Masters' Infatuation With All Things Asia Becomes Officially Ridiculous

The exemption they gave Ryo Ishakawa was debatable, but at least he had won some decent tournaments. Last year's to Lliang Wen-Chong was also a bit of a stretch, but a nice gesture I suppose.

But giving a spot to an amateur tournament that has never been played, as they have announced in a weird joint R&A deal, is just nonsense when you consider that (A) the R&A is not exempting the winner to the Open Championship and (B) the winner of any number of amateur tournaments would be far more likely to provide a quality player with a chance of making the cut (NCAA Individual Champ before the coaches shortened it to 54-holes, the European Amateur, etc...).

I know, I know, those events don't sell TV rights to Asia like this will. Yada, yada.

Update on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 08:15 PM by Geoff

Bob Harig talks to Peter Dawson about the "ever-expanding" major fields and the sheer wonderfulness of this announcement.

Comments

[Lliang Wen-Chong]

Geoff,

It's not about TV rights; it's about GROWING THE GAME beyond it's traditional fan-base. It's good for the game.

Providing a spot for an Asian amateur has the potential to inspire generations of Asian players to pursue a game that would otherwise receive little support or attention.

I commend the membership and tournament committee of Augusta National and R&A.

[DQ]

Open your eyes, Geoff.

I take insult in you calling this 'ridiculous'. First of all, this is not an 'infatuation with all things Asia.' This an attempt to further globalize the game of golf.

Outside of Japan and Korea, golf gets little exposure in Asia, and this is a great way to generate interest in other Asian countries.

It's about time the PGA Tour and Major Championship Tournaments have more than just K.J. Choi as the lone, recognizable Asia-born player.

[Ponte Green]

You look a little churlish and petty on this one, Geoff.

It seems clever to me. No one can offer much money for and Am event (duh) but the Masters and R&A can offer spots in their tournaments. How often do we see the US Am winner say "and I'm thrilled to get a chance to play in the Masters."?

Augusta has the currency to make this a big deal for golf.

[HK Golfer]

Agree with the other comments that this is all very positive for golf in the region (I am based in Asia). But everyone seems to be missing the point that the guys here can really play. Just because the Japanese, Korean, Thais and increasingly Chinese don't play much amateur golf in the States, it doesn't mean they are second rate players. Not at all. OK, there maybe a little of the 'jumping on the Asian bandwagon' going on on the part of the R&A and The Masters, but the time is right and whoever earns a spot at Augusta is sure to be one heck of a player and a welcome addition to the tournament. Kudos to Messrs Dawson and Payne for realizing this. There's another thing to be said for the Masters' guys: there won't be any nonsense about players having to speak English at the tournament a la that lot running the LPGA Tour. As far as TV is concerned, surely the more viewers the better? Figures are stagnating in the States but rocketing in Asia. This announcement makes perfect sense from whatever angle you look at it.

[Ponte Green]

It seems pretty obvious that this will become the premier amateur event for every golfer between Hawaii and India. And Tasmania and the Aleutians.

If the winner comes from, say, Thailand or Malaysia, that golfer would be the most newsworthy citizen of the country for the week, right?

And then again as the player is followed by 260 local media types all the way to Augusta and his every action and utterance is breathlessly reported back home.

This is a pretty big deal. And the thing that makes it instantly important is the ticket to Augusta.

Wonder what they're thinking in Far Hills?

[FWIW]

Hey Geoff. I was going to mildly chastise you for poo-pooing this one, but I see that role has already been filled by several others. I too think the NCAA champ should get an invite (provided they remain amateur or graduate prior to turning pro), but there's nothing wrong with extending a hand to Asian amateurs as well. If it also helps the bottom line with TV rights, so what? Do you think the PGA Tour events that invited Michelle Wie were doing it because they thought she could win? There's plenty more room in the Masters tent and nobody gets pushed out by another amateur playing. And they'd still have to qualify to make it into the British. So kudos to both for the effort. Now if only they'd turn their attention to growing the game for women.

[Geoff]

Sorry guys, but I stand by my comments for one reason more than any other: this event does not exist yet!

For a "tradition unlike any other" that has always made it very difficult to qualify, they are creating an amateur qualifier. I think it's always great when they add an amateur spot to the field, but how about playing this think a few years before giving a precious spot away in the Masters?

It's also hugely embarrassing that the Open Championship did not give a spot in its field to the event. They obviously would like to see how it goes before taking the next step. The Lords of Augusta should have done the same.

And if they want to grow the game, they could start by presenting a tournament that makes golf look like it's fun and exciting, not a struggle.

[Papa Bing]

Sorry Geoff, but in the court of public opinion, you lose.

[GeorgeM]

I tend to agree with Geoff regarding the somewhat precipitous action.

I also question the event itself on 2 issues.
First, although the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation stretches from the Persian Gulf to Fiji and currently has 29 members, their championship is restricted to entrants from the member organizations. Neither the USGA nor the R&A amateur events have such restrictions. (Note: I agree with the ANGC not inviting the NCAA champion. Being a student at an NCAA college should not be a criteria.)

Second, eligibility will be determined by the "World Amateur Golf Ranking System." Does anyone outside the R&A know what this system is?

[Ponte Green]

Geoff,

The entire purpose of giving the invitation to the winner of this event is the make it a big deal from Day One. The idea is to NOT wait to see how it goes, but to establish the event in the first place. And a "precious spot in the Masters" does this in spades. And a spot in the Masters is theirs to give.

"It's also hugely embarrassing that the Open Championship did not give a spot in its field to the event." To whom? Why so?

"hugely embarrassing"? Really?

Seems pretty obvious that amateur golf just got an enormously important new event.

[DavidC]

They are giving an exemption to an event that has never been played? $trange and tran$parent what they are hoping for, me says.

[Geoff]

Ponte,
Embarrassing to the Masters folks that the R&A showed proper restraint by not initially giving a spot in the Open to this manufactured event in a region not known for an abundance of great amateur players.

[Ponte Green]

Looks to me like the R&A went as far as they could go. The Open is a completely different beast than the Masters and giving a place to this winner would take one from somewhere else. That would be hard.

Billy makes all the decisions at ANCC and he has a spot (or several, really) to give away without anyone questioning him. He also has little cachet in the international amateur sports world.

I bet he is not embarrassed. He probably feels sorry for Dawson.

Isn't the current US Am winner a Korean by way of New Zealand?

[The Constructivist]

Who's debating Ishikawa's invite? This kid is for real.

[Golden Bell]

How about a spot in The Masters for the Western Amateur winner as well? That's as hard or harder to win than the U.S. Am -- deeper field and a stroke / match play grind of eight rounds in five days.

[FWIW]

Thought I made this clear in the previous comment, but apparently not. There is a strong and valid reason why the R&A only went as far as giving a final qualifying spot and the Masters gave a tournament invite. There is a FINITE entry total for the Open Championship, and giving up one of them to somebody who is not officially parrticipating in an OPEN event (closed to only the Asian-Pacfic countries as of now) would have everyone legitimately crying foul. It's not embarrassing at all. Just common sense and fair play. The Masters can give 50 more free passes and still not reach the full-field limit of the other majors. So their giving up one spot immediately builds credibility and enthusiasm for this event. It's a no-brainer.

As for the NCAA champion, what is the problem with being an NCAA school athlete as a qualifier. Public Links participants must be members of public courses. Mid-Ams must be over a certain age. There are also sorts of qualifiers for everything. The NCAA champs have some of the best post-victory pedigrees out there (better than the British Am or PubLinks or Mid-Am).

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Golden Bell beat me to it. The Western Amateur champion absolutely should get into the Masters, especially if the champion of a nonexistent event will be invited. Plus, Billy Payne should go back to inviting the semi-finalists of the US Amateur. Not to mention the Walker Cup teams (from both sides this time) and the runner-up in the British Am. Not only that he should cut down those damned trees in the 11th fairway. They totally screwed up a prime vantage point.