"The game's two biggest tours in effect are trying to make two dozen top players more equally divisible by two."

Steve Elling says new European Tour participation minimums would appear to be a reaction to the PGA Tour's upcoming rule change and a sign the two tours are making it tougher to keep dual memberships.

For the second time in 24 months, the European Tour has cranked up the participation minimum required to retain membership, first from 11 events to 12 for the 2009 season, then to 13 tournaments after a vote Wednesday in Portugal. The move takes effect later this fall with the start of the 2011 season and ranked as a surprise, since some tour veterans had no idea the subject was being considered.

For the globe-hoppers, those privileged few who straddle the Atlantic and play the best events on both tours, the future is about to get more complicated. Those cash cows hoping to satisfy membership provisions on two continents, well, their carbon footprints are about to get bigger.

The PGA Tour, in a move designed to help struggling tournaments in the States bolster weak fields, next month is expected to enact some form of a "designated-events" rule for 2011, which would likely require players topping the FedEx Cup points or final money lists to make an appearance at one of the ordained tournaments.

Said an agent whose firm represents players on both circuits: "I guess it'll become a matter of, 'How bad do you want it?'"

The game's two biggest tours in effect are trying to make two dozen top players more equally divisible by two. We've got us a continental divide, folks, and here's our official, first-blush reaction: Good on both counts.