While We're Nailing Kenny Perry...

...we should also be nailing the 20+ Euros that withdrew on the eve of the Monday US Open qualifier. Mark Garrod reports on the issue:

Among those who have decided to skip the chance to compete in the second major of the year are Darren Clarke, former Open champion Paul Lawrie, recent Irish Open and Spanish Open winners Richard Finch and Peter Lawrie and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, currently 10th in the Ryder Cup race.

Interestingly enough, Clarke's rationale is very similar to that of Perry:

Clarke made his decision two weeks ago, saying: "My schedule is firmly based around Europe and my goal is to make the Ryder Cup team."

It is a slightly better reason to avoid globetrotting than nationtrotting. Still, the majors offer extra points for the Ryder Cup squad. Taking a week off and doing no help for that cause instead of taking a chance at double points seems to make little sense. Their theory, though, is that the scurry to play in one major across the continent will throw off their season to the point that they could never recover in time to make the Ryder Cup team.

Or, to play cynical for a second, is this just a lame excuse to avoid a USGA setup?