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There are times when George O'Grady must feel like he is under siege. Thankfully for his own sanity, the chief executive does seem to recognise that sniping towards the European Tour regularly arrives from those who would have no idea how to run it themselves.
Take Sergio García, for instance. When pressed again in recent days on his reasons for opting out of the European Tour's inaugural Final Series and, thereby, its Race to Dubai finale, the Spaniard offered a long-winded explanation which essentially translated as: "I was too tired." All that was missing was a violin solo.
Citing how heavy a schedule he had and how important it was to prepare for this season, García was perfectly clear in his own mind about the motivation for missing out on four events between late October and mid-November which carried $30m in combined, guaranteed prize money. "I needed to rest a little bit," García insisted.
This was lame stuff from a professional athlete, particularly when placed against García's decision to head to Malaysia for the Thailand Open in mid-December. An event, incidentally, that offers high appearance fees.
García, and others, would not have turned their noses up at the Final Series earlier in their careers, rendering it rather poor for them to do so now. Given García's desire to represent Europe at this year's Ryder Cup, he should afford those in charge of the tour a little more respect when they are seeking reciprocal support and putting on what are actually impressive events.
The reality is that the European Tour has actually performed remarkably well in recent times. Its financial position is the best it has been for decades, even before the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. In the past, it is no exaggeration to claim that the arrival of that event bailed out the tour.
O'Grady and his colleagues have no control over economic circumstances in mainland Europe, which have decimated traditional tournament heartlands. Instead, it is to their credit that significant prize funds have been generated from fresh territory.
Spain will undoubtedly re-emerge as a key stop on the European Tour rota at some point and a second tournament in England may now be very close to confirmation. The one that does already exist, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, receives a needlessly lukewarm reception from some leading players. There is a recurring theme here, of cosseted golfers forgetting their roots and appearing to reach for excuses when moving further up their professional ladder.
In the meantime, blue-chip events have been protected and others which are routinely criticised still hold decent earning appeal to professionals; including those from the United States choosing to carve out a career in Europe. If the figures attached to the European Tour's highest-profile sponsorship deals were made public – which won't happen due to commercial sensitivity – people would appreciate the work undertaken by O'Grady and his colleagues.
Instead, it has become unfortunately commonplace to point out everything that is supposedly wrong with the European Tour. It cannot compete financially with its equivalent in the United States and has made no claims to the contrary. The departure of top European players to the other side of the Atlantic is unfortunate but inevitable.
Yet as a stand-alone business, the tour has emerged virtually unscathed through some grim fiscal times; it would be sad if that were to be lost in a now predictable, annual wave of negativity.
McIlroy's loose talk
Rory McIlroy's weekend brush with golfing officialdom in Abu Dhabi raised several intriguing points.
Among them was whether walking rules officials should be present with every European Tour match; a step that should be altogether unnecessary. A more valid argument is how Tiger Woods would have been treated, had he adopted McIlroy's attitude of "[I have] better things to think about" than the ins and outs of golf's rulebook. In his defence, McIlroy was consumed by anger and frustration at that point. He will almost certainly have regretted the loose comment.
By close of play on Sunday, McIlroy said he was perfectly aware of the rule he broke with such costly repercussions a day earlier. That seems logical; the incident was one of simple carelessness from the Northern Irishman, who gained no advantage whatsoever from playing an approach shot to the 2nd hole with his left foot still on a spectator walkway.
But ask yourself this: if a fellow player's caddie could spot and highlight the infraction, as was the case, what of McIlroy's own bag man? McIlroy has in the past been fiercely defensive of JP Fitzgerald, a part of his team who has been in position throughout the 24-year-old's surge to the top of world golf and subsequent struggles. In this instance, though, McIlroy was entitled to expect better care and attention from a trusted lieutenant.
Easy does it for Woods
The 25th anniversary edition of the Dubai Desert Classic next week will feature Tiger Woods appearing alongside famous names from the past such as Fred Couples, Mark O'Meara and John Daly.
First, though, Woods will tee up at Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open. Despite Phil Mickelson's appearance in that field, Woods is generally priced as short as 9-4 to prevail.
The reasoning for that lies in history. Woods has won this event on seven occasions and has finished inside the top 10 a further five times. He triumphed in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines despite serious injury and, with a 62, holds the course record.
Does this mark the definition of easing oneself into the golfing year?
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