To play or not to play? Which tour is the question

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Michael Allen has some career decisions to make.

Already an owner of one of the more dubious records on the PGA TOUR, Michael Allen may now face a once-in-a-lifetime dilemma.

Allen turns 50 on Jan. 31, which means he could have his pick of two tours to play next year on a full-time basis. Or he could have none. It depends not only on how well he plays, but where he wants to play.

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Allen enters this week's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open ranked 135th on the PGA TOUR's money list with $607,446 -- about $134,000 behind No. 125 Martin Laird. Allen has four events left in the Fall Series to move into the top 125 and secure his playing privileges through 2009.

Allen could turn to the Champions Tour next year as an obvious fallback, but because he's never won on the PGA TOUR and his career earnings are $4.3 million -- about $2 million less of earning him an automatic spot on the 50-and-older circuit -- he would have to go to the Champions Tour's q-school to earn full playing privileges there.

So as it stands now, Allen would need to go through two q-schools if he wanted to follow the recent double-dip paths of Jay Haas and Fred Funk.

If anyone could pull off this grueling daily double, it would be Allen. After all, he has somehow made it through the PGA TOUR's demanding q-school a record nine times in 13 tries.

But he's not going to do both. Allen said he decided to send in an application only for the Champions Tour's q-school, where he can use a one-time exemption into the final stage.

"I didn't want to go through the PGA TOUR's q-school again," Allen said recently from his Scottsdale, Ariz., home. "It's so hard to get through q-school these days, and even if I make it, it's getting more difficult all the time to get access (to PGA TOUR events) through q-school. I've been through that enough times in my career. I would just rather move on."

Of course, Allen is hoping for a strong closing kick in the season's last four events, so he can finish in the top 125 and make this a moot point. It wouldn't be the first time he staged a late rally to keep his card -- after sending in his q-school application last year, he finished second to Steve Flesch at the Turning Stone Resort Championship to lock up his card and spare him another qualifying trip.

"I would like to play another year out here (on the PGA TOUR)," said Allen, who has finished in the top 125 three times in his up-and-down career. "I feel like I'm playing my best golf ever. I'm no superstar by any means, but I love competing against the best players in the world every day. It's a true honor to play on the PGA TOUR."

Allen wants to stick around for another year but not just for the hefty purses, the unparalleled competition and the perks of playing golf at the highest level. He also wants a chance to hold a trophy for winning a PGA TOUR event.

Allen won the highly regarded Scottish Open on the European Tour in 1989, and he also won a Nationwide Tour event in 1999 (Greater Austin Open). But in 318 starts on the PGA TOUR, his best finishes are seconds at Turning Stone last year and the 2004 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.

So, to borrow a song lyric, should he stay or should he go?

"I think Michael should continue to play on the PGA TOUR," said instructor Mike Mitchell, who has been working with Allen the last four years. "He's got plenty of game for it. He still drives the ball beautifully, and he has plenty of length to compete out there. He hasn't accomplished what he wants to accomplish, and, ultimately for him, that would be winning on the PGA TOUR."

Yet there are economics at work here. Allen has earned more than $1 million in a season just once -- last year. Because he's still competitive on the PGA TOUR, he could enjoy instant success on the Champions Tour and put together several seven-digit earnings seasons.

But not if he's still playing on the PGA TOUR, that is.

"I don't want to say I have an advantage over anyone, but if I do, it would be the first couple of years I'm eligible for the Champions Tour," Allen said. "I don't want to go there too old. There's that window of opportunity everyone talks about."

His instructor isn't so sure Allen needs to open that window as soon as he turns 50.

"It would be great to see Michael win two or three times on the Champions Tour, but at the same time, he's used to picking fruit from the top of the tree," Mitchell said. "I really think he can win on the PGA TOUR."

And if he wins one of the next four tournaments this year? Well, the taste of that fruit -- and the two-year exemption -- would be awfully sweet.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the PGA TOUR.