More WGC Talk

An AP story on the lack of world in World Golf Championships.

 "We're in the planning process," Finchem said. "We would like to play a full-fledged World Golf Championship in the fall in Asia. It's premature to say where, but our intent is to do something next year."

This might be the only avenue Finchem has to Asia, a market he covets.

Covets it so much that I understand from a reliable source that they've already signed on with a site in Asia.

So why are they waiting to announce it? 

Priority Oversight: How is the FedEx Cup Going To Work?

John Davis talks to players at the Scottsdale event and no one seems to know how the FedEx Cup will work. Or if it will work.

Els: "...called the World Golf Championships, aren't they?"

I wonder about it here, it comes out over there. Paraphrasing Albert Brooks's character in Broadcast News of course.

It seems that the lack of "World" in the WGC is on the minds of European Tour players too. 

James Corrigan in The Independent: 

Cue outrage, and not only at the European Tour Players' Committee meeting here at the Emirates Golf Club on Tuesday, but also, more intriguingly, from Woods yesterday. "Of course, the WGCs should be held in other places rather than just America," said the world No 1. "It's our responsibility to play around the world and grow the game as much as we can." Ernie Els, the world No 5, concurred. "It's crazy," said the South African. "They're called the World Golf Championships, aren't they?"

So what can the European Tour do about it? Nothing much, or so it seems if their gloomy statement is anything to go by. "We have communicated our disappointment," it read, "and can confirm that we did offer to host one of the World Golf Championships, but this was rejected."

Update on 2006-02-02 14:52 by Geoff

Thanks to Tuco for this more extensive follow up on the WGC's, which says the sponsors have stipulated that the existing three are played inside the U.S., while the World Cup is still definitely alive and well. The story also includes a few more quotes from players critical of the setup.

WGC's and World Cup of Golf

A thought/question.

In all of the 2007 PGA Tour schedule hoopla, I don't recall any stories about the reduction to three World Golf Championship events with the apparent elimination of the World Cup of Golf.

The World Cup had been played every year (but one) since 1953. Granted, it had not been much of an event lately, but it's another longtime event given back burner status in the new setup. More importantly, it offered a format other than 72-holes of individual stroke play, which is way too common in professional golf.

The WGC's were considered one of Commissioner Finchem's brilliant moves. The only casualty to date appears to be the loss of Greg Norman from Champions Tour events, otherwise they have served their purpose.

Yet, in the new deal the Tour appears to have gone from four WGC events to three, and more importantly, the remaining WGC's seem anchored in Miami, Tucson and Akron for the foreseeable future.

Did anyone write about this? Notice? Care?
 

Kostis: Tiger, Please Talk To Me

Okay he didn't write that, but Peter Kostis' subliminal attempt to reach out to good ole buddy Tiger contains just the kind of raw emotional soul-bearing that will keep Kleenex in business (and maybe cost Mike Hulbert a job...if Tiger were to be as moved as I was).

Well it wasn't that moving. And Kostis won't win the GS.com promised award to the first golf writer daring thinking to suggest that the new TV deal was a wake-up call about the "product." However, he gets a big honorable mention for a noble suggestion (and I just know Peter'll be adding it to his resume!).

But first the subliminal message to Tiger:

If the tour and television truly are partners, then the players have to do their part. Tim Finchem evoked the success of NASCAR in creating the FedEx Cup points race, which begins in 2007. But the success of NASCAR isn't only derived from a season-ending points race. It's also from drivers willing to share comments with television viewers while in the final stages of strapping themselves into their seats and risking life and limb at over 200 mph. Most tour players, however, are reluctant to talk to television hours before they play or warm up because it might ruin their mental state! It only takes a matter of seconds to lend some insight, so no more of this "I'm too busy to talk" stuff on the range.

Paging Dr. Freud? Dr. Freud to the CBS compound please.

And here's where Kostis takes himself out of the equation and makes a great point:

Variety is a good thing, whether it's in the form of fast, firm greens, slow, soft greens, long rough, or hardly any rough at all. This would also allow us to return to a time when practice rounds at courses meant something, because you learned about the individual characteristics that made that week's venue different from last week's.

Easy there Peter. If they play more practice rounds, and that means less time on the lesson tee with you! 

The point of these suggestions is not to look back on the way things have been done with a hypercritical eye. It's to point out that golf is an exciting sport for television spectators, and can be made even more so with a few alterations.

Right, it's all good. Oh, but you better take a hard look at the product Mr. Commissioner. 

Kratzert: Losing ESPN Was A Step Backward

Garry Smits talks to Bill Kratzert about the new TV deal and as expected, the reality is setting in: "Losing ESPN was a step backward," he said. And...

"You can say what you want about ESPN, but when guys travel, and get to the hotel room, or when they go into a bar, ESPN is on," Kratzert said. "They've got almost everything now -- Monday Night Football, college football and basketball, the NBA, Major League Baseball -- and golf was right there."

But Kratzert did agree with the Tour's stance on what was obviously the deal killer, and understandably so: 

Several published reports since the Tour's contract was announced said one stumbling block was that ESPN was demanding the best players in events it covered be given afternoon starting times in each of the first and second rounds. The Tour balked, according to the reports, because it would be a competitive disadvantage for those players to get late starting times two days in a row. By starting in the afternoon both days, they would likely get more mercurial weather conditions (such as the afternoon sea breeze in Ponte Vedra Beach for The Players Championship) and greens spiked up.

"I had heard that," Kratzert said. "If that's the case, it was the right thing to do for the Tour to tell ESPN they couldn't have their way. I understand a network wanting to showcase the top players. But you can't penalize those players by making them putt on spiky greens and windy weather both days."

"Golf tourney gets help from Tiger's agent"

Thanks to reader Jay for the heads up on this Justin Catanoso story from The Business Journal, dated January 13th (hey, no one ever said blogging had to be timely):

For a while last year, the future of the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro was bleak, at best. Golf's biggest stars avoid it. TV ratings aren't great. And even with vast improvements, the course and setting, fairly or not, are often criticized as less-than-optimal.

But PGA officials have been giving Greensboro a serious second look. They've been impressed with a newly constituted board of directors made up of the city's most affluent and influential corporate leaders, from VF Corp., United Guaranty and Jefferson-Pilot, among others.

And those leaders have pulled a coup of sorts, leveraging the clout of one of the most influential people in professional golf to lobby on their behalf -- Mark Steinberg, a top executive with sports-consultant giant IMG. He is best known as Tiger Woods' agent.

Since last summer, beginning at the British Open, Steinberg has been talking up Greensboro and the seriousness of its new board to top PGA Tour officials. Not surprisingly, they've listened.

"We hired Mark Steinberg," says one board member of the four-month-old Greensboro Jaycees Charitable Foundation, which now controls the Chrysler Classic, "because he has a special relationship with the PGA. He has access; he gets in front of the right folks."

You may recall that after the FedEx Cup was announced, John Hawkins revealed (and it was posted here) that Steinberg was also a consultant of sorts to Tim Finchem.

 "There are going to be two sides to this," said IMG's Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent and a key player in the shaping of the tour's revisions.

Leigh Steinberg, eat your heart out! 

Huggan On TV Deal

John Huggan weighs in on the 2007 schedule and PGA Tour TV deal.

Even with the world's most famous sportsman - Tiger Woods - as part of the package, professional golf in the fall cannot come close to competing with the NFL and NASCAR for the ever-shortening attention of America's increasingly overweight and couch-ridden populace. Watching enormous men in silly uniforms running into each other to no obvious purpose, or logo-festooned cars going round and round in seemingly endless circles apparently holds more appeal than the sight of Tiger majestically ripping a drive down the middle. 

He also looks at the European Tour ramifications and also the possibility of the Tour going global at some point.  

McCleery On ABC

Peter McCleery remembers the contributions ABC has made to televised golf and considers what golf will be like without them. I loved his comments about the old ABC openings with Jim McKay building excitement for the round.

And as I read the column, all I could think was, "can they re-open negotiations? Please?"

Player Reactions To TGC Deal

Thanks to reader C for the heads up on Doug Ferguson's notes column from earlier in the week. A few eye opening comments:

"If we're trying to reach out to non-golf fans, how you leave out ESPN is beyond me." - David Duval, on the PGA Tour giving exclusive cable rights to The Golf Channel in a 15-year deal. 

And... 

"It would be nice to know what's going on," Brent Geiberger said. "It seems like we find out just like everybody else. And it's our tour."

The tour has a 16-man Players Advisory Council and four players on the nine-member policy board.

"But when those players get in the room, they're already outnumbered 5-4," Paul Azinger said. "I wish the players had a little more say."

"That's Not A TV Contract, That's Alimony"

Rex Hoggard peels off a series of funny one-liners before getting to some of the serious issues tied to the new TV deal.

Fifteen years? That's not a TV contract, that's alimony.

"The Golf Channel brings a lot," Finchem said. "The reason for 15 years is that it sets the table for us to protect our position in the long-term as the television marketplace continues to evolve."

The F5s in the movie "Tornado" didn't spin like that. It was a bright and shiny day in Ponte Vedra-ville. Everywhere else, however, folks were on pins and needles last week waiting to hear details of the new deal.

If the Nixon White House would have protected secrets like Finchem & Co., "Tricky Dick's" face would be on Mt. Rushmore right now. Just ask any one of a half-dozen tournament directors who sat by their phones last week waiting to hear their fate.

He then talks to several tournament directors about the fate of their events. The fate of Doral turnaround man Eddie Carbone as well as events in Hartford and Washington are brought up.

But it boils down to this: the Greensboro and Tampa Bay stops are happy, everyone else is either lukewarm or downright upset about the new deal.

Finchem Works Magic?

Ron Sirak breaks out his pom-poms and describes the new ABC/ESPN-free TV deal as "pure magic."

Now, before we look at this more closely, a reader emailed and asked when the last time was Sportscenter regularly showed Champions Tour highlights.

Bingo, you got it, back when it was called the Senior Tour and ESPN televised a whole bunch of it.

Anyway...Sirak cheers writes: 

Just when it seemed the financial sky was falling on his tour, Finchem reached into his top hat and pulled out a $3 billion rabbit, with CBS as one floppy ear, NBC as the other and Brian Roberts (pictured), CEO of Comcast, parent company of The Golf Channel, as the smiling face. This TV deal was pure magic, and it seems everyone won.

Everyone won. Pure magic. Who knew a PGA Tour press release could sound so modest? 

First, the package was more attractive to CBS and NBC with ABC out. Now only two networks will compete for the upscale advertising PGA Tour golf attracts. It would not be surprising if the tour deliberately axed ABC to boost the value to CBS and NBC.

Deliberately axed ABC? The great demographic argument gone so far awry, it's not even funny. 

Second, because Comcast was so eager. Sources tell Golf World TGC is paying a staggering $220 million a year for this "strategic partnership." How can Comcast cover $3.3 billion in rights fees over 15 years?

We are to believe sources claiming that Comcast will write checks totalling $3.3 billion over 15 years, on top of the huge production costs involved where they pay networks as much as $500,000 a week to cover Thurs-Friday telecast costs?

Brian Roberts is a very smart businessman who reports to shareholders. And we are to believe he is letting his company pay almost as much annually as the networks are currently paying in the 2000-06 deal, but in this case,  for the leftovers instead of the prime network events?

Or perhaps $3.3 billion is the potential value of the "strategic partnership," which sounds more like a deal that includes many elements beyond a simple rights fee payment. Maybe after the value of a small Tour ownership stake is computed, or after various hypotheticals are accounted for in best case ad revenue scenarios, or after they throw some more millions on top just to make it sound good, they reach $3.3 billion. 

Manougian, who declined comment on the financials, says the tour deal will take TGC from 70 million to 90 million homes. He also hopes that in areas such as New York -- where market penetration is currently only 50 to 60 percent -- that number will go up. Those increases are, as they say, priceless.

Of course, I forget, the world revolves around New York city. The coveted demo, the chosen people!

By the way, weather update: it was the coldest day this winter in L.A. Don't think it even hit 63. Burr!

Anyway, does Golf Channel actually appear in 70 million homes? Putting it another way, do 70 million homes pay for it? Or, does it currently have the potential to reach 70 million subscribers?

I think Frank Hannigan answered this in his Golfobserver column.

The Golf Channel euphoria expressed by Sirak and select others does not address the fact that ESPN and USA are available in most major hotels, bars, restaurants, health clubs, airports, etc... while the Golf Channel's presence in these visible locations ranges from non-existent to barely. And it's not the first channel that people usually go to (like ESPN).

Think about the number of times you will NOT see ESPN/USA's televised golf in a bar, lounge or a hotel room because it's now on The Golf Channel.

The long-term partnership with the tour also will give TGC unprecedented access to the players, allowing it the opportunity to provide unique and unprecedented programming. It is now truly the tour's network. Finchem hit a financial home run for his side. Now it's up to Manougian to hit a creative long ball for his team.

Now, I'm no ESPN fanatic. The Tour deserves major kudos for not caving to ESPN's demands for pairing-timing input. And as a fan of the The Golf Channel's pre and post round coverage, particularly during majors, they have the potential to be a much better place for serious golf fans. 

But how can anyone who has followed the Tour in recent years believe that they will help deliver "unique and "unprecedented programming"?

Azinger: If I Think It, I'm Saying It

I knew there was a silver lining in the Tour's failure to reach an agreement with ABC.

"I'm going to be no holds barred this year. If I think it, I'm saying it," Paul Azinger tells the USA Today's Tom Spousta.

"You're always a little guarded," Azinger adds. "If I make any kind of critical comment about the Tour, somebody from the Tour calls the producer in about 45 seconds. That's how much they watch."

Spousta lists a few more Azinger comments, some you've probably read in the last week and some you haven't.

On 2007 schedule player input:

"There's not a player out here that gets to vote on it. Input? They didn't ask anybody I know," Azinger says. 

It is apparent the limited reach, limited appeal and limitless cross promotion on The Golf Channel is starting to sink in. Azinger again:

"You have to look for golf to find it on The Golf Channel; you stumble on golf to find it on ESPN. You've got ESPN on in all the bars, and then golf comes on, which is good for the players. The Golf Channel's not on in too many bars." He also questions whether viewers will be objectively served: "The Golf Channel already treats the Tour with kid gloves. You won't ever see an exposé of any player coming off The Golf Channel." 

And check out John Hawkins' lastest Golf World column:

"I know there's some question about losing ABC and ESPN," said three-time winner Joe Durant [and Tour policy board member], "but this is going to take The Golf Channel to a whole new level."

Really? I can see how a "Big Break XII" featuring Jessica Simpson, Halle Barry and Mischa Barton might take the niche network to a whole new level, although the same probably won't be said of holding the rights to the first two rounds of the FBR Open. The weekday telecasts represent a nice step forward for the new bride, but if this is a marriage of opportunity for TGC, it's one of need for the tour. After ESPN and USA Network pulled out of the Thursday-Friday bidding, where else could Camp Ponte Vedra go?

"Tim [Finchem] said he couldn't be happier with the outcome," said Peter Jacobsen, whom some consider a candidate to succeed Finchem as commissioner. "I think he would have been happier if we had ABC and ESPN. Like every other tour player, I've got my fingers crossed this is the right thing." 

Remember, Hawkins was very positive in the initial portrayal of the Fed Ex Cup.

Next week look for more comments questioning the length of the Golf Channel deal.   

Lorne On Canadian Open, Coore/Crenshaw

Lorne Rubenstein looks at the lousy date given to the Canadian Open. 

But why that summer date? Ross said yesterday that the PGA Tour had been aware from discussions during the past 10 years of the RCGA's preferred dates. That would be around Canada Day, which would put the tournament two weeks after the U.S. Open and three weeks before the British Open.

Given those dates, Canada's national championship would fall around a time when Canadians take the time to appreciate where they live and when many celebrations occur across the country.

These factors, of course, don't matter to the PGA Tour, which gave the date to the Buick Open in Flint, Mich. Well, that's just an hour by car from the Canadian border at Sarnia, Ont.

"The PGA Tour has a big contract with Buick," Ross said. Draw your own conclusions as to why the Canadian Open didn't get the far better week between the U.S. and British Opens.

He also wrote a wonderful column a few weeks ago on Coore and Crenshaw, and the possiblity that they may do a course in Canada.  Interesting quotes from Coore too.

Boswell Blasts Tour

The Washington Post's Thomas Boswell won't be receiving a muffin basket from Tour lobbyist Powell-Tate anytime soon.  He writes:

When Deane Beman, former commissioner of golf, acquired the land for the Tournament Players Club at Avenel, he said, "This is the greatest parcel of land left on the East Coast to build a world-class golf course." A Washingtonian, Beman touted the chance to create a course that might someday rival its neighbor, Congressional. He played down the fancy political and real estate footwork that allowed the PGA Tour to buy the entire property for $1. Beman talked aesthetics while his Tour counted the cash.

Before any earth was moved, architectural consultant Ed Sneed drove around the property in a cart explaining how Avenel would be his homage to Augusta National and the design ideas of Bobby Jones. There'd be natural amphitheaters on every hole: a spectator's paradise. The sixth hole at Avenel would be a mirror image of the 13th hole at the Masters. What a sylvan idyll.

And don't forget, the Tour was going to take the 6th hole and make it a long par-4 (in the redo-that-probably-won't-happen-now).

Wonder if the Tour would do the same to No. 13 at Augusta? Changing it to a two-shotter would cut down on those dreadful birdies and eagles!

For the last 20 years, the Tour has proved it would always suck the last buck out of the enthusiastic Washington golf public rather than put one extra cent back into the Avenel complex. Every time fans endured quagmire parking lots, or were stuck in traffic for hours, the Tour promised remedies. But it never did anything -- except pray it would never rain again in Washington in June.

And he's just warming up.

The PGA Tour may be technically "nonprofit" in its financial structure, because it has a charity component, but its true purpose is to maximize the income of its members -- the pro tour players. When the Tour first came to Washington in 1980, the 125th man on the money list made $20,000. By last year, the 125th man made $627,000. Not bad for charity work.

As recently as last week, sponsors of the Booz Allen Classic still thought they were in good-faith negotiations with the Tour. If pro golf would invest $25 million in its substandard Avenel factory, then Booz Allen would make a six-year commitment (with a value of more than $40 million in purses and ad time) to remain the sponsor of the Washington event through 2013.

Then this:

This is what Washington gets for supporting the PGA Tour for the last 26 years -- with about 2 million tickets sold, often at rip-off prices in comparison to the weak quality of the fields. This is what Washingtonians get for giving far more than a million hours of volunteer work to the Tour. In a typical summer, 1,500 golf lovers give 50,000 free hours to make the Tour's event happen. This is what Washington gets for supporting the Presidents Cup in its infancy when nobody else wanted it very much. Now the event borders on being world-class. Don't bother to thank us local fans, volunteers or RTJ Golf Club.

And finally, here's the money graph:

"What happened last Friday is all about the money," said one of the key Washington golf figures who has supported the Avenel event throughout the years. "What astounds me is that the Tour doesn't understand how important Washington is to golf. A lot of decisions get made in this government that could impact a business that depends on a nonprofit structure."