Westwood indicated that the restrictions placed on non-members of the PGA made it difficult for him to commit to the PGA event.
"I'd go over for The Players if I could play in the tournament the week before, but I don't want to pitch up at The Players cold, having not played for four weeks since Augusta," Westwood was quoted as saying at the European Tour opener at Abu Dhabi. "So I'll play a couple of tournaments on the European Tour instead."
When questioned about his percieved snub of golf's so-called 'fifth major', Westwood asked why some of the PGA's top players did not come out to play in the European PGA Championship.
"I would bracket our (European Tour) PGA Championship in May as just as important as it offers exemption for anybody in the world's top 50 to play," he said at the time. "I don't see many of them (Americans) wanting to take up that offer. So you can't really please everyone, can you?"
Last June, as he was poised to replace Tiger Woods as the number one ranked player in the world, Westwood indicated that family was more important than meeting the membership requirement on the PGA Tour.
"I don't want to get into a situation where I have to play events in America just to make up 15 needed for tour membership," he said. "The FedEx Cup sits right in the middle of the kids' summer holidays and I like going on holiday with them for a couple of weeks. I don't want to be dictated to by having to play, having to go to America to play FedEx Cup when it doesn't really mean that much to me."
PGA Tour executive vice president Andy Pazder said they were "delighted" with Westwood's decision.
"He's obviously proven himself to be one of the very best and most consistent players in the world, and the fans of the PGA Tour will enjoy having more opportunities to watch him compete."
Westwood's decision also comes on the heels of fellow Ryder Cup player Rory McIlroy deciding to return to the PGA Tour next year. McIlroy, who had earlier publicly stated his preference to concentrate solely on the European Tour, made the announcement shortly before severing ties with ISM.