Owen has won more than £720,000 in his debut year on the US Tour

Owen, 33, has won more than £720,000 in his debut year on the USPGA Tour and has opted to play full-time in America.

He will therefore not play the 11 European events necessary to be eligible for Ryder Cup qualification.

"It was a tough decision for Greg to make as he is a wholehearted supporter of the European Tour," said Owen's agent Eddie Hearn.

"He gave himself every chance to try to complete the required 11 events.

I'm worried about how the team may work out if the guys keep playing in America European Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam

"But with his success this year on the PGA Tour he is now looking at the bigger stage, which means greater prize money and increased world ranking points."

Owen, who controversially missed the Open championship at St Andrews after pulling out of the qualifying competition, is not the only potential member of Ian Woosnam's European team in such a position.

Jacobson make Cup selection plea

England's Justin Rose, Wales' Phillip Price, Swedes Jesper Parnevik and Fredrik Jacobson and Germany's Alex Cejka are among those who could also be affected by the 11-tournament rule.

"There must be a dozen key players playing the US Tour at the moment and I'm worried about how the team may work out if the guys keep playing in America," said Woosnam earlier this year.