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Wold Golf Matches

  • Posted by: Tar Heel
  • 5 Replies
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  • Tar Heel
     
    over 3 years ago

    Just thinking, since we're in the Solheim now and President's Cup is looming, about a new global competition. Here goes, so log in with your thoughts....

    Time for ALL golf to think about leveraging a global competition. President's Cup is intersting, but having the USA be in a big team competition each year is a pain. The tours are hurting for sponsors everywhere. The Ryder Cup is iconic, but it excludes parts of the "new global identity" of golf, meaning Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and South Africa. China is looming.

    My idea is that there be one single "winner take all event" held bi-annually. And to twist it a bit, it's a 3 Tour match, meaning PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour match. Now the Champions guys could vote out if they like, but I'd like to see them in the conversation. Then the selection criteria is the USA (all tours) versus the World (all tours). Teams would be 24 players, with criteria developed that would draw the top performers from each tour. The matches would be set up with ladies versus ladies and PGA guys versus PGA, etc. To spice it up there could be a match where in alternate shot for example, men and ladies could be paired. Picture Tiger and Michelle Wie on a team versus Sergio and Lorena Ochoa! How electric would that be! In the end, the profits could be equally distributed (based on # of players per tour) to the respective Tours for their distribution to charities.

    My rationale here is that dividing the golf landscape professionally is really tough. There is no other sport that has the type of set up as golf, where men, ladies, and seniors play on television and compete for sponsors dollars and television revenue. And these tours go up against the NBA, NASCAR, NHL, NFL, MLB, and every other sport out there. When you throw in Solheim, Ryder, Presidents, it's no wonder TV viewership starts to dwindle.

    Golf is now a totally global enterprise, with players from every corner of the globe. Once the olympics gets in on this pie, what will the result be for the Tours? I'm curious to see what the experts here think about our professionals considering this type of innovation to the annaul event structure? This could be so huge and really pump up the volumes for all of golf.

    What say you?
  • tim6918
     
    over 3 years ago

    This concept could have some merit.  I would assume that if Golf gets into the Olympics your idea is covered though.  The only thing different would be it would be contested every four years instead of every two.  Also, you wouldn't have the women and seniors involved.

    I like the idea of intertwining the three tours into one large competition.  I would like to see Paula Creamer compete alongside Tiger.  You might have to put this down on paper and submit it to Finchem.

    Tim
  • Tar Heel
     
    over 3 years ago

    Tim

    If golf gets in to the olympics it will be country versus country exclusively. Frankly, I think it's going to be tough to sort out the qualifying, and then (the big if), what pros are actually going to be otivated to play. My bet is that there is more "talk" about this right now than real heartfelt sincerity about participating. I heard Paul Tracy say he wanted to compete and win a gold medal, but in the same breath he said the Ryder Cup was the biggest thing to him.

    I am also looking at this as the best thing for golf in general. There really needs to one unifying body, much like the USTA. In tennis you have Wmbeldon, and both Men and Women play in the same venue. They don't have separate "majors." I'm not saying to combine the tours, but rather to bundle the marquee competitions that can become globally iconic matches.

    I just can't stop thinking about how a mens-womens macth would knock rating through the roof.

  • caddy13
    • 5993 points
    • Posts: 276
     
    over 3 years ago

    I think it would be sweet to watch Tiger and Creamer play Sergio and Petterson in a World Golf Match.  I think golf would get more viewers maybe.
  • Welch222
     
    over 3 years ago

    TarHeel, I do have to agree with you on the Olympics - fun in concept, and there's a ton of talk around it right now, but I'm guessing we wouldn't see the best players participate.  I think the 3-tour challenge set up, and is a really cool idea, but I worry that for the non-avid golf fan, it would be somewhat of a passing novelty. 

  • beej
     
    over 3 years ago

    Welch222

    TarHeel, I do have to agree with you on the Olympics - fun in concept, and there's a ton of talk around it right now, but I'm guessing we wouldn't see the best players participate.  I think the 3-tour challenge set up, and is a really cool idea, but I worry that for the non-avid golf fan, it would be somewhat of a passing novelty. 

    i tend to agree with your view of it being a passing novelty unless it were to be set up as one.  similar to the old SHELL WIDE WORLD OF GOLF format. get some pairings while they are not playing a tournament, set it up for some exotic course that the average joe can only dream about and play some kind of sixsome (pga, lpga and champions) event. alternate shot or best ball or combined score per team.  i think i could enjoy that format as a series for tv.