Golf-European Tour shelves membership points idea for 2010

By Norman Dabell

DUBAI, Nov 18 (Reuters) - European Tour membership for 2010 will remain the same after it was decided to shelve a points system for next year aimed at six key events, the European Tour's director of operations said on Wednesday.

"We've spoken to our sponsors to say we felt it was the wrong time to introduce something like this. You could say it has been shelved for the moment," David Garland told reporters at the Dubai World Championship.

Qualification therefore remains a mandatory 12 events, two of which have to be played in Europe.

A new system, devised last month but not ratified, entailed a points table for each European event played.

To encourage participation in top events, players would have got extra points at the Irish Open, Europe's PGA Championship, French Open, Scottish Open, Dunhill Links Championship and Portugal Masters to make membership qualification easier.

The move was designed to halt the exodus of players to America and appease European sponsors dismayed at a shortage of top class fields in their events.

But the tour, which had promised a decision on any new system before the start of the 2010 season next month, has decided now is not the time for change.

Although the decision has been accepted by the tournament committee, its chairman Thomas Bjorn, who will resign formally in 2010, will discuss it further with tour officials.