RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 14: Henrik Stenson of Sweden acknowledges the gallery on the 16th hole during the final round of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Golf Course on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/IGF)
WITH THE WORLD OF GOLF EMBROILED IN HEATED DEBATE ABOUT A POTENTIAL RIVAL TOUR TO THE PGA TOUR, IN THE FORM OF A
SUPER GOLF LEAGUE RUN BY GREG NORMAN, THERE CAN BE
NO DOUBT THAT WHATEVER THE OUTCOME, GOLF MUST CHANGE.
BY MATT HOOPER
SUPER GOLF LEAGUE RUN BY GREG NORMAN, THERE CAN BE
NO DOUBT THAT WHATEVER THE OUTCOME, GOLF MUST CHANGE.
BY MATT HOOPER
AS SKY SPORTS WENT ON THE AIR ON SUNDAY NEWS WAS BREAKING OF DUSTIN JOHNSON PLEDGING HIS COMMITMENT TO THE PGA TOUR, AND IT WAS QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY BRYSON DECHAMBEAU SAYING WHILST THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD CONTINUED TO PLAY ON THE PGA TOUR SO WOULD HE. NICK DOUGHERTY AND THE REST OF THE SKY SPORTS GOLF TEAM WERE DELIGHTED. SKY HAVE PLAYED THE SAME CARD AS THEY DID WITH THE PROPOSED SUPER LEAGUE IN EUROPEAN FOOTBALL IN 2021, SLAMMING THE BREAKAWAY AND NOT CONSIDERING WHY IT IS BEING PROPOSED AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED TO MAKE THE SPORT OF GOLF BETTER.
INSTEAD THEY SPENT MUCH OF THE ENTIRE EVENING LAUDING THE PGA TOUR, WITH WAYNE RILEY SAYING "THESE PLAYERS HAVE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD, $12MILLION PURSE AND THE TOP 10 IN THE WORLD". THIS IS THE SAME SKY SPORTS WHICH CONTINUALLY TELL THEIR VIEWERS THAT THE CHALLENGE ON THE PGA TOUR IS THE SAME EVERY WEEK, AND WHEN SKY LOST THE RIGHTS TO BROADCAST THE PGA TOUR TO SETANTA BACK IN 2007, THEY SLAMMED THE TOUR AND PRETTY MUCH IGNORED IT. IT WILL BE VERY INTERESTING TO SEE WHETHER THEIR ATTITUDES CHANGE IF DISCOVERY DECIDE TO NOT SUBLICENSE THE RIGHTS TO BROADCAST THE TOUR TO THEM AND KEEP IT FOR GOLFTV AND THEIR NEW VENTURE WITH BT SPORT AND EUROSPORT.
THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL ASSEMBLED THE STRONGEST FIELD OF 2022 SO FAR, WITH 62 OF THE WORLD'S TOP 100 PLAYING IN THE TOURNAMENT HOSTED BY TIGER WOODS AT RIVIERA NEAR LOS ANGELES, INCLUDING ALL THE WORLD'S TOP 10. IT WAS AN OUTSTANDING FIELD, IT IS AN OUTSTANDING EVENT, PLAYED ON AN OUTSTANDING GOLF COURSE IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER SPORTS CITIES. THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL, PREVIOUSLY THE LOS ANGELES OPEN, IS ONE OF GOLF'S GREAT EVENTS OUTSIDE THE MAJORS, THERE CAN BE NO ARGUMENT WITH THAT. OR ABOUT THE ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL, WM PHOENIX OPEN, THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, COLONIAL, MUIRFIELD VILLAGE OR THE PLAYOFF EVENTS. THE PGA TOUR PRODUCE THE BEST PRODUCT WEEK-IN-WEEK-OUT AND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OF EACH AND EVERY EVENT IS AN EXAMPLE TO THE ENTIRE WORLD OF SPORT.
BUT GOLF IS NOT A ONE-NATION SPORT. GOLF WAS INVENTED IN SCOTLAND AND SPREAD TO MUCH OF THE WORLD BEFORE GETTING TO AMERICA, WITH NATIONAL OPENS ESTABLISHED IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA, ARGENTINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM AND ITALY BEFORE THE MASTERS WAS EVEN CREATED. GOLF IS A GLOBAL SPORT, PLAYED BY OVER 66 MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE 6 CONTINENTS, YET GOLF AT THE TOP LEVEL DOES NOT REFLECT THIS. GOLF IS NOT FOOTBALL, AMERICAN FOOTBALL, NBA, BASEBALL OR ICE HOCKEY, IT IS AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT AND IT SHOULD HAVE A TRULY GLOBAL PLATFORM FOR THE WORLD'S BEST TO COMPETE ON, AND NOT BY CHOICE.
THE HAPPINESS OF RORY MCILROY AND THE ON-AIR TEAM AT SKY AT THE SUPPOSED 'DEMISE' OF THE SUPER GOLF LEAGUE WAS CLEAR, BUT THEY SERIOUSLY NEED TO LOOK AT THEMSELVES AND ASK THE QUESTION, CAN GOLF DO BETTER?
THE ANSWER IS unequivocally YES.
THE BELOW GRAPHIC SHOWS THE STARK DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOP LEVEL MEN'S GOLF AND ATP TOUR, FORMULA 1 AND THE WORLD SURF LEAGUE. THE TOP 25 EVENTS IN 2021 BASED ON OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING STRENGTH OF FIELD ILLUSTRATES THAT 22 EVENTS ARE PLAYED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1 WAS PLAYED IN SAUDI ARABIA, 1 WAS PLAYED IN SCOTLAND AND 1 WAS PLAYED IN ENGLAND. SO THAT MEANS THAT NONE OF THE ROLEX SERIES EVENTS, BAR THE SCOTTISH OPEN, NO EVENTS IN ASIA-PACIFIC, NONE IN MAINLAND EUROPE, NONE IN AFRICA AND NONE IN SOUTH AMERICA ARE AMONG THE WOLRD'S BEST EVENTS. THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE. GOLF CAMPAIGNED LONG AND HARD TO GET BACK INTO THE OLYMPICS AND IT HAS SQUANDERED THAT OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN BIG EVENTS IN SOUTH AMERICA AND OTHER DEVELOPING GOLF REGIONS.
INSTEAD THEY SPENT MUCH OF THE ENTIRE EVENING LAUDING THE PGA TOUR, WITH WAYNE RILEY SAYING "THESE PLAYERS HAVE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD, $12MILLION PURSE AND THE TOP 10 IN THE WORLD". THIS IS THE SAME SKY SPORTS WHICH CONTINUALLY TELL THEIR VIEWERS THAT THE CHALLENGE ON THE PGA TOUR IS THE SAME EVERY WEEK, AND WHEN SKY LOST THE RIGHTS TO BROADCAST THE PGA TOUR TO SETANTA BACK IN 2007, THEY SLAMMED THE TOUR AND PRETTY MUCH IGNORED IT. IT WILL BE VERY INTERESTING TO SEE WHETHER THEIR ATTITUDES CHANGE IF DISCOVERY DECIDE TO NOT SUBLICENSE THE RIGHTS TO BROADCAST THE TOUR TO THEM AND KEEP IT FOR GOLFTV AND THEIR NEW VENTURE WITH BT SPORT AND EUROSPORT.
THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL ASSEMBLED THE STRONGEST FIELD OF 2022 SO FAR, WITH 62 OF THE WORLD'S TOP 100 PLAYING IN THE TOURNAMENT HOSTED BY TIGER WOODS AT RIVIERA NEAR LOS ANGELES, INCLUDING ALL THE WORLD'S TOP 10. IT WAS AN OUTSTANDING FIELD, IT IS AN OUTSTANDING EVENT, PLAYED ON AN OUTSTANDING GOLF COURSE IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER SPORTS CITIES. THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL, PREVIOUSLY THE LOS ANGELES OPEN, IS ONE OF GOLF'S GREAT EVENTS OUTSIDE THE MAJORS, THERE CAN BE NO ARGUMENT WITH THAT. OR ABOUT THE ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL, WM PHOENIX OPEN, THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, COLONIAL, MUIRFIELD VILLAGE OR THE PLAYOFF EVENTS. THE PGA TOUR PRODUCE THE BEST PRODUCT WEEK-IN-WEEK-OUT AND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OF EACH AND EVERY EVENT IS AN EXAMPLE TO THE ENTIRE WORLD OF SPORT.
BUT GOLF IS NOT A ONE-NATION SPORT. GOLF WAS INVENTED IN SCOTLAND AND SPREAD TO MUCH OF THE WORLD BEFORE GETTING TO AMERICA, WITH NATIONAL OPENS ESTABLISHED IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA, ARGENTINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM AND ITALY BEFORE THE MASTERS WAS EVEN CREATED. GOLF IS A GLOBAL SPORT, PLAYED BY OVER 66 MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE 6 CONTINENTS, YET GOLF AT THE TOP LEVEL DOES NOT REFLECT THIS. GOLF IS NOT FOOTBALL, AMERICAN FOOTBALL, NBA, BASEBALL OR ICE HOCKEY, IT IS AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT AND IT SHOULD HAVE A TRULY GLOBAL PLATFORM FOR THE WORLD'S BEST TO COMPETE ON, AND NOT BY CHOICE.
THE HAPPINESS OF RORY MCILROY AND THE ON-AIR TEAM AT SKY AT THE SUPPOSED 'DEMISE' OF THE SUPER GOLF LEAGUE WAS CLEAR, BUT THEY SERIOUSLY NEED TO LOOK AT THEMSELVES AND ASK THE QUESTION, CAN GOLF DO BETTER?
THE ANSWER IS unequivocally YES.
THE BELOW GRAPHIC SHOWS THE STARK DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOP LEVEL MEN'S GOLF AND ATP TOUR, FORMULA 1 AND THE WORLD SURF LEAGUE. THE TOP 25 EVENTS IN 2021 BASED ON OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING STRENGTH OF FIELD ILLUSTRATES THAT 22 EVENTS ARE PLAYED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1 WAS PLAYED IN SAUDI ARABIA, 1 WAS PLAYED IN SCOTLAND AND 1 WAS PLAYED IN ENGLAND. SO THAT MEANS THAT NONE OF THE ROLEX SERIES EVENTS, BAR THE SCOTTISH OPEN, NO EVENTS IN ASIA-PACIFIC, NONE IN MAINLAND EUROPE, NONE IN AFRICA AND NONE IN SOUTH AMERICA ARE AMONG THE WOLRD'S BEST EVENTS. THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE. GOLF CAMPAIGNED LONG AND HARD TO GET BACK INTO THE OLYMPICS AND IT HAS SQUANDERED THAT OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN BIG EVENTS IN SOUTH AMERICA AND OTHER DEVELOPING GOLF REGIONS.
THE ATP TOUR IS WHAT THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR COULD BE IF THEY MERGED, A GLOBAL TOUR WITH TIERS OF EVENTS PLAYED AROUND THE WORLD, GUARANTEEING THE BEST PLAY AGAINST THE BEST ON ALMOST EVERY CONTINENT. THE GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENTS, ATP FINALS, MASTERS 1000 AND ATP 500 EVENTS VISIT 17 COUNTRIES ON 5 CONTINENTS WITH THE MASTERS 1000 EVENTS BEING MANDATORY EVENTS.
IN GOLF WE KEEP HEARING THIS PHRASE "INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR".
SORRY LADS, YOU'RE A GOLFER, A SPORTSMAN, AN ATHLETE. NOT SOME FREELANCE BUSINESSMAN.
IN GOLF WE KEEP HEARING THIS PHRASE "INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR".
SORRY LADS, YOU'RE A GOLFER, A SPORTSMAN, AN ATHLETE. NOT SOME FREELANCE BUSINESSMAN.
THE ATP TOUR MASTERS 1000 EVENTS ARE INDIAN WELLS MASTERS, MIAMI OPEN, MONTE CARLO MASTERS, MADRID OPEN, ITALIAN OPEN, CANADIAN OPEN, CINCINNATI MASTERS, SHANGHAI MASTERS AND PARIS MASTERS, AND THE GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENTS ARE THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN, FRENCH OPEN, WIMBLEDON AND US OPEN. NOT ONLY ARE THESE 13 TOURNAMENTS THEMSELVES PLAYED ACROSS EUROPE, AUSTRALASIA, ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA, THEY ARE PLAYED ON 3 DIFFERENT SURFACES - HARD, CLAY AND GRASS.
SO MUCH OF GOLF TODAY IS PLAYED ON SIMILAR COURSES, AND PLAYERS EVEN AVOID EVENTS ON AMERICA'S WEST COAST TO AVOID PLAYING ON THE NATIVE GRASS THERE, AND BY NOT PLAYING IN AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA OR AUSTRALASIA THEY ALSO MISS OUT ON THE CHANCE TO PLAY ON VASTLY DIFFERENT GRASSES. LINKS GOLF HAS BECOME A TOKEN GESTURE NOW, WITH PLAYERS PLAYING EITHER THE IRISH OPEN OR SCOTTISH OPEN PRIOR TO THE OPEN, NOT BOTH. TOP LEVEL GOLF SHOULD BE GLOBAL AND TEST EVERY FACET OF THE GAME, BEING PLAYED ON DIFFERENT GRASSES AND IN DIFFERENT CLIMATES, AND IT SHOULD LOOK MUCH MORE LIKE THE TENNIS TOUR THAN THE CURRENT GOLF TOUR WITH ITS DISTINCT AMERICAN BIAS.
A TRULY GLOBAL SCHEDULE AND AN ELITE SERIES OF EVENTS PLAYED OVER THE ENTIRE PLANET ALSO WILL DRIVE PARTICIPATION FURTHER, WITH EVENTS IN SOUTH AMERICA HELPING TO BUILD UPON THE OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITY LOST AT RIO DE JANEIRO.
SO MUCH OF GOLF TODAY IS PLAYED ON SIMILAR COURSES, AND PLAYERS EVEN AVOID EVENTS ON AMERICA'S WEST COAST TO AVOID PLAYING ON THE NATIVE GRASS THERE, AND BY NOT PLAYING IN AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA OR AUSTRALASIA THEY ALSO MISS OUT ON THE CHANCE TO PLAY ON VASTLY DIFFERENT GRASSES. LINKS GOLF HAS BECOME A TOKEN GESTURE NOW, WITH PLAYERS PLAYING EITHER THE IRISH OPEN OR SCOTTISH OPEN PRIOR TO THE OPEN, NOT BOTH. TOP LEVEL GOLF SHOULD BE GLOBAL AND TEST EVERY FACET OF THE GAME, BEING PLAYED ON DIFFERENT GRASSES AND IN DIFFERENT CLIMATES, AND IT SHOULD LOOK MUCH MORE LIKE THE TENNIS TOUR THAN THE CURRENT GOLF TOUR WITH ITS DISTINCT AMERICAN BIAS.
A TRULY GLOBAL SCHEDULE AND AN ELITE SERIES OF EVENTS PLAYED OVER THE ENTIRE PLANET ALSO WILL DRIVE PARTICIPATION FURTHER, WITH EVENTS IN SOUTH AMERICA HELPING TO BUILD UPON THE OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITY LOST AT RIO DE JANEIRO.
THE WORLD'S OTHER TRULY GLOBAL SPORTING SPECTACULAR IS FORMULA 1 WITH 23 GRAND PRIX STAGED IN 21 COUNTRIES ACROSS 5 CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD, AND WHILST I WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE A TOUR WITH SUCH LIMITED FIELDS, THE FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE EXAMPLE FOR GOLF IF IT WANTS TO CREATE A TELEVISION SPECTACULAR AND DRIVE INTEREST IN THE SPORT LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
COUNTRIES AND CITIES WANT TO HOST FORMULA 1, EVERY GRAND PRIX IS AS BIG AS AN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. 23 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS ACROSS THE WORLD, IMAGINE HOW BIG GOLF COULD BE. IMAGINE HOW EXCITING GOLF COULD BE. IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE INTEREST THERE WOULD BE. IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS COULD SELL. THE SPORT WOULD EXPLODE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
THE 2021 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REACHED 1.55 BILLION TV VIEWERS AROUND THE WORLD, AN AVERAGE OF OVER 70 MILLION PER GRAND PRIX, WITH THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX REACHING OVER 108 MILLION AROUND THE WORLD. THE AVERAGE GRAND PRIX IN F1 REACHES MORE TELEVISION VIEWERS WORLDWIDE THAN ALL FOUR MEN'S MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS COMBINED, SO ANYONE WHO DOESN'T THINK GOLF CAN DO BETTER, REACH A WIDER AND YOUNGER AUDIENCE IS WRONG.
GOLF CAN BE BIGGER, BETTER, MORE GLOBAL, MORE EXCITING AND MORE INSPIRING.
IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE IF THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR WERE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS HAPPENING, MERGING AND BRINGING THE OTHER TOURS INTO THE FOLD. BUT 30 YEARS OF GOLF HAS SHOWN ME THIS IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
COUNTRIES AND CITIES WANT TO HOST FORMULA 1, EVERY GRAND PRIX IS AS BIG AS AN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. 23 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS ACROSS THE WORLD, IMAGINE HOW BIG GOLF COULD BE. IMAGINE HOW EXCITING GOLF COULD BE. IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE INTEREST THERE WOULD BE. IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS COULD SELL. THE SPORT WOULD EXPLODE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
THE 2021 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REACHED 1.55 BILLION TV VIEWERS AROUND THE WORLD, AN AVERAGE OF OVER 70 MILLION PER GRAND PRIX, WITH THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX REACHING OVER 108 MILLION AROUND THE WORLD. THE AVERAGE GRAND PRIX IN F1 REACHES MORE TELEVISION VIEWERS WORLDWIDE THAN ALL FOUR MEN'S MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS COMBINED, SO ANYONE WHO DOESN'T THINK GOLF CAN DO BETTER, REACH A WIDER AND YOUNGER AUDIENCE IS WRONG.
GOLF CAN BE BIGGER, BETTER, MORE GLOBAL, MORE EXCITING AND MORE INSPIRING.
IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE IF THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR WERE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS HAPPENING, MERGING AND BRINGING THE OTHER TOURS INTO THE FOLD. BUT 30 YEARS OF GOLF HAS SHOWN ME THIS IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
SO I URGE GREG NORMAN AND LIV GOLF INVESTMENTS TO CONTINUE WITH A PLAN AND LAUNCH A NEW TOUR, REGARDLESS OF WHO PLAYS, EVEN IF THE NEW TOUR LAUNCHES WITH JUST THE LIKES OF ADAM SCOTT, LEE WESTWOOD, HENRIK STENSON, PAUL CASEY ETC AND THE BEST PLAYERS ON THE ASIAN TOUR. LAUNCH THE PLATFORM AND CREATE SOMETHING SO SPECIAL THAT THE REST OF GOLF WAKES UP AND REALISES THAT GOLF CAN DO BETTER, BE MORE GLOBAL, MORE EXCITING AND MORE INSPIRING.
WHICHEVER ORGANISATION DRIVES IT, CHANGE MUST HAPPEN.
WHICHEVER ORGANISATION DRIVES IT, CHANGE MUST HAPPEN.
