"The Tour Championship has got to be the last event of the year — it's got to."
Gary Van Sickle follows up with SI's infamous anonymous PGA Tour pro for a take on the FedEx Cup and Fall Series, and perhaps is echoing what many players are thinking.
SI: It doesn't seem like the Fall Series tournaments get much support from the Tour, especially with all the talk that the season ends with the FedEx Cup. The fall events don't count for FedEx Cup points and don't include an automatic Masters invite for the winners.
Anonymous Pro: It's perplexing to players. Nobody understands why the Tour treats the Fall Series so badly. I think finishing the season in November is still the way to go. Either move these fall events up earlier or make them count for something. The Tour Championship has got to be the last event of the year — it's got to. We've missed the boat. The fall events mean nothing except to the guys from 120 to 150 on the money list, and the public doesn't care about those guys.
Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 11:47 AM
Reader Comments (16)
How are you definining "The Tour" ? Tiger and Phil ? If that's your definition, then "The Tour" doesn't support MOST of the tournaments on the schedule. The Fall series sponsors pay the same fees to have the tournaments even though they have no shot at getting any of the top players - so these guys are playing for the same size purse as the rest of the season outside of the majors, WGC's, The Players, and a few invitationals.
Fed Ex Cup points ? DUH ! The FEC FINALE was two weeks ago. That's really dumb. The Masters invites by the money list and world rankings - the money and points both count toward Masters invitations. Did you not notice the bigger than usual smile on Matt Kuchar's face ?
Anonymous Pro ? Be serious. Does anybody believe this is anybody but Van Sickle trying to be cute without having to take the blame for his own thoughts ?
Pay attention, Gary. The Fall series does a few things. It gives players a few more weeks to secure their card for the next year. It gives The Tour a handful of "stand by" tournaments in case one of the regular tournaments craps out. And it gives TV and its sponsors a few more weeks to get their advertising in - to a smaller audience, but the commercials are out there. I'm sure there are more, but those three pop into my mind without a second blink. I'm sure you could come up with a few yourself with a little meditation on the idea.
The TOUR Championship has been diminished by:
1. Shifting it from the end of the year, and
2. Making if the finale for the FedEx Cup.
Both the TC and the Cup deserve their own place.
Move the TC back and make it for the top of the Money List.
Take the top 4 after the 3rd Playoff and put them in a 36 hole Cup finale.
This could be on Sunday IF:
The one week break was before instead of after the 3rd playoff and
the playoff started on Wednesday.
(If #2 starts on Friday why not start #3 on Wednesday?)
Even without the above changes there is no reason why points for the Cup could not be earned in ALL events played after the previous winner is decided.
WHY doesn't the public "care about these guys?" In the 1920's, 30's, & 40's even the least of the professionals were putting on exhibitions and matches that the public both supported and many even took off work to attend, this at a time when every penny meant real food.
The problem is that the PGA & the media has promioted the "stars" to such an extreme extent that the average PGA Tour player, who is truly outstanding and a superb player by the way and is well worth the effort of watching and interacting with, has bought into the idea that they aren't. It is time that these players take a long look toward how they should go about growing their own image as a player and a group. This is NOT simply one of winning, but rather is one of promotion.
People across America by the millions follow and root for the great baseball players of the major league. Yet they also support, root for and follow the careers of numkbers of relatively little-known minor leaguers, to the extent that their teams and the players are integral to both community and region.
I have suggested in the past that the PGA Tour REQUIRE every player to pertform in at least two exhibition matches a year that they DON'T get paid fopr. These matches should be held AWAY from that week's Tour event. Get their sponsors involved and it can become a major PR & marketing success for EVERYONE invovled, but most importantly for the players themselves. No one roots for a player more than someone who has been touched by them in any way...
Sorry to borrow this, but it is time for them to "Reach Out and Touch Someone"... This would have a major impact, not only on the Fall series but ALL of the events sponsored by the PGA Tour and even others...
Getting to know these up and comers during the fall season is awesome...at least in my eyes.
Later!
Phil, those are some interesting ideas, but honestly, the players don't need big charity events to be more personalable with the fans. I read Stewart Cink's twitter account pretty regularly. Its not that I'm a huge Stewart Cink fan, but he does take the time to answer questions from readers (even if some are pretty lame and often recommends Nike products), and it seems pretty genuine. He had a series of pictures of "Where's Waldo" with the Claret Jug which were great.
Geoff - if I forget to say it from time to time - this is a fantastic site. Thought provoking and fun with all kinds of viewpoints. Appreciate your work.
Either way, I don't feel to badly for the players. They are making extra money in the fall and getting to play lift, clean, and cheat (I played one of the Turning Stone courses on Saturday--you can play the ball down). Furthermore, a win in the fall can still jumpstart a PGA Tour career--see Dustin Johnson's win at Turning Stone for evidence.
For the majority of just sports and golf fans (not golf nuts), golf is probably over after the PGA Championship.
FedEx Cup is an attempt to extend the season, grab another hugh chuck of cash, and end the season on the terms of the PGATour.
Being old school golf nut, after the last major, it is all about top 125.
Maybe I'll warm up to the FedEx Cup.
Phil has some good ideas, but anything 'new' that is also 'mandatory' on the PGA Tour probably won't fly. Maybe golf writers should donate all earnings to charity after the last major. Just asking.
We get paid so little that the charity would take pity and give it right back...
Funny how a second tier spectator league is somehow expected to sustain a 9-10 month season. I see half the season as a series of events for die hard viewers which I suppose contribute to some degree to the profit lines of most of those involved. I know with the FedEx Cup they are trying to milk golf for every last cent but I think they are eventually doomed to fail.