Carlos Torres & Fred Altvater
The golf world has been learning more about the proposed Premier Golf League that wants to feature the top 48 players in the world in an 18-tournament league offering $10 million purses, mandatory play, with both a team and individual components.
Currently several PGA Tour events offer total purses much less than $10 million. The John Deere Classic, for example, offers a $6.2 million total payout. The Wyndham’s total purse is $6.4 million, plus most PGA Tour events, other than the major championships, offer purses lower than the Premier Golf League’s proposed $10 million.
The largest purses on the European Tour are found in the eight Rolex Series events, which offer $7 million purses. Other events on the European Tour schedule, however, fall way short of those lofty numbers. Several tournaments fail to exceed €1.5 million ($1.65 million USD).
At first blush, the idea of the Premier Golf League with bigger purses seems like a great deal for the world’s best professional golfers.
Not so fast my friends!
Both the European and PGA Tour Commissioners, Keith Pelley and Jay Monahan are vehemently opposed to any competitive golf tour and have sent emails to their members expressing their concerns. Essentially telling the players, “It’s our way or the highway!”
In a preemptive move the PGA Tour raised the total purse for the 2020 PLAYERS Championship to $15 million, an increase of $2.5 million. Last year the first-place check for the FedEx Cup Champion was increased from $10 million to $15 million.
Maybe it’s time for the PGA Tour and the European Tour to finally get together and create a World Tour that would cater to the top players, and entice them to travel internationally, while paying them top dollar for their services.
If you pay them, they will come.
The four major championships, as well as, the four World Golf Championships would remain separate and would retain their unique status as premier events.
A World Tour that was comprised of exclusive events in Europe, Asia, and the United States, could easily be arranged from existing tournaments. It would not only help boost mid-level PGA Tour events, but also increase the value of the European Tour.
Excluding the four majors and the four World Golf Championships, the 18 events that could make up a World Tour could be: THE PLAYERS, the C.J. Cup, the Zozo Championship, the Genesis Championship, the Palmer Invitational, the Memorial, the Farmers Insurance, the Northern Trust Championship, the BMW, the Tour Championship, plus the European Tour’s eight Rolex Series events.
They would offer $10 million purses and require ranking inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to qualify for entry, or in the case of the three FedEx Cup Playoff events, their current qualification process could remain intact.
To keep the competitions fresh an annual qualification process could be included. The top 30 each year would be safe and exempt for the following year. The bottom 18 would be required to qualify, or gain entry via a season-long rankings, on either the European, or PGA Tour.
With only the top players invited, television ratings, the life blood of professional golf, would be increased. Sponsors wanting the extra exposure could be easily enticed to pony up the extra dollars to fund the increased purses and everyone can come away happy, plus richer.
Show Me The MONEY!!
For years, American players have accepted huge appearance fees to travel abroad for the occasional European Tour event. This practice has recently been proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, by several of the world’s top players, including No. 1, Brooks Koepka and No. 2, Dustin Johnson showing up in Saudi Arabia rather than the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
With large purses, and only the best players from around the world, a World Tour could re-energize professional golf and bring more fans to the game.
Maybe Greg Norman’s idea of a world golf tour, that was quickly shot down in the 80’s, will finally come to fruition
Listen to the full discussion on the February 11, 2020 edition of the Back 9 Report: https://bit.ly/2UKJzf1
Watch a Back 9 Report TV video with Carlos & Fred at: http://back9report.com/back-9-report-proposes-a-world-golf-tour/
