I Guess That's Where The Tour Stands...

Oh I know there's all that legal mumbo-jumbo at the end of the PGA Tour's junk emails (which I so enjoy receiving) about not being responsible for an "advertiser's content." But I also bet the lawyers and VP's could say no to an ad campaign that puts the PGA Tour in an uncomfortable position.

Apparently the Titleist NXT ads, which were very funny for about a year--unfortunately that was three years ago--do not concern the PGA Tour, even though they are part of a campaign suggesting that proponents of equipment regulation are uh, batty!

(click to enlarge) 

R.W. Eaks Becomes Least Famous Man Over 55 To Win A PGA Tour-Sponsored Event...

In light of last week's PGA Tour press release on Jason Day becoming the youngest-ever winner of a "Tour-sponsored" event, I'm awaiting a release on R.W. Eaks' win at last week's Champions Tour tourney, but failing that, perhaps they'll at least send out a release on Daniel Summerhays becoming the first amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event.

Day Becomes Youngest Winner Of Non-PGA Tour PGA Tour-Sponsored Event

In all the euphoria over Monty's win last weekend, a reader noted that I failed to highlight the non-history making moment when the PGA Tour noted that Jason Day became the youngest player to win a "Tour-sponsored" event.

Chalk up another victory for an Australian on the Nationwide Tour, with 19-year-old Jason Day making history on Sunday by becoming the youngest player to win a PGA TOUR-sponsored event.

Okay fine...until this...

Day, at 19 years, seven months and 26 days, surpasses the previous youngest players to win on the two Tours -- including Johnny McDermott's (19 years, 10 months) win at the 1911 U.S. Open and James Oh's (21 years, 5 months and 27 days) victory at the 2003 Mark Christopher Charity Classic.

"To win at the age of 19 is a great accomplishment," said Day, who is also the Tour's youngest player. "This goes down in history. It is a great achievement to be the Tour's youngest winner."

Yes, that's right, we're retoractively lumping his win in with a U.S. Open win that wasn't even "Tour-sponsored" with the Nationwide Tour.

The guys are good!

"The First Tee or some other charity should own the U.S. Open."

I think Joe Ogilvie needs to stop drinking that special fruit punch they're serving him at PGA Tour Policy Board meetings. In a USA Today Q&A with Jerry Potter:

On the U.S. Golf Association …

"It shouldn't own golf tournaments, especially at the professional level. It should worry about the rules of golf. It has lost total concept of what it's about. The PGA of America is the backbone of golf. Their pros teach the game. The PGA Tour pros are the ones the fans are following. The First Tee or some other charity should own the U.S. Open."

Hey, and maybe PGA Tour Championship Management can manage it...pro-bono of course.

On the PGA Tour …

"It's the face of the game, but we don't get credit for what we do. The NFL gets recognition for the United Way, but we gave over $100 million to charity this year. (Fans don't) know the difference between the PGA Tour and the PGA of America."

And sometimes certain really prominent newspapers and magazines don't either!

On the equipment controversy …

"You don't need bifurcation of the rules because the average player needs to play the same equipment we play. If they (USGA) change the grooves, we'll have to wait and see what the effects are. They say it won't affect the average amateur, but should they make rules based on what the best players in the world can do? … The USGA worries too much about 200 guys in the world and how they play golf. We're supposed to be the best at what we do."

Now wait Joe. The average player needs to play the same equipment you play? And why is that? Do they get the same benefits you do? Come on!

On drug testing in golf …

"I don't think you need it. Golfers have always called penalties on themselves, and using steroids is cheating. The penalty for cheating is so severe you would be dead. The Tour would suspend you for life, and no company would want to sponsor you."

The Commissioner could not have said it better himself. 

"‘What we’re trying to do, like all other championship courses, is modernize it and fit it to today’s golfers"

Chay Rao looks at TPC Avenel's pending renovation and featured this from course superintendent Chad Adcock.

‘‘It will be a much better layout,” Adcock said. ‘‘I know that Tiger said that he would like to stay at Congressional, but if they can’t host the [AT&T National] in ’09 and ’11, and they look for another venue, we would like to be that venue.

‘‘I know that the membership here was proud of their Tour stop, and was disappointed to lose it,” he said. ‘‘They want it back.”

One of the major changes to the course will be to its ability to handle extreme weather.

‘‘We are going to restore Rock Run Stream [which runs through the course] to the size and status that it had a few hundred years ago,” Adcock said. ‘‘We are also going to add about 12 to 14 acres of wetlands, so that the course can handle the once-in-a-generation storm, like the one we had last year.”

The PGA Tour has set aside $20 million to make extensive changes to a course that has received poor reviews from several PGA Tour players since it opened in 1987. The Booz Allen Classic — once known as the Kemper Open and FBR Capital Classic for a year — was held at Avenel annually from 1987 to 2006 with the exception of 2005.

Due to the lack of enthusiasm, Avenel’s signature event, the Booz Allen Classic, failed each year to draw many of the top players in golf. That lack of star power was one of the contributing factors to the tournament’s demise.

‘‘The game changed considerably over the last 20 years,” Dennis Ingram, the former superintendent at Avenel told The Gazette last year. ‘‘The landing areas, as they were designed to be, are basically obsolete. ... It becomes an unfair advantage for longer players versus the normal players.

‘‘What we’re trying to do, like all other championship courses, is modernize it and fit it to today’s golfers,” he said.

$20 million in part because these guys had to go and be better athletes! Glad that steroid testing will be starting soon.

“Pairing our players with well-known champions from other sports and seeking their playoffs advice allows us to demonstrate this point in a humorous, memorable and effective way."

 At least we were warned...

PGA TOUR STARS AND OTHER SPORTS LEGENDS FEATURED IN AD CAMPAIGN FOR FIRST-EVER PGA TOUR PLAYOFFS FOR THE FEDEXCUP

Tiger Woods Ad Highlights Campaign; Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia
Star in Spots with Jerome Bettis, Phil Simms and Albert Pujols

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL (June 25, 2007) – The PGA TOUR begins to roll out a humorous, star-studded ad campaign this week to promote the first-ever PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, which comprise four tournaments beginning August 23 and concluding September 16. The new ads will feature four of golf’s biggest names – Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia – alongside three playoff heroes from other sports: 1987 Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, 2006 Super Bowl Champion Jerome Bettis and 2006 World Series Champion and 2005 National League MVP Albert Pujols.

“I thought it was kind of nice that Jim came to me for advice,” said Bettis, now an NBC Sports analyst who stars with Furyk. “He didn’t seem interested in any swing tips from me, but winning big in the playoffs - I know a little something about that.”

“Late this summer, our players will experience the excitement, pressure and drama of a true ‘playoffs’ for the very first time and we wanted to put that into perspective for our fans,” said Ric Clarson, PGA TOUR SVP, Brand Marketing. “Pairing our players with well-known champions from other sports and seeking their playoffs advice allows us to demonstrate this point in a humorous, memorable and effective way."

The four 30-second spots, created by the PGA TOUR and its advertising agency, GSD&M of Austin, TX, will air during network and cable golf telecasts, and in other sports programming on CBS, NBC and GOLF CHANNEL. The Playoff ads are the culmination of a year-long campaign focused on promoting the inaugural FedExCup, a season-long points competition. The $40 million campaign has been supported by print, online and radio executions throughout the season and featured Tiger Woods’ PGA TOUR advertising debut earlier this year.

Woods once again shows off his creative side as he headlines this new set of ads in a spot called “Whistle.” In the ad, Tiger is seen lacing up his spikes and exiting a locker room while whistling the popular sports anthem “Eye of the Tiger,” made famous by the 1982 film Rocky III.

“This is a thrilling time in golf and these spots truly illustrate the excitement of the Playoffs while having fun at the same time,” said Roy Spence, Founder and President of GSD&M. The campaign also includes:

PRE-GAME MEAL – Super Bowl champ and former Pittsburgh Steelers star Jerome Bettis explains to Pennsylvania native Jim Furyk that the key to performing well in the Playoffs is a proper pre-game meal.

GAME FACE – St. Louis Cardinals slugger and 2005 National League MVP Albert Pujols shows six-time PGA TOUR winner Sergio Garcia how to put on an intimidating game face for the Playoffs.

PREPARATION – Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms offers tips to two-time U.S. Open Champion Ernie Els on how to get psyched up for a big playoff game.

These three ads are now available to view at: http://www.pgatour.com/media/playoff/commercials/. The Tiger Woods spot will be available next week.

Trump National Fresno?

Yes, that's how desperate The Donald is to get in bed with the PGA Tour.

Scott Hamilton talks to Trump about his possible interest in taking over the failed Running Horse project and securing a "Fall Finish" event.

“I build real large buildings and we’ve had some great success in golf,” Trump said. “But I don’t want to be a Club Corp – I just want to have great courses. . . . I’m only looking to do the really prestigious courses. I think we could make (Running Horse) that, but it’s still got a long way to go."

Where's The Brand Consistency?

Or is it brand synergy?

I don't know about you, but I see major cross-pollination and brand contamination issues here...

For immediate release: Tuesday, June 5, 2007

THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center grand opening set for June 8

(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) -- THE PLAYERS Championship and St. Johns County are proud to announce the grand opening of THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center in Ponte Vedra Beach on Friday, June 8. THE PLAYERS committed $300,000 to help construct a new 10,000 square foot facility located off County Road 210 and Landrum Lane in Palm Valley.

Shouldn't that be THE PLAYERS Community CHAMPION Center? Or Champions? That way they make the uh, successfully aged, feel compelled to watch? (Oh, sorry, the successful aging concept isn't mine. Read on...)

Less than 10 minutes from TPC Sawgrass, the new center will serve seniors and the entire community of St. Johns County. “Thanks to the SJCCOA, THE PLAYERS, the Board of County Commissioners and the County Recreation and Parks Department this is truly just the beginning of a dynamic, responsive and successful partnership,” said Cathy Brown, Executive Director for the St. Johns County Council on Aging.

THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center is equipped with an art room, library, computer lab, exercise room, restaurant-sized kitchen, wrap around veranda and a meeting area with space for 100 people for community gatherings and events.

“Seniors are a vital component of Florida’s rich heritage,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center is a great example of a public-private partnership that reinforces our state’s commitment to creating and expanding opportunities for Florida’s seniors to live active and enriched lives.”

“Many of the volunteers who donate their time to THE PLAYERS Championship are seniors,” said Brian Goin, executive director of THE PLAYERS. “Their efforts and support of the tournament allow us to improve the quality of life for them and the entire St. Johns County community.”

Ah now the picture becomes complete. This is where tomorrow's THE PLAYERS marshalls will be reared!

The Center will offer educational classes, physical fitness, intellectual stimulation, socialization and entertainment.

“THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center is the end result of our combined dreams and visions and would not have been possible without a true understanding of what "successful aging" can and should mean in a society so accustomed to focusing on youth,” said Brown. “To have this level of participation and commitment from both THE PLAYERS organization and from the Board of County Commissioners is truly extraordinary.”

Avenel Redo Update

Leonard Shapiro reports in the Washington Post that the TPC Avenel redo is still going to be pricey:

At the moment, the course is getting permits approved. The next step is a meeting before the planning board on July 12.

The PGA Tour, Sullivan said, has set the money aside. They'll pour $8 million into the clubhouse, including expansions to dining areas, upgrading locker rooms and new fixtures and furniture. Another $12 million will go into the course, with what Sullivan described as "significant changes in design of tee boxes, bunkers and green complexes, as well as all new bentgrass on the fairways and greens."

$12 million for an existing course! Amazing. 

"Certainly it won't be a World Tour--that's far too grand for me to come up with--but there might be a name change."

It looks like a couple of startling developments on this idea of the European Tour becoming a World Tour.

First this, thanks to reader Four-putt, which I missed over the weekend and was certainly a lot more interesting from George O'Grady's mouth than his Tiger-comes-to-Dunhill nonsense:

"The idea of amalgamating with other tours to put on a really attractive schedule, by whatever name we call it, is one that we are in the final stages of refining," European Tour executive director George O'Grady said Sunday.

"Certainly it won't be a World Tour -- that's far too grand for me to come up with -- but there might be a name change."

Fast forward...

"We're the European Tour and we're working with all our partners to make, I would say, a hugely strong alternative to the PGA Tour," O'Grady said.

AP's Doug Ferguson then looks at the escalating rhetoric between the Tours and drops this:

Ed Moorhouse, co-chief operating officer at the PGA Tour, recalls preliminary talks about a WGC event the week before or after the British Open, but it never got beyond that.

"It's fair to say we didn't go into a lot of details because it was fairly obvious they didn't want to entertain a WGC in Europe," Waters said in a telephone interview. "It was most disappointing."

The tournament that got most of the attention was Loch Lomond, home of the Barclays Scottish Open held a week before the British Open. Loch Lomond was interested, and Waters said he was certain Barclays would have been willing to up the ante.

One reason the PGA Tour balked was it had obligations to the John Deere Classic, held the same week in Illinois.

That's why the federation has run its course. It's hard to take it seriously when Finchem, who heads up the federation, has too many competing interests.

Whoa Nellie! Yes, Mr. Ferguson just declared the federation of Tours co-sponsorting the WGC's dead in the water.

Is it conceivable thatl the Euro/World Tour will pull out of the WGC sanctioning?

Frankly, I can't see how the WGC's are good for the game in any way at this point other than for making the top players a lot more money. 

And frankly part 2, wouldn't this all have been avoided if the WGC events were actually played outside of the United States on occasion?  

"The PGA Tour flatly refused to consider them."

Thanks to reader Mary for this Douglas Lowe story on the growing divide between the European Tour and the PGA Tour, which will probably be growing just a bit more after this quote:

In response to Singh's suggestion of making the PGA a WGC, Keith Waters, the European Tour's director of international policy, said: "We offered one or two events we considered suitable to be WGC tournaments, but the PGA Tour flatly refused to consider them."

It is that kind of non-co-operation born of stifling self-interest that could hasten a polarisation between America and the rest of the world. Padraig Harrington was talking last week of how all the world tours outside the US should unite in order to compete and survive.

Which I think is a questionable point in light of the continued strength of fields in the "have" events. But I Lowe's other point is a good one:

The European Tour, in any case, have been moving in recent years towards world status with co-sanctioned events in Asia, South Africa, Australasia and the Middle-East. It would need only to crank that up a notch or two by including Japan and upgrade tournaments such as the South Africa Open and Australian Open.

"PGATour.com Drives Record Numbers"

Is it me or do these numbers sound inflated high? 3.2 million unique visitors? Did that many people watch on television!? Or, to put it another way, why didn't millions more watch based on these numbers?
 

PGATOUR.com Drives Record Numbers

Fans flock to PGATOUR.com’s exclusive LIVE@ THE PLAYERS coverage of the famous 17^th hole at TPC Sawgrass

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL -- PGATOUR.com’s exclusive live coverage of the competition set records for the LIVE@ series. Golf fans have embraced the LIVE@ series, PGATOUR.com’s free, live video streaming coverage of every shot from a signature hole at top PGA TOUR events. PGATOUR.com’s LIVE@ THE PLAYERS streamed all the action from the legendary 17^th island hole from THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Results from the week include:

• Over 1.1 million video streams for LIVE@ THE PLAYERS, at an average duration of 25 minutes
• Over 3.2 million unique users and 4.7 million visits, generating over 70 million page views, all up from 2006
• Nearly 2.2 million video starts
  

“This is exciting news for us. These figures demonstrate that PGATOUR.com is a mainstream medium for event coverage; there is a significant fan value for compelling online tournament coverage,” said Lee Bushkell, General Manager, PGATOUR.com. “PGATOUR.com provided over 40 hours of exclusive live coverage of THE PLAYERS, complementing the PGA TOUR’s expanded television coverage on GOLF Channel and NBC.”

“The success of LIVE@THE PLAYERS further establishes the public’s desire for compelling and cutting-edge sports coverage online,” said Scott Bailey, VP/GM of Turner Sports New Media.  “We’re thrilled with the success of LIVE@THE PLAYERS and look forward to continued growth throughout the remainder of the LIVE@ series.” 

LIVE@ THE PLAYERS is the fourth of 10 scheduled LIVE@ series events in 2007. The next LIVE@ series event will be LIVE@ the Memorial, highlighting Muirfield Village Golf Club’s 12^th hole, May 31-June 3. Other scheduled events include LIVE@ The Buick Open and all four events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. “PGATOUR.com is all about the fans, and the site’s continued growth shows that we are providing quality coverage that enhances their golf experience,” said Bushkell.

"The two parties love to squalk about each other"

The Journal News' Sam Weinman has a good feel for the Westchester CC-PGA Tour situation, and blogs about it and about being slightly scooped by Damon Hack in the New York Times:

I’ve been following the tour’s tenuous relationship with Westchester pretty much since I started writing about golf in the late 90s, and the same fundamentals still apply. The two parties love to squalk about each other—Westchester members lamenting the inconvenience of the event, the tour lamenting Westchester’s high-maintenance membership—and yet they can’t seem to live without each other.

In some ways, this deal is a match made in heaven. Westchester still has the prestige of hosting a PGA Tour event (a FedEx Cup playoff event no less!), but doesn’t have to do it on an annual basis. Meanwhile the tour can try to capitalize on other pockets of the New York market—I haven’t been to Liberty National but I’ve only heard good things—but can also consistently return to a traditional venue that many of its players still revere.

It seems the Tour's strategy is not to get away from Westchester or the Western but to give the playoffs more excitement by injecting fresh venues. I like the idea of placing an emphasis on architecture and varying setups, though I could also see the merits of returning to the same courses each year too in order to build "tradition." Thoughts?

"The golf course was built with hospitality in mind"

Damon Hack, quoting Tim Finchem on the Barclay's "playoff" event moving from Westchester to Liberty National in 2009:

“With camera angles, 4,000 feet on the water and the Statue of Liberty very much a part of the landscape, it will look more like New York to the rest of the country when it’s on television. The golf course was built with hospitality in mind, and I think it will be a nice move in 2009.”

I've always said, strategy, greens, angles mean nothign if you don't build with hospitality in mind! And from Bob Cupp, with modesty:

“Players, deep down, love to compete on hard golf courses, and the Tour likes to see 30-mile-an-hour winds,” Cupp said. “The course has places to make birdies and places to make a bunch of ‘others.’ It’s a course that has every shot.”

Oh they're going to love this!

Thanks to reader Michael for this. 

Slow Play Claiming More Victims?

Admittedly, I take some perverse pleasure in seeing how slow play is about to claim more victims, even though the problem is not entirely the fault of the players.

Still, as Doug Ferguson reports, the tepid pace of play on the PGA Tour may force a cut in the number of players teeing it up on the weekend check.

Now, the PGA Tour again is looking at changing the longtime policy that the top 70 and ties make the cut. Several alternatives were discussed last week by the Player Advisory Council, and it likely will come up at the tour policy board meeting at the end of the month.

Among the options:

-Top 60 players and ties.

-Top 65 players and ties.

-The nearest number to 70 players.

-Top 70 and ties, but if the number goes over 78, revert to nearest to 70.

-Top 70 and ties make the cut on Friday, and another cut on Saturday for top 70 and ties.

And your buried lede of the week...

One reason the cut policy is under review is to cope with pace of play. When a large number of players make the cut and bad weather is in the forecast, officials have little choice but to play in threesomes off both tees. That can really become a problem on the West Coast, where tournaments typically end at 3 p.m. for network television.

I wish Tiger had taken a slightly different stand...

Tiger Woods said he would favour top 60 and ties, no exceptions.

"Play better," he said. "Either you play better or you don't."

Or play faster? Or setup courses with a little less rough, fewer 2-paces-from-the-edge-holes and maybe the players stand a chance of picking up the pace?

Oh and do something with the ball so that the entire field can't reach every par-5 in two.