2015 British Masters: Luke Donald admits the European Tour is in danger of losing its stars

The PGA Tour's prize money and ranking points are tempting Europe's top golfers

Donald has sympathy for those who struggle with the European Tour's schedule (Getty Images)

Luke Donald is a European Tour member for now, and would only reluctantly surrender that privilege, but he may have no choice if his world ranking does not recover.

The PGA Tour in America is where the money and the ranking points are. Unless the European Tour accept that its A-listers are always going to follow the cash, and amend membership criteria accordingly, they risk losing the very players they are so keen to keep.

The return of the British Masters to Woburn this week after a seven-year absence is a positive development for the European Tour and sees a heady number of Europe’s headliners in the field, including Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and WGC-Bridgestone winner Shane Lowry, as well as Donald.

“To get up and go and travel across the world, it’s certainly not easy.

&#13; <p>Luke Donald</p>&#13;

The carrot of the Ryder Cup, which demands membership of the European Tour in order to be eligible, keeps the majority keen, but increasingly Europe risks losing its American-based players, who find the 13-events criteria too much.

Paul Casey is one example, a player in the world’s top 30 with a young family who feels he cannot take up European Tour membership on the present terms and therefore will not be available to Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke next year.

Donald, a former world no.1 who has slipped outside the magic circle that is the top-50 to 66th, is sympathetic. “I think I would always enjoy coming here and supporting the European Tour. The Ryder Cup is obviously a big carrot that the tour swings in front of us. I’ve enjoyed coming here, but it gets harder and harder where I am in my schedule and where I am in my life with three young kids.

“To get up and go and travel across the world, it’s certainly not easy. I’ve had some conversations with Keith Pelley [European Tour chief executive] about all kinds of things related to that,” Donald added. “Certainly as long as my golf continues to be in the top 50, I would love to maintain my membership.

“I’m a little different. I’m not sure that I feel that the Tour made me. I went to the US, got my card over there straight away and was fortunate to do that. If I hadn’t, I might be playing the European Tour all my life. I started on the US Tour and when I became good enough to become a member of both Tours, I decided to do that. That was just me wanting to support this Tour, as well as someone who grew up here.

“It’s a fine line. We talk through different scenarios of swapping the numbers to encourage guys like Paul Casey to continue his membership, but also US guys to take up membership. I think there needs to be some give and take.

“The situation in the US is you need three releases; add that to the eight World Golf Championships and the majors only makes 11. Maybe the US can come up with more releases or the European Tour can bridge that gap and maybe lower their numbers, too.”

The event’s nominal host, Ian Poulter, has an added incentive to do well this week in the shape of a sick mother who could do with the kind of pick-me-up only a son can provide. She had been struck down by an aneurysm, but is now recovering, and to see her boy burn up the back nine on Sunday would be welcome medicine.

“My mum comes out of hospital today, so things have got a lot better today,” said Poulter. “That’s one big spark for me so I’ll be very happy, and I can go out there and concentrate and do my job on the course.”