PGA Tour Extreme Makeover: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

by Ron Juckett on Oct 1, 2009 10:08 AM EDT Comment 13 comments

Once a highlight on the winter swing of the tour, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic has fallen off the map as far as the average sports fan is concerned. Relegated to the Golf Channel and smack dab in the middle of the NFL playoffs, this five round low scoring snooze fest is in dire need for a shake up.

The face lift that the Hope needs may actually help fix another problem in professional golf: the sagging number of sponsors on the LPGA. Change the Hope's format to make it a pro-am, and turn it into a combined stop on both the PGA and LPGA Tour. Keep it as a 90 hole affair as long rounds are already on the agenda. The course rotation would allow a full field for both tours anyway.

One could try to equalize the two tours just by using the second set of tees for the LPGA pros, although the Hope courses have never been all that hard and get easier by the year. From approach shots forward, they would be playing from the same distances and in some cases the same short irons/wedges. It certainly would give a bit of spice to an event that has become the poor cousin to the AT&T National Pro-Am up the road at Pebble Beach.

Make the cut for Sunday, as usual and play the top 70 and ties, regardless of gender, on PGA West and may the best person win. The talent is there that some LPGA star could pull off a top ten, and after a few years, could actually win the thing.

While a silly season event is probably more likely so it would not count on the PGA Tour side, the interest in seeing Michelle Wie or a Natalie Gulbis play with the big boys would draw some eyeballs. Giving corporate America or Europe a good look at these players could lead to some sponsorship money going forward and better stability for the LPGA Tour.

With the Golf Channel committed long term to both tours, as the LPGA Tour has an exclusive cable deal starting next year, getting television coverage would be easy to coordinate. Add the rumor of parent company Comcast buying NBC and a move on the schedule to the bye week between the NFL conference championships and the Super Bowl and you have a sure fire ratings hit.

It may not draw Tiger and Phil, at least to start, but there is enough talent on both tours to make this work and be high quality. The USGA will conduct both opens at Pinehurst in 2014, this would make a great follow-up.

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When you say that the talent is there for some of the women to pull a top 10 finish – are you saying that from the same tees or from separate tees ? Same tees – none of the women make the cut. You would have to put the women at least two sets of tees up – probably three on some of the longer holes since a lot of these courses have tournament tees that are only open for the PGA tournament.

Are you also going to take this off the FEC points list, if you are expecting the women to figure in the final standings ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Oct 1, 2009 10:36 AM EDT reply actions

Not the same set of tees and not a FedEx Cup point event, which probably would turn this into a silly season event.

Thre would be the need to guarantee the LPGA players an equal payday too such as paying to position x even if the final cut is missed.

by Ron Juckett on Oct 1, 2009 10:56 AM EDT reply actions

I don’t know how you could pay an LPGA player different for a position than a PGA Tour player inside the same tournament unless they are two separate tournaments on the same (general) course.

This is definitely a silly season event idea – not a regular season idea – but a good one – I like it.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Oct 1, 2009 12:24 PM EDT reply actions

It would be very hard to have it as a counting event for both tours, but there has to be a way that it would work.

by Ron Juckett on Oct 1, 2009 12:35 PM EDT reply actions

It would have to be an invitational – 72 from each tour. You can’t have a full field event from two tours. But would you make it official money ? If you do it during the regular Hope week, during the season, you can’t have a handful of women making 10 times what they usually make in an LPGA event, and the men losing spots and points to women who aren’t PGA Tour members.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Oct 1, 2009 12:47 PM EDT reply actions

the men will never participate

None of them want to get “beaten” by a woman. That’s too bad, because it sounds like an interesting idea. Even if it’s not official money, mid-level players on the LPGA barely make enough to survive, so I think they’d probably jump at the chance for a larger than normal payday.

Truth has a well-known liberal bias.

by dianemarie on Oct 1, 2009 1:07 PM EDT reply actions

I kind of doubt that a mid-level LPGA player would make the cut – even if they were playing 2 or even 3 sets of tees up. No cut – no cash.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Oct 1, 2009 1:16 PM EDT reply actions

why three sets of tees?

One set of tees for men at 7500 yards, or whatever is typical, and another set for women at around 6500 yards. The cut is the cut, whatever happens. At any given time a mid-level player on any tour can have a career week. Chez Reavie (#147) and Leta Lindley (#108) are perfect examples. They probably wouldn’t get into the proposed event, but you get the idea, right?

Let ’em tee it up and see what happens.

Truth has a well-known liberal bias.

by dianemarie on Oct 1, 2009 3:04 PM EDT reply actions

It was just a guess. We’ve all seen courses with 3 sets of tees and I’ve seen courses with as many as 7 sets of tees. I have no idea how many sets of tees these courses have, but I’d bet there are at least 4 or 5 plus the tees they install for the PGA Tour guys. I guess yardage would be better than just however many sets of tees.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Oct 1, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

If you don’t want to insult anyone, you stick with typical yardage for each tour. Just because they’re girls doesn’t mean they have to play from the “ladies” tees to compete with the big, bad men.

Oh, and split the difference on the stimp meter.

Truth has a well-known liberal bias.

by dianemarie on Oct 1, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

who said anything about “ladies tees” ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Oct 1, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions

my mistake

I should have posted this separately, not as a response to you. You said nothing about ladies tees.

Truth has a well-known liberal bias.

by dianemarie on Oct 2, 2009 6:26 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m sure some of the guys would not want to get beat, but I would think a handful would be interested in promoting the game.

Two tees. Probably the ladies on the third level, the men on the first so they are playing the same club on the approach.. I think a number of LPGA players would make the cut, or field of 70(35 and 35) with no cut.

by Ron Juckett on Oct 1, 2009 3:19 PM EDT reply actions