Mutual benefit is the name of the game. 12 of the world's top 20 are non USA. The PGA Tour wants to have the best. While the World rankings skue things in favour of the USAPGA tour with its distribution of ranking points, players join the USAPGA tour to protect their top 50 ranking. This gives USA players a home field advantage ,many of the International players will tell you they prefer the variety and friendly environment of the European Tour over USA tour where everything looks/feels/tastes the same.
The point I tried to make is that the benefits need to be spread more in line with the contributions made. My original suggestion gave USAPGA 50% of non majors and kept 75% of majors in USA .
The point I tried to make is that the benefits need to be spread more in line with the contributions made. My original suggestion gave USAPGA 50% of non majors and kept 75% of majors in USA .
Contributions made? What contributions? A lofty ranking doesn't constitute a contribution in my book. If the rest of the world could support your original suggestion the way the USA's sponsoring companies and fans do, this wouldn't be an issue. The rest of the world can't, or won't, compete with the PGA Tour! The Top Non-American players are defecting from all the other tours because those tours are second rate compared to the PGA Tour. :nodsmiley
That's just the facts. Where would you play, given the same options?
The Top Non-American players are defecting from all the other tours because those tours are second rate compared to the PGA Tour.
No, the players are spending more time in USA because that's where the ranking points are and ranking points mean automatic entry to Masters and other majors. Most players prefer to play their home tour irrespective of where they are from.
When The Doral event shouts about 11 of the World's top 12 , it includes more non USA players than USA players in that claim. That is their contribution. VJ 's contribution to the USPGA Tour is showing his talent and skill, while winning a load of tournaments. He gets paid huge bucks from USA sponsors for that success. It's called balance, and all sides win.
No, the players are spending more time in USA because that's where the ranking points are and ranking points mean automatic entry to Masters and other majors. Most players prefer to play their home tour irrespective of where they are from.
When The Doral event shouts about 11 of the World's top 12 , it includes more non USA players than USA players in that claim. That is their contribution. VJ 's contribution to the USPGA Tour is showing his talent and skill, while winning a load of tournaments. He gets paid huge bucks from USA sponsors for that success. It's called balance, and all sides win.
I agree that the WGR needs to be adjusted more fairly but if those same 12 players were playing in the Irish Open the points would be the same. If more top players played "together" outside the USA, those tournaments would be worth more ranking points. Why isn't that happening?
Because USA players are famous for not travelling, that's why so many did not bother to play in the qualifying event for the OPen last year. When 40% of the top twenty refuse to fly, it is very difficult to get them to the Irish Open. Tiger is an exception but he flys less now.
Because USA players are famous for not travelling, that's why so many did not bother to play in the qualifying event for the OPen last year. When 40% of the top twenty refuse to fly, it is very difficult to get them to the Irish Open. Tiger is an exception but he flys less now.
Why "travel" to lesser tournaments (The Open is excluded of course) when the Golden Goose is right in your own back yard? Would you travel across town to play for less money and be treated less regally than the tournament across the street offers?
Why "travel" to lesser tournaments (The Open is excluded of course)
Travel broadens the mind , and The Open is a Major and yet is still shunned by too many USA golfers.
It is an international game and one of the few international sports outside the Olympics that USA compete in. Make it truly international and USA will benefit.
Travel broadens the mind , and The Open is a Major and yet is still shunned by too many USA golfers.
It is an international game and one of the few international sports outside the Olympics that USA compete in. Make it truly international and USA will benefit.
Why travel more than you need to? Playing overseas is a week-long trip that is basically a 3 for 1 swap for many US golfers. If they travel to the British, they miss the US tourneys the week before and the week after, and obviously the week of... I'm sure the money they make in the 3 US tourneys and the extra time spent at home is well worth losing a few WGR points. Plus, many US golfers openly admit they just don't enjoy playing the courses over there. I think it is pretty obvious that the USPGA golfers really don't need to travel.
Travel broadens the mind , and The Open is a Major and yet is still shunned by too many USA golfers.
It is an international game and one of the few international sports outside the Olympics that USA compete in. Make it truly international and USA will benefit.
Travel broadens the mind....that's a good one! You wouldn't be related to Paul Casey would you?
Leisure travel may broaden the mind but professional golf is a business and traveling to compete in a golf tournaments for a living rarely involves leisure. The British Open is only "shunned" by a couple of eligible players who feel that their game isn't suited to links style golf, often played in questionable weather (we are just talking about the Open here aren't we?). The players you're painting with the same very broad brush are the players that until last year had to travel overseas,spend 5-6 days and thousands of dollars just to qualify for the Open.
Yes golf is an International game......and when the bigger events with the bigger money are held outside the USA you may see more "travel" from our stars. Until that happens, the USA is just as "international" as the next country
The solution is a World Tour ,comprising of 16 events plus 4 majors ,making 20.
8 events in USA ,5 in Europe and one in Australia,Japan and South Africa. Each event would be open to top 80 on World rankings ,plus next 50 on the tour holding the event and balance of field (24 ) split from top of other Tours. Remainder of Tour would be as it is now. Timetable could read like this :
January - Australian Open @ Royal Melbourne,
February - Torrey Pines and South African Open at Fancourt
March - Doral and Dubai
April - Masters and Hilton Head
May - Europe then USA event
June - US Open , one in USA then one in Europe
July - Brit Open ,one in Europe then one in USA
August - USPGA ,one in USA then one in Europe
September - one in USA ,one in JApan
This would keep the travelling down to the minimum.Both Tours could have events on at the same time as the World events ,as USA Tour did last week.
If the money on US Tour dropped for non World events, players would have their comfort zone challenged ,weeding out the mediocrity , and raising standards.
Els,Singh and Mickeson would jump at it , Tiger already says he wants it.
We already have World Golf events, and they are helping water down some of the fields. Get rid of the World Golf Championships.
Reconsider where it is going? What's to consider? The PGA Tour is the best Tour in the World and the PGA Tour holds the majority of it's tournaments in the United States. Most of these tournaments are sponsored by US companies and the players are playing for US dollars.
No one is forcing poor Ernie (or any other non-US player for that matter) to play in the United States or on the PGA Tour. Els is a member of the PGA and must abide by the same membership rules as all the other members when it comes to playing in events that compete with PGA Tour events.
Demands on international players? What demands? They can play where ever they want. The big events with the big money happen to be in the United States. If they feel like the "demands' are too stringent they always have the option of playing on the weak sister European Tour, or in South Africa if that's what suits them.
The PGA Tour holds all the cards and is in a position of power and I certainly don't see that changing anytime soon. The players will always go where the money is and until the European, Australian, Japanese, Asian, South African, or any other tour you can name, ponies up the multi-million dollar purses the PGA Tour does week, after week, after week, the best players in the world will continue to play on the PGA Tour here in the United States. The best players in the world need the PGA Tour far more than the PGA Tour needs them.
Sorry for the but worldwide golf begins and ends with the PGA Tour. Greg Norman's battle with Finchem is just one example. Finchem made Norman out to be the bad guy because he had the nerve to suggest the best players in the world should compete in their own international events. Finchem said that would be detrimental to the PGA Tour and would hurt golf. Norman's the bad guy and low and behold.........several years later we had World Golf Events. I, for one, don't blame Norman for being bitter.
And look what the World Golf events have done. They have hurt some of the events like Tucson, Reno, and until recently Doral. They give the top players less events to choose from like Houston, New Orleans, Colonial, Hilton Head, and the Neslon and (maybe) Honda.
I personally think it is too long. I think what Tiger said is true, about having more top 10 guys in the same field more often. But, I have no idea how that impacts network sponsorship and viewer ratings.
That would allow pros to have to pick 3 events from the remaining events on their schedule and strengthen some of the events overall. The PGA is becoming more like the European tour.
Apart from the PGA Championship, none of the Majors are owned or run by the US PGA Tour.
To clear something up, the PGA Championship is NOT run by the PGA Tour....the PGA of America runs it and is in no way, shape, or form affiliated with the PGA Tour.
At any rate, I cringed when I looked at that World Tour proposal...like others have said, I see no benefit in breaking the PGA Tour apart over something that doesn't need to be done. When the other tours pony up the money to attract the type of fields the PGA Tour has consistently then maybe there will be an argument....otherwise, fugettaboutit! Besides, all of the top players live in the US so why would American-born players have any "home-field advantage" over anyone else in the present situation?
At any rate, I cringed when I looked at that World Tour proposal...like others have said, I see no benefit in breaking the PGA Tour apart over something that doesn't need to be done. When the other tours pony up the money to attract the type of fields the PGA Tour has consistently then maybe there will be an argument....otherwise, fugettaboutit! Besides, all of the top players live in the US so why would American-born players have any "home-field advantage" over anyone else in the present situation?
That was my point exactly. Money talks and until "International" events match the PGA Tour's purses and quality courses the best players are going to play here. Appearance fees aside of course!
How much do you think Els was given in appearance fees for playing in Dubai and Qatar in back to back weeks?
I think the idea of a world tour is right because it just is. Golf is one of the very few truly international sports. It should be run the way tennis is - the top events are all over the world, there is big money all over the place, all the players have to and do travel.
The previous post talks about quality courses, well that is a pile of rubbish and I'm sure the poster knows it. There are PLENTY of quality courses around the world. Some of the US Tour events are won with scores of 20 or more under - you are saying that is quality? What the US Tour courses do is provide a whole bunch of courses which present pretty much the same type of challenge week after week, with similar quality and speed of greens etc, much of which suits a particular style of golf, one that American golfers have become quite comfortable with.
It is quite clear that the US Tour currently, in effect, "owns" pro golf because of the money on that tour. I think it is wrong to assert that this makes it right. It is parochial to think that all the important golf should be played in the US.
March 9th, 2005, 02:56 PM
The rest of the world can't, or won't, compete with the PGA Tour! The Top Non-American players are defecting from all the other tours because those tours are second rate compared to the PGA Tour. :nodsmiley 
You wouldn't be related to Paul Casey would you? 
but worldwide golf begins and ends with the PGA Tour. Greg Norman's battle with Finchem is just one example. Finchem made Norman out to be the bad guy because he had the nerve to suggest the best players in the world should compete in their own international events. Finchem said that would be detrimental to the PGA Tour and would hurt golf. Norman's the bad guy and low and behold.........several years later we had World Golf Events. I, for one, don't blame Norman for being bitter.
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