Early Vote: U.S. Against the World (Tour) : Golf: Couples, others say it has to be done with cooperation of PGA Tour.

What’s a World Golf Tour without Fred Couples and the rest of the top American players?

“An international tour,” Couples said.

The day after it was announced, the World Tour bogeyed Friday at Sherwood Country Club when it seemed clear that most, if not all, of the U.S. players won’t play on the World Tour if the PGA Tour doesn’t approve it.

Couples, the most prominent American player, decided to comment after remaining silent Thursday, when the $25-million tour, apparently bankrolled by the Fox television network and, supposedly, featuring the top 30 players in the world, was announced.

“I would love to play against Nick Price and Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros every week, but I will not do it unless the PGA Tour is involved and makes it OK,” Couples said.

“The best answer I can say is that if it’s not, I won’t play the World Tour.”

He probably found his answer Thursday night. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, who took a hard line against the World Tour on Tuesday, flew from Jacksonville, Fla., and met with the players Thursday night in Westlake Village.

Couples is one of 16 U.S. players who would be eligible for the World Tour, which is to be based on the top 30 players in the SONY rankings. Couples is the highest-ranking American at No. 6.

Couples said he likes the concept of the World Tour.

“It’s a good thing,” he said. “I just don’t quite see how it’s going to work. I think Greg (Norman) may have rushed into it, but I’m not going to say it’s a bad idea.”

Brad Faxon, Couples’ partner in the Franklin Funds Shark Shootout and a member of the PGA Tour policy board, said Norman might have miscalculated the commitment of U.S. players to the World Tour when they held a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

“Greg thought he had the support of all the (U.S.) players,” Faxon said. “He has the support of the players if he does it by the rules of the PGA Tour.”

Faxon said he isn’t sure Norman heard the part that began with if.

“I think he wanted the press conference to look like this was coming off,” said Faxon, who praised Arnold Palmer’s comments that the PGA Tour had to be involved in the new tour.

“When Arnold Palmer talked, people listened,” Faxon said. “I don’t know if Greg really did.”

The World Tour is supposed to begin in late March of 1995, probably with an event in south Florida. Three other World Tour events would be played in the United States, and one each in Canada, Scotland, Spain and Japan.

Each tournament would have a $3-million purse with $600,000 going to the winner.

Although the new tour was suggested in part because of the PGA Tour’s restrictive tournament policies for players, with which U.S. players generally don’t agree, the World Tour must have involvement of U.S. players to succeed.

“If there were four (tournaments), that would be the perfect number,” Couples said. “Eight or 10, that’s unrealistic, unless something real major happens.

“That’s up to Greg Norman and Tim Finchem. It’s not up to Nick Price or Jose Maria Olazabal or Nick Faldo or anybody.”

“The World Tour has to go through the proper channels,” Lanny Wadkins said. “You’ve got a couple of guys doing this. That’s not the proper channels.”

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The team of Wadkins and Andrew Magee shot a six-under-par 66 and took a two-stroke lead in the first round of the Shark Shootout. Playing the alternate-ball format, Wadkins and Magee had four birdies in seven holes on the back nine. They lead Couples-Faxon and Chip Beck-Jeff Maggert, who shot 68. Ben Crenshaw and Mark Calcavecchia are at 69.

The 10 two-player teams will compete in a best-ball format today and a scramble Sunday. The winning team splits $300,000.