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Originally Posted by Fileygolfer
At present it seems that the big sponsorship money is US $ and therefore the 'World Tournaments' are in the US for corporate reasons.
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Money talks....and the world's best players listen.
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Originally Posted by Fileygolfer
Like the FOUR MAJORS, three are in the US, and one (the Masters) is an invitational field so not all the worlds golfers can play in it.
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Every golfer in the world can play in the Masters.
All they have to do is meet the eligibility requirements. The same as the all the other Majors.
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Originally Posted by Fileygolfer
I would like to see a World Tour with big Tournaments on each continent so the world can see the best golfers on there own doorstep.
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In that case, all you have to do is come up with a big enough purse and they'll play in your backyard. The PGA Tour has put golf on a worldwide scale by conducting tournaments and producing great players when the rest of the world could care less about golf. Even the British Open was in trouble until Arnie brought it back to life and Jack and Tom kept it breathing long enough for the rest of the world to take notice. That's not to discredit our European Tour friends but they've benefitted greatly from the work done by the PGA Tour and it's players.
Now that the PGA Tour, American fans, and corporate America have done the lion's share to make golf what it is today, do you really expect them to give up what they've worked so long and hard to create just so some Johnny-come-lately country can reap the rewards? Yeah right.
I don't necessarily agree with the 2007 WGC schedule but only a blind man didn't see this coming. The top players in the world are migrating to the PGA Tour in droves because of the money, the worldwide recognition that playing on the PGA Tour affords them, and the competition. America and corporate America created the WGC events and it's no surprise to me that they've ended up all being played here. Was that the original intention? Probably not, but if the circumstances (i.e. money and support) were better elsewhere around the world we wouldn't be discussing this now would we.
I like Ernie Els and I really enjoy watching him play, but hearing him beef about the PGA Tour and it's policies one week and "raking it in" on the following week's PGA Tour stop is hypocritical to me. Tiger can say all he wants, but do you really believe he'd rather play a WGC event halfway around the world than one in his own backyard?
Do any of you think for one second that Tiger or Ernie would've been in Dubai if it wasn't for the millions in appearance fees? That is just another illustration that money talks in the world of professional golf and the "money" is right here in America.