When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
It’s been a busy last ten days or so with The Quadrilateral. Hope you’re enjoying and signed up, but if not today’s weekly News and Notes is another chance to sample the wares. I’ve got an item suggesting the matches were closer than they appeared, NBC’s (record low for a domestic Ryder Cup) ratings, a couple of USGA/U.S. Open items and an update from the R&A on The Open ticket ballot.
The PGA Tour, Farmers and CBS have wisely decided not to fight the behemoth that is the NFL, moving up the Farmers Insurance Open to a Saturday finish. In previous years the NFC and AFC Championship games finished the Sunday of the Hope/Clinton/Phil/Chrysler/Humana/Careerbuilder/AmEx. In one of the many mysteries to rule the day in Ponte Vedra, that event stubbornly stuck to its Sunday finish and rarely saw much of a final round audience.
With the NFL’s expanded schedule for 2020-21, the Championship games have been pushed into Farmers weekend, the traditional start of CBS’s broadcast schedule.
The full press release and note the initials NFL never appear:
2022 Farmers Insurance Open® will feature Saturday finish on CBS
CBS Sports’ 2022 kickoff event to run Wednesday-Saturday including evening finish
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA, AND SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The PGA TOUR and Farmers Insurance® – title sponsor of the Farmers Insurance Open since 2010 – announced that the Farmers Insurance Open will shift its tournament competition days to Wednesday-Saturday – January 26-29, 2022 – at Torrey Pines Golf Course. With a crowded sports weekend, the PGA TOUR, CBS, Farmers Insurance and the Century Club are excited to shift to a Saturday final round that will result in a Friday and Saturday evening viewing on the East Coast with finish times of 8 p.m. ET both days on CBS.
Golf Channel will carry the opening two rounds on Wednesday and Thursday (January 26-27). The final two rounds will be played Friday and Saturday (January 28-29), with more than six hours of coverage on CBS. Lead-in coverage on Friday and Saturday will be broadcast by Golf Channel.
Additionally, the diversity-focused Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour’s (APGA) Farmers Insurance® Invitational, now in its third consecutive year playing, will expand to two rounds, with round one being played on Saturday, January 29, on the North Course at Torrey Pines Golf Course. The final round will be held Sunday, January 30, on the South Course and will be broadcast live on Golf Channel, marking the first time an APGA Tour event will be televised.
“We appreciate Farmers Insurance’s collaboration and innovative thinking with this shift in competition days,” said PGA TOUR President and EVP Tyler Dennis. “The PGA TOUR’s first network event of 2022 wrapping up on Saturday combined with football games the following day will create an action-packed weekend for sports fans. Farmers Insurance has also shown extraordinary commitment to diversity in our game, and we are thrilled with the expansion of the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational which will include Golf Channel coverage of the final round.”
As a California-based organization, Farmers Insurance initially committed to sponsor the 2010 tournament just 10 days before the opening round and just months after arriving in the San Diego community in response to devastating wildfires. Nearly a decade later, disaster resilience continues to be an important component of the business and community efforts of Farmers®, while the focus on diversity and inclusion has grown.
“Over the course of more than 10 years serving as the Farmers Insurance Open’s title sponsor, the Farmers team has worked with the Century Club and PGA TOUR to evolve and grow the tournament’s impact on the game of golf, and in the San Diego community,” said Farmers Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Joye. “As we approach the 2022 event, we’re proud to continue our sponsorship and look forward to hosting the APGA Tour’s first-ever nationally televised event.”
“The teamwork, flexibility and creativity exhibited by the PGA TOUR and Farmers Insurance to adapt the schedule for a Saturday finish was outstanding,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports. “For over a decade the Farmers Insurance Open has launched our season. Thanks to our terrific relationships, our viewers are in for a fantastic sports weekend on CBS with golf, football and college basketball.”
“There is tremendous interest and momentum on the APGA Tour as we continue our mission to prepare African Americans and other minority golfers to compete and win at the highest level of professional golf,” said APGA Tour CEO Ken Bentley. “Farmers Insurance has been a founding and consistent supporter of our efforts for several years. The opportunities, connections and exposure that we already received through the Farmers Insurance Invitational being held the same week at the same venue as the PGA TOUR were already tremendous for the development of our Tour and our players. With today’s announcement of a 36-hole event with a final round on Torrey Pines’ South Course that includes our first live broadcast on the Golf Channel, we couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for the effort and support from the Farmers team, the Century Club, the PGA TOUR and Golf Channel. The Farmers Insurance Invitational will be a fantastic showcase of the talented players on the APGA Tour and their stories of perseverance and determination.”
“We’re proud to present the first-ever national telecast of an Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour event with the Farmers Insurance® Invitational next January on GOLF Channel,” said Tom Knapp, EVP, Partnerships and Programming, NBC Sports. “NBC Sports and GOLF Channel are committed to growing the game of golf and utilizing our platforms to help the sport become more diverse and inclusive. We’re excited to showcase the competition on the APGA Tour and provide a national platform for the Tour and its players.”
In collaboration with Farmers, the Century Club has contributed more than $15 million to deserving organizations benefiting at-risk youth through the tournament since 2010. Patrick Reed, who claimed a five-stroke victory in 2021 at the Farmers Insurance Open, is expected to defend his title in 2022.
Television ratings for the 2021 Ryder Cup are in and they’re solid given a number of factors.
These were the first matches played this century without Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson
It was Sunday runaway going up against some stellar NFL action
The Friday to Sunday broadcast windows were all 11, 10 and six hours
Plenty of cords have been cut since the last domestic playing and almost all ratings are down
Final day audiences increased from the 2018 edition at Le Golf National where Europe won handily.
Sunday’s final day at Whistling Straits drew a 2.14/3.5 million total audience. That’s up from a 1.8/2.67m in 2018 but down from a 2016 final day 2.7/4.27m.
The 2012 final day at Medinah drew a 3.8/5.5 million average viewers) over a similar six hour window as recent Cups.
Showbuzzdaily.com has all the numbers here.
The Friday increase for Friday’s action is solid given the decline in homes reached for Golf Channel compared to five years ago:
Day 1 #RyderCup ratings:
— Golf Channel PR (@GolfChannelPR) September 25, 2021
- Most-watched @GolfChannel weekday telecast on record, averaging a Total Audience Delivery of approx. 1.5 million viewers (8:30 a-6:56p ET)
- Viewership up 16% vs. Day 1 in 2016 (last domestic Ryder Cup)
- Peak of 2.1+ million viewers at 6:45 p ET pic.twitter.com/wVMf7jJphy
Friday in 2018 on Golf Channel averaged 765k viewers but also started at 2 am ET.
In 2016, previously touted as the most watched weekday for Golf Channel, Ryder Cup coverage posted 1.3 million average viewers per minute and a 0.94 rating in 11 hours of coverage, nearly identical to this year’s .93 but can attribute the 16% rise presumably to additional streaming numbers.
Not so hot was Thursday’s Opening Ceremony, which drew a .13 and average of 209,000 viewers. So not far off from a fall PGA Tour final round.
Back again with the Quadrilateral’s version of winner and losers from the Ryder Cup.
This one is open to all courtesy of my loyal paying subscribers because they’re just that nice.
More to come in a busy Quad week with my version of winners and losers and a good excuse to talk Ryder Cup venues and this week’s Alfred Dunhill, host, the Old Course.
Reviewing Saturday's wild action and brouhahas. Plus, a look at Sunday Singles along with a few telecast notes. As is the case, this one is for paid subscribers but you’re always welcome to sign up, get some free issues or pay and not miss an issue of The Quadrilateral.
Whew, I’m exhausted! That was one wild and crazy Saturday but is anyone surprised?
Longtime readers know we’ve been through many ups and downs over Yale Golf Course, which, despite the university in question and many other factors that should prevent its masterful CB Macdonald/Seth Raynor design from ever falling into disrepair, has been a total soap opera. It’s doubly painful since the course hosts tournaments and has actually been a more affordable option for good players in the area.
Finally, after horrible changes by Roger Rulewich and overall decline, an agreement has been reached to do a proper restoration. Bradley Klein reports on Gil Hanse getting the gig to rejuvenate Yale Golf Course.
The foursomes are set for bright and early Friday morning with few surprises but some absolutely juicy match-ups.
It’s been three years but the most lively three days of golf have arrived. Enjoy the Cup!
Any creative, slightly bizarre original piece from the European Tour social team in advance of the matches:
Out of Context Ryder Cup 🤣#TeamEurope #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/oogrZ5Wp0s
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 22, 2021
I tried to take a more measured approach to the issue of potential fan behavior questions looming at this Ryder Cup, while the Irish Times’ Dave Hannigan went the full takedown route for poor fan behavior in golf and in particular, the Ryder Cup.
And what would a Ryder Cup be with out some grievance airing from overseas!
Theories explaining declining standards of behaviour and an increasing absence of decorum around tee-boxes and greens are manifold. Some say it is the increased availability of drink that is fuelling these miscreants. As if free booze had never been poured in a corporate tent on a course until recently. Others, including the PGA Tour commissioner, reckon the disruptive carry-on is the inevitable consequence of the sport drawing a younger demographic. Too many testosterone-driven lads think they are at a college grid-iron game and act accordingly.
Like mistaken Thatcherite generalisations about English football hooligans all being disenfranchised lumpenproles rather than white-collar weekend warriors, the evidence suggests otherwise. Plenty of those shouting “get in the bunker” or “Brooksie!” in mid-swing are actually prosperous middle-aged men getting their inner lout on.
This is a free edition for all subscribers so sign on up and check out what I’ve been filing from Kohler.
Yet more brilliance by the European Tour’s social team following up on Thomas Bjorn’s tattoo pledge if his team won the 2018 Ryder Cup. I’m not sure this was the location his players hand in mind but it’ll do…
A promise made. A promise kept 🖊#TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/nWp9EfRJEL
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) December 24, 2018
An unbylined Arab News story reports on Golf Saudi moving from the European Tour—where it was once a cherished “get” for Chief Executive Keith Pelley—to the Asian Tour for 10 years. The subtext will involve how this impacts the Asian Tour, the Saudi effort to disrupt pro golf via a ripped-poff version of the Premier Golf League concept, and what players might show up to cash a check.
From the story:
“Today marks a significant development for our flagship golf event and our vision to strengthen the depth of world-class golf events, both in the GCC and also on the international stage,” said Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation.
“The importance and potential of Asia’s role in world golf is undeniable, not least due to its position as a global economic powerhouse,” he said, adding: “This partnership will unlock many opportunities for players, sponsors and fans of the game. Most importantly, we are eager to help build a more inclusive game for all eligible professional golfers that spans borders and cultures by fostering collaboration with major tours and see this as an exciting first step on that journey.”
You want wrap around, something has to pay.
That and some more research is needed to see just how historically awful the PGA Tour’s “Fortinet Championship” ratings were, but as far as season openers go it’s hard to imagine even the old Safeway or fall events of recent years failed to write for three days until a final round .03/330,000 average viewers.
Going against the NFL and it’s incredible season start will always be tough sledding, but to see what people watched in larger numbers than what was an interesting final round won by Max Homa, suggests something deeper going on. Namely, Golf Channel reaching fewer and fewer homes while all but giving up on promoting the “product”.
It’s alarming given the Fortinet was the beginning of the PGA Tour’s new nine year contract with the Comcast owned network.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
