Will the PGA Tour's International Expansion Spark LPGA-Esque Outrage?
by Ryan Ballengee on Dec 10, 2009 1:40 PM EST
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PrintIn calendar 2009, the PGA Tour - comprising it and the Champions and Nationwide Tours - has announced a pretty significant expansion plan outside of the United States for next season.
On the PGA Tour side, the HSBC Champions event was upgraded to a World Golf Championships event, making it officially co-sanctioned by the Tour. Then, just this week, the PGA Tour announced that it will be co-sanctioning an event in Malaysia with the Asian Tour. The tournament likely was closed as as result of Tim Finchem's 18 day visit to Asia around the time of the HSBC event. The mission for Finchem was to forge partnerships with sponsors and potential host sites so that the PGA Tour might be able to plant a stake there.
The Champions Tour had previously announced an event in '10 in South Korea, making it the senior circuit's first venture to the continent.
Just this week, the Nationwide Tour confirmed what had been reported by Sean Martin of Golfweek - that the Tour would be holding a tournament in Colombia for the '10. In an interview with Waggle Room, Nationwide Tour President Bill Calfee said that this may well be the beginning of a larger expansion in the Americas for his Tour.
It would appear that these events played abroad may well just be the beginning for the Tour. With the increasing global competition from the European and Asian Tours when the FedExCup schedule is dormant, the PGA Tour wants a piece of the action - and rightfully so. The extra coverage boosts the value of their TV package domestically and abroad. Also, it can say that the best in the world are playing in their events for twelve months of the year.
The Tour, though, has yet to receive the same kind of criticism that the LPGA Tour has received for taking much of its 2010 schedule outside of the United States. Their schedule feature 11 events played abroad - nearly half of the schedule. But, it wasn't always that large of a percentage. It was incremental, gradual. And the complaining grew louder when players and fans realized that the foreign events were not one-offs. They were a part of a calculated strategy to grow outside of the USA.
The same is true for the PGA Tour. The game of golf is global now and will only expand with golf's inclusion in the 2016 Olympics. The Tour is going to have to be playing ball in the backyards of the European and Asian Tours. Don't be surprised to see the European Tour try to hold an event in Canada or Mexico just to return the favor. It would not be all that shocking for the PGA Tour to try to court Ben Sellenger and his Australasian PGA Tour or his OneAsia concept. Those events would be an asset for the Nationwide or PGA Tours.
So where's the foul cry for the beginning of expansion on the men's side of the game? Is it because the men's game has far more domestic recognition that the sport really is a global phenomenon? There are plenty of diverse, foreign names on PGA Tour leaderboards. The same is true for the LPGA Tour.
The difference? Americans and Euros still dominate the men's game. Taking their excellence to foreign countries is seen as no big deal. In the women's game, great Asian players are coming here and winning. It creates a sense of resentment in fans that is only amplified when the US-based LPGA Tour rewards that strength by hosting tournaments where not only the Asian players hail, but are much bigger cultural celebrities.
It's a piece of hypocrisy that really should be examined. Neither tour deserves criticism for making business decisions. Yes, those decisions seriously impact American-born players. But they also impact players from every other country, too.
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Hypocrisy ?? “you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” (what a great movie)
This is purely economic. Finchem is hedging his bets – following the mortgage papers that have been sold to China – just in case a particularly large country decides to call in the pink slip on us. But you still have to ask the simple question – WHY should PGA Tour players travel a dozen time zones to play one week when they can make good money playing within our own 4 time zones ? The PGA Tour still has a waiting list of tournaments hoping for a regular season slot, and they haven’t even tapped the newly opened liquor company market.
Why aren’t there large numbers of Asian men coming to the PGA Tour ? Because there AREN’T large numbers of PGA Tour ready players on the Nationwide Tour or heading to Q-school.
The women are digging out of a hole dug not by the players, but by the former commissioner. Where the players are coming from has less to do with their problems than did the unfriendly and unrealistic demands made by Bivens the last few years. Companies just didn’t want to fork over big bucks for a product that doesn’t return the way the PGA Tour does. If they could, the LPGA would play in the same 4 time zones the PGA Tour plays most of the year, but right now, they have to take sponsors where they can find them.
PGA Tour vs LPGA Tour is apples and oranges. The PGA Tour isn’t in the same economic trouble as the LPGA. People still flock to watch the men play – not so much for the women. This “resentment” you claim for Asian players is cliche and media driven. Of COURSE Americans like to pull for American players – you can’t name a country that doesn’t love to see their own crowned champion in any sport. The media pushes the “resentment” angle because they can’t ask “how do you feel” to someone who doesn’t speak English and get the answer they want. From the tournaments I have watched, the champion still gets a standing ovation from the fans.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
C’mon, court, you know as well as I do that there is tons of talk on this very site about people who can’t stand the Asian players doing so well on the LPGA Tour. It’s not because the media is pushing it. It’s because those feelings are organic from fans and some (stress some) players. I’ve been to plenty of LPGA Tour events where I hear the whispers. It’s real.
The LPGA’s expansion overseas really started with Ty Votaw. Bivens was following up on what he started. I do agree, though, that she was following the money available to her. But isn’t the PGA Tour doing the same? The domestic Fall Series events are going to be the backfill for any events that die or don’t re-ante when their contracts expire in the next two years. I agree that it is a hedge, but it’s a hedge on a hedge – if that makes any sense.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Dec 10, 2009 3:15 PM EST up reply actions
Votaw tossed a couple of Asian tournaments in more as filler than as staples of the tour. What’s going on now is what has to be done to keep the Tour schedule more or less full.
There is talk of a small number of people who only watch if an English speaking woman wins. I wouldn’t call it a TON of talk on here because the people on here appreciate good golf – not just from one nationality.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Well, at least when the subject is broached it always brought up pretty big debate :)
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Dec 10, 2009 4:59 PM EST up reply actions
World tour for men too.
Court, I believe the same thing will happen with the mens game. As you said, the LPGA had to fill holes. Well, when world wide sponsorship has an event in China, there will be that hole that week in the US. Where ever the top 50 play, there will be a hole elsewhere, as there is at the British Open. The English language argument only applies to English speaking nations…but the European tour has coped with many different nationals for years…and they are a tight nit bunch. It’s a reletivly new thing to Americans, the idea that golf is a global game like tennis…it’ll just take some time to get used to, in my opinon, is enevitable
Aside from the four majors and a few Mercedes events (mostly played in the US) – how many of those world wide tennis events do you ever hear about ?
Most of the European Tour is played in the 5 time zones that cover Europe, though they do take a couple of trips to Asia during the year. That means that no matter how far north or south they go, the people who want to watch that tour on TV can watch the same way we watch the PGA Tour.
Travel is still slow. It still takes a lot out of people and it takes time to recover.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Bottom line, where ever the top 50 play, thats where it will be any given week…the World events and Presidents Cup( when the internationals are at home) should be played more away from the US anyway…when that happens, people will get more used to the idea…it’s hard for Americans, who have always had most of the golf on thier doorstep. If you think of Europeans playing in the US for a 6 week spell, it’s not that hard to imagine US players playing abroad for a month away also…it’s a culture change for sure, but I see the LPGA doing it now, with the mens game doing it in, say 10 years from now.
You could very well be right – but for now, the PGA Tour’s bread is buttered by the TV contracts – and those are US contracts. The Prez Cup is once every 2 years, and the WGC in China could continue funneling players down to Australia like they did this year…assuming the appearance money doesn’t dry up.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
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