Shotgun Start: Democracy in Order of Merit, appearance fees and Hall of Fame

CBSSports.com staffers Steve Elling and Ross Devonport take a scattershot look at three compelling and timely topics in the game.

1. Robert Karlsson is the first Swede to win the European Tour Order of Merit, following Englishman Justin Rose, Irishman Padraig Harrington, Scotsman Colin Montgomerie and South African Ernie Els. While the PGA Tour has been stuck on Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh for more than a decade, the Euro Tour has produced seven different money-list winners beginning in 2000. So, is that a good thing?
Steve Elling	Ross Devonport
Tough call. Spreading around awards is never a bad idea, but only Els and countryman Retief Goosen repeating as winners in the past nine seasons clearly underscores the lack of a dominant player. In America, Ross, people like to have teams to root for (or against), like the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and L.A. Lakers. But I would be the first to admit that handing Tiger Woods the player of the year trophy seemingly every year gets somewhat stale. But kudos to Karlsson, who had a terrific year. Players from five different countries in a row claiming the Order of Merit is understandably good for global attention on such a diverse tour.	I think it's great for fans that the OOM love is being spread around, but not so great for the European Tour. The circuit over there has to be desperate for a star like Tiger to emerge and dominate on both sides of the Atlantic, while still spending most of his time in Europe. While Karlsson and Sergio Garcia could well do that in 2009, they're already too established. Instead, we need some 19-year-old to show up and start kicking behind all over the continent. Problem is, I'm not sure who that's going to be. Oliver Fisher, maybe? One can hope, but it appears he'll have a lot more American competition in 2009 with the $20 million Race To Dubai up for grabs.

2. With the PGA Tour season ending this week at Disney World, the European circuit begins its 2009 campaign with a stellar cast at the HSBC Champions event in China. The field is loaded, including several Western Hemisphere stars such as Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas. Should the U.S. tour consider allowing appearance fees?
Steve Elling	Ross Devonport
Even in the land that embraces the supply-and-demand concept, I hope that day never comes in the States, because it would mean many tournaments would look like the thin-field Fall Series events. They cannot afford to bribe players to play at the expense of their purses. In my mind, top players already receive backdoor fees by signing huge endorsement deals with companies. It's no surprise Mickelson is expected to play in all three Barclays tour events worldwide -– in Scotland, the U.S. and Asia -- over the ensuing months since he has a deal with that company, or that Woods plays in the weak Buick Open event fairly regularly. He has a pact with the automaker. Actually, with the Euro Tour growing stronger and siphoning off more top players at certain events, perhaps that circuit will curtail the practice. A guy can dream, no?	The PGA Tour doesn't need to offer appearance fees because the purses in the U.S. are healthy enough to attract players and three of the four majors are here. In Europe and Asia, only a few tournaments can match that kind of money so they have to offer some kind of incentive if the biggest players in the game are going to make the trip. While it's clear that a ton of guys are going to spend a little more time in Europe this year so they can play in the 12 tournaments required to qualify for the shot at $20 million in Dubai, the bigger tournaments in the States will still get most of the big names. All of this means there is going to continue to be a sort of caste system on the PGA Tour, with the divide widening between the elite events and the lower-level ones.

3. The World Golf Hall of Fame adds another massive class next week with six inductees –- a writer, three professional male players, a female amateur and a famous course designer. Are there really this many deserving folks left on the golf landscape or should they throttle back on the intake valve?
Steve Elling	Ross Devonport
The Hall has added so many the overall list of inductees is diluted. Herbert Warren Wind was a great wordsmith, but he belongs in some other hall or a different wing. The St. Augustine, Fla., facility should be reserved for players. If worthy inductees can't be found, then don't induct anybody. It's hard to believe anybody buys tickets to see Carol Semple Thompsoon's plaque (not that sales are through the roof anyway). At the rate they're going, it hastens the inevitable addition of modern players like Fred Couples or Davis Love whose credentials are wanting. Let's get deserving and overlooked players from past eras enshrined. At this rate, Donald Trump will make it.	Looking at the list of inductees so far, I don't really have an issue with too many of them, to be honest. Plus, this is the WORLD Golf Hall of Fame, not an institution for a sport like football that is basically played in only one country, so of course there are going to be a ton more people with the credentials for entry. As for Couples and Love getting in, I think they were two of the best players in the 1990s but they have definitely faded as they have gotten older, unlike Vijay Singh. I wouldn't put them in, but I'm not on the committee, so my opinion means nothing.