If the Fall Series Had to Go Away, What Could Be Done With It?
by Ryan Ballengee on Oct 25, 2010 12:17 PM EDT
in Pro Golf
Email
PrintAs football soldiers on, bolstering a slate of mediocre teams, and the World Series drags into November, the PGA Tour season is finishing with its Fall Series. The last two events have finished in very dramatic fashion, with hole-outs more or less deciding the fate of the event.
Rocco Mediate's win in California was one of the feel good stories of the year. Jonathan Byrd's walk-off ace in the Vegas darkness was one of the cooler moments in Tour history.
These great finishes, though, are anomalies. It's great luck for the Tour to have such drama to close out the Fall Series, but even still, the events were seen by small audiences on television and in person. The series boasts just five events this year because of the difficult economy and a lack of new (or prior) sponsors willing to pay the Tour's sticker price for title sponsorship.
The questions are being asked, as they should be, about the viability of the series in the next several years - either in this country or staged abroad. With a new television deal coming forth soon for the networks, will the PGA Tour alter its schedule in the late stages of the year, too? If it does, there is a good chance the Fall Series could go away with it.
There is some value in the Fall Series remaining in some capacity, though. Many ideas have been bantered about a morphing of the fall schedule, including some I've proposed. I'd like to rehash one I've thrown out there in the past.
The Fall Series would be a great dual end-beginning for the Nationwide and PGA Tours. Have the Nationwide Tour season end sooner, closer to the FedExCup. Mint a couple of dozen new PGA Tour members from the developmental circuit, then turn them loose for a handful of events with PGA Tour guys seeking to keep their cards. It's a subtle change, but co-mingling fields in that way would allow fans to get a glimpse at the new guys they'll be seeing early on in the next year. Rather than having to keep a Tour program on the couch to look at names, they can become a little more household in the prior fall.
The events can be more local - which runs contrary to my original argument that they should be bigger. Smaller is alright for the PGA Tour. In the same way that the LPGA Tour once embraced a mix of bigger and smaller venues, the PGA Tour's bookend could benefit. There are many fans around the country who are very unlikely to see PGA Tour-caliber golf in their town because the big boys are often in major metropolitan markets. Change that to cater to Middle America, so to speak, and the Tour could reap in new fans.
37 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
If it goes away – there’s nothing to be done with…
“a slate of mediocre teams” ?? Not sure I’d say that with even a kicker in the room. Even the little guys can pack a wallop. The league wanted parity – and that’s what they got. When everything looks the same – nothing looks great.
Great finishes are anomolies ? Again – don’t say things like that with even a little known player like Percy standing next to you. You might go home with a Pro-V1 in an uncomfortable place. Closing out a tournament with a 204 yard ace is a freak occurance – but this was in a three way playoff at 21 under par. Rocco’s ace and three eagle hole-outs last week may seem like “anomolies” to someone carrying a GWAA card and getting paid to make snide comments like that – but these guys really are that good. Just because there are bigger names doesn’t mean they don’t play great golf.
And could you possibly be more insulting to people who don’t live in a major city on the eastern seaboard or the left coast ? Seriously – appealing more to “middle America”. RB – you’re going to have a sore back from all the ducking you’re going to have to do from this piece. How can a PGA Tour event be “more local” ? They are all on television. EVERY non-major tournament is local. They support local charities and draw fans from that local area.
Let’s add a bit more insult to places like Las Vegas and Orlando. Not major cities for residency, but both major tourism stops.
I do like your idea about inviting a larger number of Nationwide Tour guys to play some of the fall tournaments – but here’s a problem I see. Most of the guys playing the Fall Series are doing it in hopes of making enough money to secure their Tour card for the next year. Giving spots away to Nationwide Tour guys would tick off a lot of the PGA Tour guys. The only way I see around that problem is to take the Fall tournaments off of the official mone list – in which case the PGA Tour guys won’t have any incentive to play except for making money for their own needs and uses.
Personally, I’d have no problem with having the season end for official money after The Tour Championship. Make it a true season – once it’s over, it’s over. If these tour stops want to have tournaments, they are playing for their own benefit – not for official Tour use.
Then again – I like seeing these guys playing hard with the possibility of three way playoffs and great shots. To be honest, I don’t think we saw two great finishes back to back like this during the regular season with the biggest names in the field – so there’s really no point in insulting these tournaments or players.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I’m not insulting the players or the tournaments. Not even close. I think the finishes are great and the venues were pretty good.
But having consecutive awesome endings – major, non-major, whatever – are rare. That means we can’t simply assume things like this will happen all Fall Series long.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Oct 26, 2010 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Fine – then cancel the regular season, too. Cancel the majors while you’re at it. If we can’t have a guaranteed “exciting” finish, why play the game, right ? (geez – the media mentality – “if it’s not easy for us to write about – we’ll just condemn it as boring.”)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Golf needs to understand its place on the sporting map: it’s a niche sport that will never overtake the major sports here or across the world.
In Europe, with the Premiership, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga in action — not to mention the UEFA group stage — golf is an afterthought to football.
In the US, with NCAA and NFL action from Thursday to Sunday, golf is an afterthought. Soon, the Tour will cycle to the 2011 season and the NBA and NCAA hoops will be in full swing, plus the NFL playoffs and college bowl games. Then there’s the Daytona 500. Golf will be an afterthought.
Until April, that is, after football, after the NCAA tournament, and before the NBA playoffs. For many, “golf season” really starts at The Masters and ends with the PGA Championships. After the PGA championship, football is about to start and indeed, NFL pre-season games are in full swing.
For a sport that will never be one of the Big Three here, nor football overseas, golf collectively seems to prize itself far more than its actual value. Instead of thinking how it can compete with the NFL and the Premiership, golf should instead worry about bolstering the audience it already has. Canceling the Fall Series is folly.
Now then, Court:
Let’s add a bit more insult to places like Las Vegas and Orlando. Not major cities for residency, but both major tourism stops.
Orlando is the 27th MSA in the country and is the most popular tourist destination in the world. In the last ten years it has seen a 27% increase in population.
Las Vegas is the 30th MSA in the country and the third most popular tourist destination in the world. In the last ten years its population has surged 38%
By any measure, both cities are “major cities” for residency now and their explosive growth only makes them more so.
Great points OMP
Looking at golf worldwide, it never competes with winter sports in any nation. So wouldn’t it make sense to follow the sun around the world ? Instead of competing with the NFL and NBA in America, it could be played in Australia and South Africa at that time. European golf won’t compete with football and the main events there are outside that season too. Golf, like tennis can’t compete with those sports head to head, but can dodge them around the world very well, IMO. Looking at golf just on one contienent is far too resrtictive. Open up the sport to a world tour.
La Lifa and Bundesliga ? Soccer leagues ?
27th and 30th don’t get put into the “major market” catagory. If you stretch the catagory, you might get to 15 – but major markets are NYC, Boston, Philly, Houston, LA, SF, Chicago… Even Atlanta gets bounced in and out of the catagory of “major” market, even though we were a top 10 market for a lot of years.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Why would the Fall Series go away?
Unless no company will sponsor events after the PGA Championship, why would the Tour (which is basically run by the players) do away with five tournaments? As long as there companies willing to invest (and I’d imagine the lower price tag in comparison to tourneys before the PGA would be attractive to some) and as long as there is television coverage (Golf Channel needs something to air between The Big Break re-runs) there will be Fall Series tournaments.
Why would Disney go away? Or Las Vegas (I continue my personal campaign against the former boybander who has his name on the tourney)? Both entities are travel destinations and events to bring in the tourists and promote their respective vacation spots help the bottom line. I’m sure the tour can cobble together sponsorship for two more events to make a minimum of four Fall Series events to keep the rank and file satisfied with the amount of available tournaments.
One more comment; it is dangerous to put tournaments in middle America in October. This year the weather has been mild but it is easy to see a tourney being negatively affected (if not ruined outright) due to weather.
by TwoNuse on Oct 26, 2010 9:30 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
There’s a good chance for four of five events to go away or shift places on the schedule. Viking Classic won’t have a sponsor. Sea Island has a new owner (though a good sponsor). Vegas should move into the FedExCup. Frys.com has said they want a FedExCup spot and also that this fall event is a means of getting into the FEC. That leaves Disney, like you said, which really deserves better, but will stay anyway.
Middle America’s kind of a broad term, but you’re right that the midwest can be quite a crapshoot for weather in autumn!
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Oct 26, 2010 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
As Is California In February
Pebble Beach weather in September or October is normally quite benign compared to it’s current slot in the rota. In fact, even LA and SD have better fall weather than late winter.
The FEC could and would benefit greatly from one or more of those tournaments shifting into that slot…classic courses in sunny California weather would be awesome.
by Charles Boyer on Oct 26, 2010 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
The midwest can be quite a crapshoot for weather in autumn ???? Holy crap – RB – autumn is a “crapshoot” for weather just about everywhere north of Florida in the autumn….and even there, the first month or two of autumn are still technically in hurricane season. New York had 45 and windy over the weekend – LOVELY weather for playoff baseball, eh ? How bad would it be in Boston ?
Have we lost you completely to The Dark Side ? These media cliches and stereotypes are getting out of control.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Where too?
Sodom and Gomorrah are full.
by chip n'putt on Oct 27, 2010 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
OK Sodom and Gomorrah...never mind the cutesy
Where the hell is the info with you dallying with the B. Knight ? and don’t hand us the garbage, that por lil ol me jist hasn’t had time to do anythin since I ate and golfed with the great one….Where’s the pitchers ? I suggest you do a whole “fan post” on the days in question…Wend;y is gettin kind of cranky waitin on you….And ya don’t wants to get on her bad side, believe me….OK girl….lets get crackin…..STUB
Oh, I'm waiting with bated breath for Chips post
on her round with B. Knight alright – but feeling very mellow rather than cranky, thank you.
I did
and I sent it to Ryan because I didn’t know how to download the video into the post. Patience….
I remember having this same conversation a few years ago, so thanks, RB, for posting the link so I could see what I thought back then…ah, yes, the same things I think now. If there are sponsors available and locations willing (and often eager) to host, why would the Tour decide to nix it? I agree that there could be some shifting of Fall Series tourneys to the regular season schedule, but I don’t think you’re going to see them all disappear. If it gets to a point where there are openings in the fall series, I like Court’s idea that the sponsor fees be lowered to entice new sponsorships.
Bringing in the Nationwide Guys into the Fall Series doesn’t seem to me like it would do anything to bolster ratings or make the tourneys more exciting – people already complain about the less than A-list fields, now we want to bring in guys that the average golf fan has never heard of? These fields are already full with guys with Tour cards, so I don’t see any benefit of adding in guys from the NT. I’m not against it, but I don’t see any added value in it.
I have been trying to buy into Easing’s “world tour” concept, but again, if the Tour is making money, the players are making money, and the sponsors are still around, I don’t see any incentive to change anything.
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
Red, it's not just the sponsors
it’s also how many internationals are in the top 100…if that becomes 75% of the PGA tour and overseas players dominate golf, a world tour becomes unavoidable, IMO. The US public will turn away from golf to a degree.
Don't you think though,
that the emergence of a World Tour would only happen if those “overseas” players don’t want to play in the US? And with so many “foreigners” actually living in the US (at least part of the time), how many of them really want to be travelling around the world to play golf when they’ve got it so good in the US?
With ungodly amounts of money available for players to win now, I’m not sure players care anymore that they are #1 on the money list, or #1 in FedEx Cup points, or even #1 in the world ranking – 87 players on the PGA tour grossed over a million dollars in earnings this season so far…you could be sweating it out to keep your PGA Tour card and raked in almost $750K. The PGA Tour offers great rewards just like it is.
Players, aka independent contractors, have the opportunity to play wherever golf tourneys will take them..all over the world. I’m not sure a formalized world tour will ever come to being because there are opportunities for everyone already. Now if there is MORE money offered elsewhere, then maybe you’ll see a shift in where guys will play.
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
I can't see players just dotting around the world just for the money
The top players have that already, but a structured world tour would ensure they all compete against each other more often. The best players want majors and to beat the best. Not just to make money. World rankings will mean a lot more. WGC events would have to spread more abroad, with perhaps that country having it’s own open the week before. The international players, living in the US or not, already travel the world. Even Americans this week and next are too. It’s just a matter of time really. One final point; if, as you say players don’t care if they are no 1 on this and that, then they are not great players, but, instead choosing to make a living their talent allows. The all time greats of the game are a different breed entirely.
I hear what you’re saying, but I just don’t think US PGA Tour players want to give up their current travel schedule (mostly within the US) just to have a “world tour”.
My point about being #1 on all of those lists was that I just don’t see players wanting to travel the world for it – the great players want Majors – the 4 of them (don’t worry, I won’t consider The Players a major!) ;-) So yes, they will travel for the British…and yes, they may go to HSBC in China, but as far as travelling the globe in order to play against the other “bests”, I don’t see why any US player would want anything to change, especially if players are able to be #1 in the world by just staying in the US.
12 US players traveled to Malaysia this week…and while many more will be going to China, from what I’ve read, this even holds a promise of more cash outside of the course as well as the purse. And many of the players who are going have had a month off so this is like a “special trip” rather than another week grinding on tour.
Again, I’m not disageeing with your points about the positives of a world tour, but just from what I’ve read, I don’t think the players are in any hurry to change anything. I appreciate the converstion!
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
I agree 100% Americans wouldn't change anything.
Why should they want to ? 3 majors at home and only a few hours away from the wife and kids. I don’t blame them one bit. But I believe golf will force a change…when the rest of the world ( as it is starting to do now) puts up other tournaments that overshadow b events in the US. Once the WGC events were started, it became inevitable. You can have the World Series in baseball in the USA, but only because the US mainly plays it. As sponsors dry up in b events in America, overseas events will take their place. It’s already started. You know Crane will defend his title next year. Look for more Americans playing in Australia in the next few years instead of Hawaii.
My only doubts for the foreseeable future
are that whilst the b events may dry up in the States, there will still be enough premier events there to satisfy many of the top American players (financially). The overseas events may therefore only attract the 2nd echelon of the PGA?
I see what you mean
But lets say the top 5 in the world rankings are not American and play abroad those weeks..you can bet the top Yanks will follow them. If they didn’t, they would miss out on more ranking points available. At present, overseas players play in the US for that reason. The stiffer competition is there for now. These top events , wherever they are played, the winner would receive about what they do now.
I just browsed the PGA Tour schedule...
There are upwards of 45-47 events available to players during the PGA Tour season…a few require criteria to get in, ie, the Majors and Playoffs, but over 35 of them are open for most regular Tour players. Of the top 10 players on the Tour money list this year, the average amount of Tournaments played this year was 21…add in the next 10 players and the average goes up to about 23. It’s really only when you get to the players over 75 on the money list do you see an average of 26-27 tourneys played. So even if some of the “b-list” tourneys were to disappear, I think all that would mean is that the “b-list” players would need to find somewhere else to play (like Wendy said above).
Maybe now that there really isn’t a dominant number #1 player in the world more guys will strive for the top spot, but I’m still not convinced that a guy who can make over $2 million a year by being 30th+ on the money list and not win once is going to pack his bags to play around the globe when he can play less than 25 weeks in the US and make a great living.
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
But that guy who gets 30th
never wins the big ones. The top players who chase the big titles go where the top players are. If Els, for instance, finished 30th, it is a very bad year for him. That guy who finishes 30th, plays those events with the big boys missing so he can win big bucks. That’s smart business, but would never make him a great golfer.
Never ? Todd Hamilton ? Ben Curtis ? Rich Beem ? Shawn Micheel ? Not top players – but won big tournaments.
I know I know – I’m picking exceptions to the rule – you do make a good point. :-D
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Gosh, I'm learning so much...
but still confused! I need to back track just a bit. Are you saying that the idea of a “world tour” would replace the current tours, or would just expand on the WGC concept we current have? Would it revolve around say 15-20 events rather than a full year schedule since that is the amount of events a top ranked player plays these days? Would it become like the upper crust of golfers and the current Tours would almost be like developmental tours for that one?
You sort of missed my point about the 30th player…my point was, great golfers will continue to come to the PGA Tour because they can play and not win and still make $2million!! Of course all the good guys want to play each other and be the best, but don’t you think they will all gravitate towards a place where even if they finish in the middle of the pack they can still make a great living? The PGA Tour does that for everyone, so unless “the rest of the world” makes it more inticing to go somewhere else to play, I believe the rest of the world will come to the PGA Tour for the best competition.
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
“Americans” ? One of your favorite things to do is pointing out how many international players are in the top spots on the PGA Tour. Don’t kid yourself – those guys like not having to fly around the world every week to tee it up.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Really.
You didn’t even realise Kaymer was so close to No 1 in the WGR. From January, you and I will note who travels where. You will find the South Africans, Australians and Europeans travel to their homelands and compete quite a lot. Then they return to the US and European tours and start up. You will be surprised.
you’ll have to define “quite a lot”. The internationals on the PGA Tour travel some during the off season and early in the year before the main part of the tour schedule kicks in. I can’t remember the last time I saw all the top South Africans playing in that three tournament stretch there. Australia…a few more, but not en mass. And really, they only have two or three big tournaments and all are played this time of year because that’s their summer.
The Europeans ? Luke Donald played a few weeks back home this year around The Open and cashed for a Ryder Cup spot. Then he flew back to the States for the rest of the season. Harrington flies back around The Open and plays The Irish Open as a warm up – everything else is during the off season.
Most of the PGA Tour guys stay here for most of the season. Guys like Els and Singh are rare.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Looking at the PGA tour money list,
I can see that Els, and Singh are not rare. Mcllroy, Poulter, Casey, Clark, Goosen, Allenby, Scott, Choi, Yang, Appleby, Atwal, Cabrera, all in the top 70 play elsewhere at various times of the year. Moving the Players to May was a good way to keep more Stateside longer in the year ( Els ) but jetting back and forth is normal for Internationals. Donald and Rose are more Americanised, Rose, in particular just about abandoning Europe and the Ryder Cup.
“various times of the year” – that’s what I said. Most of these guys spend the majority of the season in their homes in the US, playing the PGA Tour. Then they pick spots, mostly during the off season, to play around the world, or if their home country has something major going on. But their major focus is on the PGA Tour.
McIlroy isn’t in that group. He’s not a PGA Tour member, but he plays in the 7 big events in the US. (3 majors, 3 WGC’s, and The Players) Poulter is the only one on that list that has both a European Tour card and a PGA Tour card.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Currently we have 6 Euros in the top 10
Only Lee Westwood has stated that he doesn’t want to be a PGA Tour member ( playing in the USA – just not eligible for Fedex). Luke Donald & Paul Casey will remain PGA members. That leaves Kaymer, Rory & G-Mac undecided. If they take up residence in the US, they might be equally unwilling to travel the world. It’s not as though they have families to deter them at the moment either. These tournaments in Asia, etc, have got to come along pretty quickly with enormous purses to change the status quo?
In the next 5 years, I think they will
Tiger and Phil will be gone by then. The thing about Donald, Casey and G mac, is they will still play big events here as well. I can’t see Kaymer not playing in Germany either. Rory will probably do both as well.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Have a golf story tip? Contact editor Charles Boyer and he will follow the story! Thanks!
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
