Paul McGinley never wants golf's World Cup to be held two weeks before Christmas again.
Five of the world's top 10 and nine of the top 25 are missing from the Stg£3.5million event starting in Mexico tomorrow and Ryder Cup hero McGinley, who partners Padraig Harrington, said: "I think it's an horrendous date.
"Guys want to have a break. The American tour starts up in Hawaii in the first week in January and I can understand guys not coming here.
"You look at somebody like Ernie (Els). He played in Sun City two weeks ago and he needs a break at some stage. This is a world event and it should be given precedence over invitational events.
"Look at how strong the field was in Japan last year because it was a great date."
The championship was held in mid-November and Els and Retief Goosen won for South Africa after a play-off which also featured Tiger Woods and David Duval for America, Michael Campbell and David Smail for New Zealand and Danes Thomas Bjorn and Soren Hansen.
Missing this week are Woods, Els and Goosen, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Price, Bernhard Langer, Robert Allenby and Darren Clarke.
Spain and Zimbabwe are not even taking part as a result of the withdrawals.
Harrington and McGinley have been partners every year since they won in America in 1997 and Harrington, conqueror of Woods on Sunday in one of the invitational events McGinley is referring to, said: "This needs a date that is going to attract."
Next year the event returns to Kiawah Island in South Carolina, the scene of McGinley and Harrington's victory five years ago as well as the 1991 Ryder Cup.
It is in mid-November again, but it falls between the US Tour's Tour Championship and the Presidents Cup match between America and the International side (Rest of the World minus Europe) in South Africa.
It could suffer again because of that.