Woods may try to become Europe's top player

As if he didn't have enough honours already, Tiger Woods today hinted that he may try to become the first American golfer to claim the European Order of Merit.

After a four-shot victory in the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe, achieved after trailing New Zealand's Michael Campbell by ten shots at the halfway stage here, he refused to rule out applying for retrospective membership of the European Tour.

It has always been accepted that Woods's main loyalties lie with the US PGA Tour but European Tour officials checked the rule book to see if there was any reason - other than not playing the required minimum number of tournaments - why their series should not be graced by the world's top-ranked player. They couldn't find any.

Woods, winner of the US PGA Tour money list three times in the past four years, has been the leading money-winner on the European circuit for the past two seasons, banking £2,267,970 in 1999 and £3,566,633 last year.

But those totals did not count towards the Order of Merit because the he failed to compete in the number of events necessary to become a Tour member.

This season Woods is committed to entering 10 tournaments on the European Tour.

His programme includes the four majors - they count towards the Order of Merit even though three of them take place in the United States - two World Golf Championship events, the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand, the Dubai Classic, the TPC here in Germany, and the Lancome Trophy near Paris.

That leaves him just one event short of the minimum of 11 appearances that would make his winnings eligible to be counted in the Order of Merit.

That event could be the TNT Dutch Open which takes place the week after The Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Persuading sponsors to pay Woods's £1.4 million appearance fee should not be a problem for companies will queue up to have their brand names associated with him.

Meanwhile, yesterday's final round of 66, which included an eagle two at the 13th, contributed to his 22-under-par winning total of 266. Campbell finished as runner-up.

The first prize cheque of £278,000 takes Woods's European earnings this season to £1.2m, nearly three times as much as that won by Campbell who remains leader of the Order of Merit. At least, for now.