That ability to pick and choose is something afforded only to players in the top ranks — those who have secured tour cards that afford playing privileges. For younger players, having a plan to get to that level can be the differentiator.

“The single most important thing is to get a tour card,” said Guy Kinnings, deputy chief executive and Ryder Cup director for the European Tour . “You need to focus on that. What’s the route to the end goal?”

Matthias Schwab , a young Austrian golfer who is in his second year on the European Tour, said his card last season offered only conditional playing status, meaning he had to play wherever he could. In one six-week span, he traveled to Australia, South Africa, Qatar, Oman and India to play in tournaments.

“I played well in India, finishing fourth ,” said Schwab , 24 . “But you realize you can’t do that week after week. It’s exhausting, both physically and more mentally.”

Still, when he was trying to qualify for the British Open this summer, he played three tournaments in a row, the Andalucia Masters in Spain, and the Irish and Scottish Opens, because they had spots in the British Open for top finishers.

“I would have been better off taking a week off and been recharged,” he said.

Certain events offer more points toward the Official World Golf Ranking . The Italian Open has about twice as many points as last week’s tournament in Spain. (The number of points is determined by the strength of the field.)

These points are used to calculate a player’s ranking, and that ranking determines which tournaments he gets into, including top events. The Masters, for example, automatically takes the top 50 players in the world. (The four major championships, not surprisingly, award the most points.)