Each week, our panel of writers will be asked a question about the game of golf.  Topics will range from their predictions for the Tour season to what they would order from the concession stand at Augusta National Golf Club.  No subject is off limits for this esteemed group.  As always, reader suggestions are welcome.  Leave a comment or reach out to us on Instagram or Twitter to have your question answered.

This week’s question:  Do you wish there were more TOUR events outside of the US?

Yes

Jake Mulholland:  I like how the tour is set up, but I sure would like some variation.  Similar to how NFL schedules rotate against non-conference divisions, it would be awesome to see some more variety mixed in. The Honda Classic is one of the smaller events I enjoy on the prestigious PGA National, but incorporating solid courses outside of US would be a cool addition.  If the tour went over to Europe I think we would see more participation from the likes of Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick, Stenson, Grace, etc.  It would also require the players to bring different shot types to courses with more wind and coastal variables.  On a side note, having more course variety within the US would be great as well.

Tony Kasper:  I’m not arguing for multiple events to be added, as I personally love the new TOUR calendar, but if it made sense within the schedule, I’m all for it.  I think there could be tournaments that could take place in South America or even another Mexico tournament.  We saw this past weekend that a number of the games’ best teed it up below the border.  Another WGC event in an international location could result in another great field and tournament.  The game is global, and the TOUR should be as well.

No

Sean Carney:  I actually think they currently have the right amount of events outside of the US.  If my math is correct, we have three events: the Open Championship, WGC Mexico and the RBC Canadian.  The Open is the only championship that really effects the players “internal clock”.  With travel or after these foreign events, you tend to see weaker fields.  If you throw more non- North American events in the mix, in my opinion, if they are non WGC, you’d just be hurting surrounding tournaments.  I think right now they have a perfect blend.

Mike McNamara:  In terms of locations, I’m fine with the current balance the TOUR has.  This is a tour based in America, so most of the events should be in the states.  The TOUR still does a great job of getting to Asia in the fall as well as the Caribbean in the early portion of the year.  Throw in the Mexico and Canada tournaments and you’re darn near close to ten international events.  Last but certainly not least, The Open gives the tour its footprint in European golf.  If they wanted to add one event in Australia I would be fine with it, but other than that, I love the setup as is.

Bear:  I’m content with the current setup.  Honestly, I’m not sure where else the TOUR would go.  There are already events in Mexico and Canada.  It would be weird to do anything in Europe because of the European Tour.  I don’t think it makes much sense to move a random TOUR event to Argentine or another South American country, as you’re stretching far from the US at that point.

Kevin Walsh:  I have no qualms about the current tour set up.  I think they have enough events that are outside of the US, and I think they try to limit them/have them early in the year due to the differences in time zones and potential difficulty for US fans to watch events in other countries.  I’m all for growing the game and expanding its reach, but as it currently stands, I do not see the need for having more events outside of the US.  These guys travel extensively as it is, and there are a number of factors to consider schedule-wise when determining where tournaments are played. There may be a few more added in the future, but I don’t foresee any immediate additions to the world wide schedule.

Jack Corrigan:  No, but I’ll say this, I believe that tournaments should move to different courses year-to-year.  I would really like to see the different courses around the United States before we started to venture outside the states.  There are so many public as well as private courses that we don’t see and can learn more about the beauties our country has to offer.  We see the same old courses year after year, and yes I do enjoy some of them, but there are several that I’d like to see move around.