Are you employed by CBS now?
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This is most troubling.
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Listening to PJ talk I wondered if he was doing a poor job expressing (“using his words”) what Soly basically just argued: the Tour players as a whole realize that maintaining the status quo provides greater stability for their group.
When I was making sense of the AP story, what I imagined AP’s intent to be was: “let’s not forget that we need more than a handful of super great golfers to make this work. We need the super great golfers + great golfers. In the past we passed on these opportunities because we had a bigger picture in mind that now has been realized and need to be maintained.”
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The money was on a much smaller scale back then and these guys still said no. It just sounds like an even worse idea today considering where prize funds are on the Tour. We already have a majority of the best players in the world on the PGA Tour and European Tour. I can’t imagine them diluting these tours even more by taking away the top players. Outside of greed and money, I seriously don’t get the point. I like the history and records that come along with the PGA Tour. Doesn’t mean their product can’t be improved, but I have no desire to see a new golf association start up with the top players.
I still think the most realistic way for the PGL to work is not for the players to “break away” from the PGA Tour, but as an additional layer on top of the current structure. Maybe 8 superstar events with varying formats and make it a season long series with an overall winner, modeled somewhat after the UEFA Champions League in soccer (football). All of the Champions League teams still play in their primary league, but then also play in the season-long tournament.
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Is there anything in pro sports that isn’t attributable to these two things? Trades, contract negotiations - whether single player or as a Players Union - let’s be real.
Professional golf is antiquated and suited for a world of 30-50 years ago where there was less entertainment competition overall and less sports entertainment competition in particular. And, life moved much slower.
The more I think about it the more cricket is a great analogy given that cricket matches used to last for days (so do golf tournaments) and a new format of the game developed to shorten the time and closer match the modern pace of life.
Professional golf needs to do the same. Not only do tournaments proper last four days, there are 2-3 additional days of practice rounds, and the event runs from dawn to dusk (at least the first two days of competition). It’s simply too much. Too much in a day. Too many days. Too many players. Too many tournaments. All spread out over too much time in day.
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Because events are individual, by the time Sunday rolls around 3-5 players at most matter for most of the Sunday coverage window.
That equals boring.
I really like the limited field, shotgun start idea. Make it a true team competition akin to college where five team members and four scores count, then most players stay relevant throughout the entire coverage window. And, it happens within a defined time window instead of all day long.
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I mean, I agree fans don’t matter. That’s the point: as a fan I’m allowed to be annoyed about that.
This machine exists, really, to provide millions of dollars annually to players 50-150 whose “market” value is functionally zero. I don’t blame those players for protecting their nut, that’s what they should do. But I’m not going to rip the elite players for not wanting to subsidize it just because they’re already rich. That’s dangerously close to “why do college athletes complain, they’re getting paid with a free education” garbage.
A COMPLETELY separate issue is what the alternative looks like. Count me out for 18 bone saw invitationals presented by Aramco.
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Of course not. But those things are collectively bargained inside their respective sports/leagues. The players unions/teams/players/whomever in other sports aren’t actively threatening to leave their current leagues to start a brand new one that is in direct competition. It would be more of a comparison to other sports if the top players were working with the PGA tour to make it better, but that is not what this is.
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Interviews like this are all too frequent reminders of how golf (including but not just the PGA TOUR) is so much better than any other sport at sticking its head in the sand to avoid seeing the problems around them.
But that arrogant laissez faire attitude is exactly what will allow a group like the PGL to eventually come up and disrupt the system.
Agree, the arrogance of "we already did this once and got it perfect and have “adapted” as needed, so clearly there’s no need for a major change was, frankly, a little embarrassing for PJ
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Agree, why do PGA TOUR events need to be 4 days? If you answer is anything other than “Tradition”, TV packages or hospitality sales, I would love to hear a detailed explanation. What real point does a Thursday competitive round have? And, really, same thing for Friday.
The idea of a cut, jeopardizing the participation of the tournament’s biggest and most marketable players on the weekends when the most people will be watching or paying to attend is MIND BOGGLING. Never would you say “Ovechkin can only play the weekend games if he averages top 50% +/- rating during the preceding week”
While I’m here, PGL would make PGA TOUR like a AAA league. Huge ego blow to the brass no doubt, and TV rights deals would be hugely impacted, but they would still be perfectly capable of putting together a schedule of Hilton Head’s or John Deere’s or Safeway Opens or Valero Texas Opens.
Hell, if half of the PGL tournaments are international, that means the US-based golf fans’ attention is really only impacted for what - 8 weeks per year? A smart reaction MAY be to lean in to this, schedule cooperatively so PGL US-based events are held against “lower tier” TOUR stops the top-50 don’t usually play anyways, maybe even make WGC’s co-sanctioned tournaments.
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Jac talks about Jordan, Kobe, Magic etc and their actions off the court as hall of famers, in comparison to Arnie tiger and Jack.
Wtf. Many of them are scumbags, assholes, etc off the court.
I don’t begrudge any of them but what world is he living in?
“Loved for the person they are. Beyond performance. The things people do away from the game.”
Huh
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Yeah his take on that was completely backwards. It should be love them for their athletic accomplishments. Don’t love the person because you don’t know them.
Peter definitely seems about the all these guys are class acts tour.
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I didnt listen to this pod because I didn’t want my ears to bleed, but did he really praise Tiger’s actions off the court? Golden Shower Tiger? That Tiger?
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The Tour is 70’s IBM. You don’t win forever just because you’re winning now.
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I mean, fuck the PGL and everyone that is involved with it. Twice. But Jacobsen is full of crap.
Arnold Palmer is treated like he’s some sort of saint. You know who made a shitload of money of other peoples work? Arnold Palmer. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have been an incredibly nice guy who made you feel welcome, but let’s not act like he didn’t like a World Tour because he cared about the lesser known players; it threatened his bottom line.
I’m not opposed the a World Tour in golf. I am opposed to a PGL which is funded by murderous regimes using golf to whitewash and gain influence.
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I’m pretty sure he did. And Kobe. And Arnold (even though there are plenty of rumors of certain activities).
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I love Arnie, but I’m pretty sure he had lots of skeletons in his closet.
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Plenty. Read that article with his daughter from a few years back.
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