Now I don’t want to sound like a golfing version of Martin Niemoller but I have the funny feeling I am about to state the flaming obvious!
There is talk of the PGA holding the PGA Championship outside the USA and let me emphasise its only talk.
Does the rest of the golfing world deserve another major outside the USA? Of course it does, golf after all is a global game.
If the lesser of the 4 majors is to be held outside of America under the “grow the game” theory then surely is should go to Australasia or Asia?
Ok Asia may lack the quality of course required but Australia in particular has some of the best courses in the world, BUT how could the PGA capture a TV audience in the States given the time difference?
Don’t let us kid ourselves TV audience = advertising = money! And to the PGA money is king.
Apparently the favourite to host the “overseas” PGA is Portrush in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and the UK already hosts the only non American major.
Given the R&A Championship Committee have deemed that Portrush does not have the infrastructure to hold an Open Championship then how can the PGA deem it suitable to host the PGA ?
Do the R&A and PGA have a different criteria?
The Open is currently broadcast on free to air television in UK so TV advertising has no bearing on their decision, not so with the PGA though.
Last years Scottish Open was shown live on US Network TV and I think this may have had a major bearing on the PGA’s thought process.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, during July or August, you can safely schedule a tournament to end at 7 or 8 in the evening GMT due to our extended daylight, that’s 2 pm Eastern US so you have a US TV audience, especially at a weekend.
Royal Portrush, Royal Aberdeen, Royal Dornoch, North Berwick are all stunning courses not on the Open Rota, could they all be potential PGA hosts?
Will hosting the PGA on any of these stunning courses help grow the game globally?
Aye right! Like Scotland is not already seen as the home of golf!
Lets not kid ourselves here folks, all the PGA are doing with this is flexing their muscles.
Is this just a warning shot across the bows of the European Tour by the PGA? Or is this the start of a hostile takeover bid ?
It has been floated by 1 or 2 that the future may me a PGA US tour and a separate PGA world tour, well that terrifies me for the long term future of the game.
This will create “elite” events that only the “elite” will play in. These events will carry huge WR points compared to “regular” events meaning it will be easier for higher ranked players to stay in “elite” fields and harder for young players to break through.
Advertisers and sponsors will flood to “elite” events and make it even harder to attract sponsors for other events. Think about it, if you were a sponsor would you fork out for an event which contained no household names or no top 40 players?
Golf is and always has been a global game, we need to keep it that way.
For a kick off should we not have 5 WGC ? 1 each in Australia/New Zealand, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas ?? After all WGC does stand for World Golf Championships ??
1 final thought for you, if the European tour did disappear and was replaces by a PGA world tour what would happen to the Ryder Cup?
Would it be replaced by PGA USA v PGA ROW ??
There is talk of the PGA holding the PGA Championship outside the USA and let me emphasise its only talk.
Does the rest of the golfing world deserve another major outside the USA? Of course it does, golf after all is a global game.
If the lesser of the 4 majors is to be held outside of America under the “grow the game” theory then surely is should go to Australasia or Asia?
Ok Asia may lack the quality of course required but Australia in particular has some of the best courses in the world, BUT how could the PGA capture a TV audience in the States given the time difference?
Don’t let us kid ourselves TV audience = advertising = money! And to the PGA money is king.
Apparently the favourite to host the “overseas” PGA is Portrush in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and the UK already hosts the only non American major.
Given the R&A Championship Committee have deemed that Portrush does not have the infrastructure to hold an Open Championship then how can the PGA deem it suitable to host the PGA ?
Do the R&A and PGA have a different criteria?
The Open is currently broadcast on free to air television in UK so TV advertising has no bearing on their decision, not so with the PGA though.
Last years Scottish Open was shown live on US Network TV and I think this may have had a major bearing on the PGA’s thought process.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, during July or August, you can safely schedule a tournament to end at 7 or 8 in the evening GMT due to our extended daylight, that’s 2 pm Eastern US so you have a US TV audience, especially at a weekend.
Royal Portrush, Royal Aberdeen, Royal Dornoch, North Berwick are all stunning courses not on the Open Rota, could they all be potential PGA hosts?
Will hosting the PGA on any of these stunning courses help grow the game globally?
Aye right! Like Scotland is not already seen as the home of golf!
Lets not kid ourselves here folks, all the PGA are doing with this is flexing their muscles.
Is this just a warning shot across the bows of the European Tour by the PGA? Or is this the start of a hostile takeover bid ?
It has been floated by 1 or 2 that the future may me a PGA US tour and a separate PGA world tour, well that terrifies me for the long term future of the game.
This will create “elite” events that only the “elite” will play in. These events will carry huge WR points compared to “regular” events meaning it will be easier for higher ranked players to stay in “elite” fields and harder for young players to break through.
Advertisers and sponsors will flood to “elite” events and make it even harder to attract sponsors for other events. Think about it, if you were a sponsor would you fork out for an event which contained no household names or no top 40 players?
Golf is and always has been a global game, we need to keep it that way.
For a kick off should we not have 5 WGC ? 1 each in Australia/New Zealand, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas ?? After all WGC does stand for World Golf Championships ??
1 final thought for you, if the European tour did disappear and was replaces by a PGA world tour what would happen to the Ryder Cup?
Would it be replaced by PGA USA v PGA ROW ??
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