CaptionNORTH PLAINS, OREGON - JUNE 27: A general view of signage during a practice round prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club on June 27, 2022 in North Plains, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/LIV Golf/via Getty Images)
30 JUNE, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: THE GOLFING WORLD IS ABUZZ RIGHT NOW WITH TALK OF ALLIANCES, MERGERS AND BREAKAWAYS, AND THIS COULD PROVE TO BE A PIVOTAL WEEK IN THE BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE OF GOLF. TUESDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE PGA Tour AND DP WORLD TOUR OF A 13-YEAR AGREEMENT TO FURTHER ENHANCE AND ENTRENCH THEIR STRATEGIC ALLIANCE IS SEEN AS A DIRECT LEGACY OF THE THREAT OF LIV GOLF, AND MUCH LIKE World Series CRICKET DID FOR THE SPORT OF CRICKET 45 YEARS AGO, IT APPEARS LIKE LIV GOLF IS ALREADY HAVING AN IMPACT UPON THE STRUCTURE OF THE SPORT.
BUT IF LIV GOLF IS TO SUCCEED AS A VIABLE PLATFORM IN ITS OWN RIGHT IT MUST COMMAND A LARGE AUDIENCE WORLDWIDE, AND THIS WEEK'S EVENT COULD PROVE SEISMIC FOR THE SPORT. PUMPKIN RIDGE IS A FAMILIAR PLACE TO AFICIONADOS OF THE SPORT, AND AMATEUR GOLF IN PARTICULAR. IN 1996 TIGER WOODS TOOK ON STEVE SCOTT IN THE US AMATEUR FINAL, AND WAS BIDDING FOR A HISTORIC THIRD SUCCESSIVE VICTORY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP. THAT SAME WEEKEND THE PGA Tour WAS PLAYING AT FIRESTONE COUNTRY CLUB, AND THE World Series OF GOLF. AT THE TIME THE World Series OF GOLF WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVENTS IN THE SPORT, AND CARRIED A 10-YEAR EXEMPTION TO THE PGA Tour. WHEN THE TOURNAMENT WAS LAUNCHED IN 1962 IT WAS AN UNOFFICIAL EVENT FEATURING JUST THE BIG THREE - ARNOLD PALMER, Gary Player AND Jack Nicklaus, AND IT LATER EXPANDED TO FEATURE JUST THE MAJOR CHAMPIONS BEFORE EXPANDING FURTHER IN THE 1970'S AND BECOMING A PGA Tour EVENT IN 1976.
THE TOURNAMENT HAD A STORIED ROLL OF HONOUR INCLUDING NICKLAUS, PLAYER, WEISKOPF, TREVINO, WATSON, STADLER, PRICE, SRANGE, OLAZABAL AND GREG NORMAN. IN 1996 THE EVENT HAD A STELLAR LEADERBOARD HEADING INTO SUNDAY WITH FALDO, NORMAN, PAVIN, DAVIS LOVE III AND PHIL MICKELSON ALL INSIDE THE TOP 10. PHIL MICKELSON WOULD WIN AND CLAIM HIS 9TH PGA Tour TITLE, IN ANY OTHER YEAR THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE MOST-WATCHED NON-MAJOR BROADCASTS FOR CBS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME SOME 2,600 MILES WEST OF FIRESTONE A YOUNG AMATEUR WAS ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY AND CHANGE GOLF FOREVER.
NBC WAS BROADCASTING THE FINAL OF THE US AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT PUMPKIN RIDGE, AND REMARKABLY THE MATCH BETWEEN TIGER WOODS AND STEVE SCOTT DREW A STUNNING 5.3 NIELSEN RATING, IN COMPARISON TO THE 2.2 FOR THE NEC World Series. THIS MEANS OVER DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WERE WATCHING THE US AMATEUR THAN THE PGA Tour ON THAT SUNDAY IN AUGUST, 1996.
PUMPKIN RIDGE WAS ON DISPLAY TO THE WORLD VIA BROADCASTERS AROUND THE GLOBE INCLUDING SKY SPORTS IN THE UK, BUT REMARKABLY THE COURSE HAS NEVER HOSTED A SINGLE PGA Tour EVENT, HOSTING 2 US WOMEN'S OPENS AND THE FORMER NIKE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, WITH THE MOST RECENT US WOMEN'S OPEN GOING THERE IN 2003. IT HAS SINCE HOSTED LPGA AND KORN FERRY TOUR EVENTS, BUT THIS WEEK IT TAKES THE GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT AS LIV GOLF VISITS FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND ONCE MORE IT COULD BE THE STAGE FOR ONE OF THE MOST VIEWED EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPORT.
LAST TIME OUT, IN THE FIRST EVER LIV GOLF EVENT, AT CENTURION CLUB IN ENGLAND, THE AUDIENCE FOR THE LIVE STREAMS AND HIGHLIGHTS ACROSS FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE CAME IN JUST SHY OF 3.6 MILLION, WHICH ABSOLUTELY TROUNCED THE PGA Tour AND DP WORLD TOUR EVENTS ALSO STREAMING ON YOUTUBE (IN THE UK). THIS WEEK THE EVENT AT PUMPKIN RIDGE HAS AN EVEN STRONGER FIELD, AND OF COURSE THE ENSUING COUPLE OF WEEKS HAVE SEEN ADDITIONAL SIGNINGS, ADDITIONAL COMMENT, CONTROVERSY AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORLD OF GOLF.
SO YOU WOULD EXPECT THIS EVENT TO HAVE A VIEWERSHIP ON A GLOBAL SCALE LIKE A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP. THE TIMINGS ALSO ENABLE MORE PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO WATCH ON THEIR TV, SMART PHONE, LAPTOP, MAC OR TABLET AT A CONVENIENT TIME. COVERAGE IN THE UK STARTS AT 9PM BST, 6am in Australia, 8am in New Zealand, 5pm in Rio de Janeiro, 3pm in Mexico City, 4pm in New York and 5am in Tokyo.
I AM CERTAIN THE USUAL PUNDITS WITH AN AFFILIATION TO THE ESTABLISHMENT WILL TRY AND FIND ANYWAY POSSIBLE TO DIMINISH THE AUDIENCE, BUT THIS COULD BE A HUGE MOMENT FOR THIS SPORT, IF LIV GOLF SUCCEEDS IN DRAWING A DECENT CROWD AND SIZEABLE AUDIENCE ON YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK THEN THE PGA Tour AND DP WORLD TOUR MAY HAVE SOME SERIOUS THINKING TO DO IN THE FUTURE.
SHANKMEDIA.CO.UK/LIVGOLF WILL HAVE DAILY REPORTS, IMAGES AND NEWS FROM THE COURSE, AND OPINION AND ANALYSIS FROM MATT HOOPER IN FIFE.
