"Maybe the $2 million they were going to give to Tiger is now extra prize money."

Steve Elling considers the many ramifications of the HSBC/WGC announcement, including the negative impact on the Disney event, the apparent demise of a Sea Island event in 2009, and the likelihood that Tiger and Phil will not appear too often now that the appearance fee aspect that drew them in the past has been eliminated.

Here's another potential complication for the marquee types: As a U.S.-sanctioned event, players no longer will be allowed to accept appearance fees, as Woods has done twice in the past.

"I don't think the guys are going to travel," Retief Goosen said. "I think it will be pretty much the same sort of field we have seen there in the past -- mostly European, with the Chinese and a few American players. I can't see Tiger and them going all the way there to play that.

"Tiger and Phil [Mickelson] used to go play it because they got a $2 million appearance fee, and we won't see that anymore. I think that might change some guys' minds to go.

"It was a pretty big purse before, with $5 million, now going up to $7 million. Maybe the $2 million they were going to give to Tiger is now extra prize money."