"Maybe it's the travel. I know a lot of Americans don't like flying overseas."

John Huggan talks to Ben Curtis about his decision to play in the BMW and European Open next week, and based on his remarks about a nice variety of topics, there's a lot more to the 2003 Open Champion than most realize.

"The Race to Dubai is an intriguing thing," he says. "The money involved in that is part of what I'm here for but I see this more as a challenge to see how well I can do on both tours. It would be cool to play in the (PGA] Tour Championship then make it to Dubai as well.

"I think there are three or four other guys trying to do the same. Anthony Kim is one. But there aren't many, I know. I'm not sure why that is really. I know there's a lot of money on offer on the PGA Tour, but it isn't as if you can't make a lot of money over here too.

"Maybe it's the travel. I know a lot of Americans don't like flying overseas. Then there's the weather. But, that aside, I think the European Tour is great. I love the competition. I look around and see many of the world's best players here. Competing with guys like Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood and Robert Karlsson can only make me better. A lot of guys in the States think it is easier to win over here, but I don't think so. You still have to play great for four days. And the winning scores are always tough. It might be easier to make the cut, but winning is hard."

Also on the theme of European Tour vs. PGA Tour, Steve Elling takes a closer look at the amazing feat of three amateurs winning on the European Tour and tries to figure out if it's a statement about the quality of the tour or just a fluke.