NEW YORK (PA) -- Two-time major winner Tony Jacklin knows why European golfers continue to struggle in the biggest events and what they can do about it
"Ultimately, it comes down to self-belief, inner confidence, and feeling like you belong. The more often that you play (in America, where three of the four majors are played), the more you gain on that score," said Jacklin, whose victories in the 1969 British Open and 1970 U.S. Open energized a new generation of British golfers.
"It is very difficult to come here and do it with a hit-and-run," added Jacklin, who himself is based in America these days. "One of the keys to my success was that I made this (America) my main tour. The guys who live here are comfortable with the way of life. They don't have to adjust.
"The American tour is more uniform in the conditions that it provides on a weekly basis," he explained. "Europe is far more interesting because you play a bigger variety of courses, but I'm not sure that a bigger variety of courses and weather conditions is the best way to prepare for majors in America."
With the golfing globe becoming increasingly smaller and the competition between both main tours growing, European chiefs will hope Jacklin's advice is taken with a pinch of salt.
Many top players already divide their time between Europe and America, but they are under pressure to commit to one or the other -- with Ernie Els' high-profile dispute a couple of years ago with the PGA TOUR about how many events he should play in the USA a case in point.
The attraction of the European Tour is the variety it offers -- in an average season, it visits Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Middle East, the Far East and even mainland Europe. The European Tour has so much ground in order to be able to compete with the PGA TOUR, and it can involve a huge amount of traveling across several time zones -- which is not always helpful to players' preparations.
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