The object in the mirror is closer than it appears

For a golf geek such as myself there is nothing better than waking up early Saturday and Sunday morning to live coverage of the European PGA Tour on The Golf Channel.

Renton Laidlaw's familiar voice and hilarious quips are a major part of that experience and he will be sadly missed when he steps aside someday.

Granted, it's not the PGA Tour (American) but it's pro golf at its finest, nonetheless.

Sergio Garcia recently inferred that the European Tour is "catching up" with its American counterpart, but it's my contention that it already has.

Just examine the list of winners of golf's four major tournaments for the past 5 or 6 years.

For what do we owe this phenomenon?

PGA tour players are not as hungry. They're actually a little spoiled.

PGA tour players are waited on hand and foot.

They always play in perfect or near perfect weather on immaculately groomed courses.

Tiger's presence has vaulted purses into the stratosphere such that PGA Tour players who don't even finish high enough on the money list to keep their playing privileges still earn over a million dollars per season in prize money.

PGA Tour players don't need passports, VISA's or immunizations for Yellow Fever and Hepatitis.

PGA Tour players have foul weather gear in their bags at all times but their's collects dust.

Most PGA Tour players leave the country only during the off-season when they are on vacation.

European PGA Tour players, however, are more like us.

They carry their own bags and rent their own cars for the week.

They play on greens that are akin to those at that one muni in your town that actually has a competent greenskeeper with an appropriate budget and not the fabled East Lake Golf Club.

Their purses are not half as big as those stateside.

And to see a European tour player playing in foul weather gear is more the rule than the exception.

I know that hindsight is 20/20 but PGA Tour players not named Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson have NO shot when seasoned, battle-tested, champion European Tour pros suddenly appear in their rear-view mirrors.