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What If There Really Was A PGA Championship?

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Golf bracket
Could a 64-player bracket work in golf?

One of the greatest periods of time for a sports fan is just around the corner…March Madness. Pretty much everything about the tournament is exactly what sports fans are looking for. All the top teams, the upsets, the “Cinderellas” and, of course, the brackets.

The NCAA Tournament is one of the greatest ways to decide a champion of a particular sport. 68 teams get one game against a particular team. One shot to move onto the next round. Win six (or seven) in a row, and you’re the champ. Anyone can play anyone. Perennial powers play the small schools…upsets happen. It’s great!

Now what if this particular format was brought into the PGA Tour? What if a tournament billed as a “championship” actually was? What if there was a way to finish the season, without a ranking list or anything based on money, to determine a clear-cut champ? It sounds like the way to go if you ask me!

Wait…what? They already do this? The Accenture Match-Play Championship? How is this NOT the be all and end all?! This needs to replace the PGA Championship!

As it stands now, the PGA Championship is really just another tournament. OK, it’s a major. But in effect, it’s just another tournament. When I hear “championship,” that’s exactly what I expect it to be. It should take up two weekends and should determine an actual champion! So in another attempt to come up with ideas to make viewership and interest in this sport greater, I propose the fourth major to be held at the end of the season and be renamed The PGA Tournament Championship.

Think about that. You take the top 64 golfers in the world and pair them up by seed – #1 vs. #64, #2 vs. #63, etc., just like the Match-Play Championship. The tournament is held over a four day span as usual. However, by the time Sunday afternoon rolls around, only four golfers remain – The Final Four. The following weekend, the final four matchup. Thursday and Friday could be two one-on-one matchups, aggregate score wins each. Saturday and Sunday, the two remaining seeds face each other in the actual championship, again with aggregate score winning. I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a winner to me!

I’m not sure exactly how you figure out the seedings – World Golf Rankings, PGA Tour money list, who knows. Hey, it’s not perfect and would need to have some details hammered out. But its got its strong points. For starters, it’s an actual Championship in the truest sense of the word. It’s exciting – every matchup matters. And perhaps just as important (and the PGA would probably never want to admit it but it’s true), is the gambling aspect. Bringing in a bracket system for fans to fill out like the NCAA basketball tournament creates even further meaning for fans. Now, every fan has a vested interest in the tournament.

The more I think about it, the more I feel it’s a winner. A tournament such as the match-play championship belongs at the end of the season, and a tournament set up as such deserves not only to be a major, but to be THE major.

Every sport needs a championship game. Golf is no different. Who wants a #1 player based on some ranking system, or worse yet, based on earnings! Battle it out on the course. In the end…the one true champion will be the one still standing.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Off-Season? Golf Has An Off-Season?

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Can someone please help me out with a few things here? Is the golf season officially underway right now? Are there actual tournaments going on? Didn’t the 2010 season just end? I swear I just saw something about Steve Stricker tied for the lead in a tournament.

How is this possible? Why would this be happening right now? I think what I’m saying is, it’s no wonder there are fewer and fewer people golfing or taking up the game of golf every year. Golf has just about everything going against it right now.

The first problem is; I had no idea there were any tournaments even happening! I’m sure many of you who are reading this were well-aware that golf was underway. But not me. I’m sure I’ve made it clear by now I am a very casual golf fan. Playing golf…sure! Watching golf…ehh….not so much. But when a golf tournament is competing with the NFL playoffs? I’m sorry, but out of 100 times, the golf tournament will lose 101. How can the PGA golf season kick-off during the most important time of the largest spectator sport (TV-viewer wise) in the country?! Seriously now…there is no possible way they are gaining any new viewers. Next thing you know, they’ll have a final round going on during the Super Bowl!

Second; When exactly did last season end? And when did this season begin? Was there really even an off-season? If so, how long was it…a month? See? This is another problem. The season is just too damn long and filled with too many meaningless tournaments that don’t get promoted properly. It’s like baseball season: Is it really necessary to play for six months then have another month of playoffs? Does it really take 162 games to figure out who belongs in the playoffs? Couldn’t the same be determined in, say, 100 games? You get kind of psyched up for baseball at the beginning of the year, then it’s blah for four months before you get excited again for the pennant race. And even though the season is too long, the off-season is long enough to give you a break. In golf…there almost is no off-season! I’m sorry but, there has to be a break or you simply get golfed out.

Let’s look at football again; This is my favorite sport and I watch the NFL at every opportunity. However, I don’t want the season to be any longer than it is for the simple fact that I don’t want to be footballed out! We’ve all heard the expression “Too much of a good thing.” Well, golf is a good thing. But too much golf is not. Fewer tournaments make each one matter more. When the tournaments matter, they attract more attention. Therefore, more viewers and more fans.

So what could be done differently? Well, probably a few things. For starters, and I know it’s not going to sound like a good idea to most but, having fewer tournaments could help. As mentioned earlier – fewer tournaments equals more meaning.

But what do you do with the down time? We’ve touched on this a bit before. Things that are fun and keep the fans interested are always a sure bet. Why not set-up some things such as long-drive tournaments and the like? It’s not an actual tournament, but it’s fun and certainly fan-friendly! And just a small exhibition here and there during an off-season of a decent length could do wonders to attract new fans, while still keeping the interest of current ones.

OK, so these are just a couple of silly ideas for the most part, but they are ideas nonetheless. And let’s face it, with fewer and fewer rounds of golf being played each year, a change is becoming increasingly necessary.

What If PGA Tour Golf Was a Team Sport?

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Yeah, maybe this was partially inspired by the Ryder Cup, but it was much more inspired by my favorite Sunday afternoon activity….watching football.

Football, in my opinion, is the ultimate team sport. Think about it. If just one single player doesn’t do his job, the play is a waste. If one offensive lineman doesn’t block…the QB is down. If a wide receiver, even though he’s not even involved in the play, doesn’t at least run his route, or block someone downfield, the play is busted. If a cornerback or safety doesn’t cover their man, the other team is on their way to six. No other sport so heavily depends on the team as a whole.

Look at basketball – at any point, one or two players per team are just standing around doing nothing – sometimes they’re not even on the same side of the court! Even worse is baseball. There are times when as many as eight players on the field at once are all just watching the action happen somewhere else. Maybe the players are a little more involved in hockey or soccer, but really….who cares?

Team sports are the most popular sports in the United States. Football, basketball, baseball and yes…even hockey. But what about golf? Why is golf not played in teams? At the high school level, golf is a team sport. At the college level, golf is a team sport. But at the pro level…outside of the Ryder Cup, it’s all about the individual. I understand why it’s a team sport in high school and college, but has anyone ever really considered the idea of pro team golf?

Would it add or detract from the sport? I myself don’t see why it would take anything away. I mean, you’re still seeing the individual golfer play, right? That aspect isn’t affected at all. But what if, instead of getting behind one golfer, you could get behind a team? How would teams be broken up? Would there be a draft? Or would players be eligible for teams based on their home states? For instance, maybe Matt Kuchar leads a team of players from Florida against a team from South Carolina led by Dustin Johnson. The Florida Retirees vs. The South Carolina Beach Bums…or something like that. You know what I’m gettin’ at.

I’m thinking that if this was a team sport, and each weekends tournament scores added up to something towards the end of the season…this could build up to a PGA Tour Super Bowl of sorts. Imagine the final weekend of the season being a foursome-on-foursome meeting between Jim Furyk’s Pennsylvania team vs. Lefty’s California squad. Sounds pretty OK.

I’m not saying every weekend tournament would have to be played as a team. Tournaments would still be setup as they are now. However, each golfers individual results would affect their teams cumulative score. And at the end of the season, the two best teams will face off.

I’ll tell you three ways this could/would be beneficial to the tour. Number 1 – It makes every tournament mean more. Even the smaller, lesser followed events. Number 2 – It will get the big names to the current not-so-big venues. And number 3 – It would get all golfers playing more often. No more of this Tiger Woods and his only playing 12 events crap, while everyone else is playing 20+. I don’t know about you, but this is beginning to sound OK!

Now I know that some of you are saying to yourself “But golf isn’t supposed to be a team sport. You play golf against yourself. You try to beat the best you’ve done every time you play.” You know what…shut up. I always hated that asinine comment and that’s why I’ve never attempted to make that stupid argument and never will. That’s just golfers trying to justify why their sport is better than another. I can make that same stupid argument for ANY athlete in ANY sport. If it was all about playing against yourself then there wouldn’t be tournaments against other golfers! Of course you’re trying to play your best round ever! Why wouldn’t you?! Do you think Tom Brady goes out on the field every Sunday saying “I think I’ll try to do just enough to get by this time. I don’t want to do better than I did last week.” Do you think Kobe Bryant says the same thing? How about Albert Pujols? See how stupid it sounds? But I digress.

Maybe this is an all around stupid idea. I don’t know. But it’s an idea anyway. I’m just trying to think of some ways to inject some life into an often times lifeless sport.

Anyone got a better idea?

The PGA Tour Decides To Get More Fan-Friendly. Gee…Thanks.

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Lefty is one of the good guys on the PGA Tour... (photo by Corn Farmer / CC BY 2.0)
Phil Mickelson is one of the good guys on the PGA Tour… (photo by Corn Farmer / CC BY-ND 2.0)

I checked out a Devil Ball post a few days ago regarding the PGA deciding to make some “fan-friendly” moves. While I believe that any sport making an attempt to become more fan-friendly is great, I can’t help but to think to myself – “Yeah, we’ll see.”

Fact: No major sport is more out of touch with its fans than PGA. See that picture of Lefty? It’s him and a handful of other guys (if even that many) who show any real appreciation for the fans that show up to the events. What is the PGA planning to do about that? What good is trying to get a few more big names to some smaller tournaments if they are just going to ignore the fans there also?

Few sports put the spectator closer to the competitors than golf. But there is so little fan interaction that it just doesn’t matter. Is it really that hard to, at the very least, acknowledge the fans? Is it that hard to look at the fans and say “Thank you” after they’re cheering on a nice shot? I mean, it’s not an NBA game where you have to hurry back down the court to play defense! Acknowledge the fans! All you’re doing is walking down the fairway anyway!

But it’s not only the on-course actions of the players. It’s also the lack of pre- and post-round interaction. What Jay Busbee wrote in that post is 100% on the money. Most of these guys hurry past the fans like they’re carrying some rare, incurable disease! Don’t these guys realize, if not for the fans, you don’t have the chance to play for, or make, the kind of money you do? Yeah, you can thank Tiger all you want for that, but it’s still the fans who show up to watch! You would think that once all of the Tiger controversies came to be, and the galleries were only a fraction of what they were, these guys would be a bit humbled. But no. Nothing changed.

In my opinion though, the Tiger mess is the point from which the PGA’s revelation stems. And not for nothing, but also in my opinion, that’s a slap in the face to the golf fan. Basically, the PGA is saying “Oh yeah, you fans…we didn’t give a crap about you for the most part. But now that you’re not showing up, we realize we need you. Sorry about that.” It’s like treating your spouse like crap. Then when they’re about to walk out on you, you start trying to fix things by doing the things you should have been doing all along! Good luck with that.

The PGA put all of their eggs in the Tiger basket because of his popularity. The galleries were packed, purses were larger, the PGA was making money and the sports popularity seemed to be at an all-time high. They didn’t have to do anything for the fans because they were already there! But then…disaster. Tiger is out and no one is paying attention any longer. Now what? They realize now they should treat the fans a little better? They understand now, without the fans, they don’t have a sport? Excuse me, but that’s crap.

We here at Golfstinks have mentioned many times in the past that the PGA just doesn’t do enough for the fans, as well as its own players. And when Tiger disappeared for a while, that point was proven. I didn’t know half the golfers I was seeing on TV. That’s sad! When I can name more NASCAR drivers (a sport I despise) than PGA golfers (a sport I am a fan of, as well as participate in)…well…there’s a problem.

So one of the PGA’s solutions is to allow cell phones on the course? That’s your answer?! I’ve been to exactly two PGA tournaments, and guess what? I took my cell phone to both!! Obviously I was courteous enough to turn the ringer off, but what are you really offering me? I’m bringing it anyway!

What I’m getting at here is, at least the PGA is making the attempt to do something. But it’s not even close to enough. Yeah, putting a microphone on some of the players is a halfway decent idea, but something tells me that will get old pretty quickly. There’s only so much they can have to say that I’m going to care about before it just becomes redundant and flat-out boring.

The PGA needs to take more drastic measures. Get the fans more involved. Make some autograph sessions or meet-and-greets a requirement after rounds. Encourage the players to toss a few balls into the crowds. Set-up some competitions just for fun. We’ve mentioned in the past a long-drive competition between some of the bigger hitters on tour. That’s fun and fan-friendly! What’s wrong? Some of the players don’t want to participate in that stuff? Well…then tell them they are more than welcome to find a new line of work.

The PGA needs to make it a point to show the fans they are priority #1. The tour will go on with or without a particular golfer. But it will not go on if there’s no one to watch. Like that spouse, if you don’t show appreciation, then before you know it, they’re gone. And let me tell you…allowing a cell phone in? If that’s the best you can come up with, that’s simply not going to cut it.

Want Every Golf Match to Matter? Play Fantasy Golf!

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Playing fantasy golf will increase your interest in the game… (photo by Richard / CC BY 2.0)

I’m sitting up late at night watching the Phillies vs. Brewers game. I’m a Mets fan so, outside of pulling for the Brewers, I don’t have any real interest in this matchup. Well…that’s not 100% true. I sure could use a couple of hits out of Raul Ibanez. Why? My fantasy league of course!

Roughly fifteen years ago I was first introduced to fantasy sports. A friend and I jumped into a fantasy football league, sharing a team since neither of us new exactly what we were doing. Despite starting off hot with a record of 8-3, we made a bonehead trade and lost the rest of our games (not too mention our money) and missed the playoffs. You’d think it would have left a bad taste in my mouth, but instead, I was hooked. Be it fantasy football, baseball or basketball, I haven’t missed a season since. But now, a new fantasy sport has caught my interest – fantasy golf.

The thing about fantasy golf is, it’s very simple. Anyone who participates in fantasy sports knows that scoring is based on stats (and there are plenty of stats). You draft your players and the better the stats they produce, the better your team does. There are so many stats in fact, scoring can be downright confusing. But not in fantasy golf. There are pretty much two ways to score points in fantasy golf:

1. Points are based on your golfers score per hole (ex. 100 points for an eagle, 50 points for a birdie, 20 points for par, -20 points for a bogey, etc….).

2. Points are based on where your golfers finish in the final tournament standings.

Also, you even have the choice to redraft your team every weekend if you’d like, depending upon which golfers are playing in each tournament.

Seems pretty simple, right? But the fun of it, as well as the chance to win a few bucks, are not the only draws to fantasy golf…or any fantasy sport for that matter. It’s the draw to a game or tournament that, normally, may not interest you at all. Hence, the game I mentioned earlier.

Years ago, fantasy sports were mostly shunned or frowned upon by the professional leagues which they emulated. Participation in a fantasy league was looked upon as simply gambling. But that is no longer the case. Major sports leagues such as the NFL and MLB now embrace fantasy sports, and it’s the right thing to do. Fantasy sports have increased the overall interest in the game, even if it is mainly based on statistics and not necessarily the game itself. But, these leagues realize there are people like me, who will tune into a game they could care less about, in order to watch the one player my fantasy game hinges on. Does Bud Selig care why I’m watching the game? I doubt it, as long as I’m watching.

Fantasy golf is not nearly as popular as fantasy football, baseball or basketball…but the PGA may want to look into changing that. Once again, if you want me to watch your tournament, then give me as many reasons as possible to do so. The performance of players who aren’t necessarily stars, or worthy of much coverage, may not matter as much to the PGA Tour, but they may mean something to more people if they have a reason to cheer for them. Maybe I have a guy in my foursome this weekend named Jeff Overton. He’s only 35th on the money list and not exactly a popular name, but I want to see if he can sink that birdie putt to get me another 50 points for my team! That, my friends at PGA Tour headquarters, is interest in your sport that you normally would not have.

I’ve mentioned before that the PGA doesn’t do enough to promote it’s players, but fantasy sports are a great vehicle for promotion! The PGA would be wise to loosen up and jump on the fantasy sports bandwagon to welcome a new breed of fan. Again, give me a reason to watch the tournament. Give me a reason to cheer for a particular golfer. Give me something other than another Tiger Woods press conference!

Fantasy sports have made me a good amount of money, as well as lost me a good amount of money (no question lost more than I’ve won). But more so, they have gotten me interested in games that I normally wouldn’t be interested in. Honestly, how great would that be for the PGA?

Oh, and just an update, Ibanez went 1-4 with a walk…not good enough for me to pull it out. Looks like I’m going to drop another close one. I swear that guy knows I’m a Mets fan.

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