Here we are at the end of the year and there is still not an agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV. Each day, it seems as if something is coming our way. I hope not.
I may be in the minority, but I think not, and am still under the opinion that LIV will die a slow death if left to its own devices. We have heard the reasons why LIV can't be a monetary success, and they are many, with millions and millions down the drain. If they choose to continue, it’s their money and they certainly can spend it as they see fit.
What is still hard to understand is why the PGA Tour wants all of these “signature events.” They are more like a LIV event than a regular tour event: guaranteed money, no cuts, elevated points, tough on sponsors, etc. Another oddity is the money fight. The tour seemed to come out on top of all lawsuits that were filed but decided to try and compete with LIV monetarily, which was the only way to lose the fight. The PGA Tour must feel a little embarrassed about the very large increases in purses for tour events, as you have to look pretty hard to see a money list for each event. The media usually only shows the winner without prize money beside his name, but occasionally will show how many FedEx Cup points he received. These guys are the best in the world at what they do. They should be paid a great deal of money if they are successful – and the fans and sponsors keep coming.
How about a sponsor that ponies up more money and has a tent on 17 or 18 green, for instance? In a signature event, the first golf their guests will see is at noon or later as all of the players go off of No. 1 tee. Pay more money for less time with your friends and customers; not very efficient. Again, have six signature events. Show Arnie, Jack, and Tiger some love and rotate their three invitationals – Arnold Palmer, Memorial and Genesis, respectively – to smaller events that will have the best players every four or five years, and play 100 players with a cut, not 70. This might give the smaller events a real boost in attendance and longevity.
Another big item in this equation is the expiration of contracts. I don't pretend to know the inner workings of LIV contracts, but I hear some of their larger ones involve 3-5-year commitments, and they are getting close to the other side of the mountain on some of them. Think reload. Who stays, who goes? Bigger contracts, more money up front. Honestly, there are probably less than a handful of players whom anyone misses, and the young guns coming up on the PGA Tour are plentiful.
Mike Nixon
Franklin, Tennessee
(Nixon, who retired as director of golf operations at the Tennessee Golf Trail, played the PGA Tour in the late 1970s and early 1980s.)
I read Ron Green Jr.’s story very carefully since I am registered to buy tickets in the lottery (“$750 Ryder Cup tickets: Righteous or rip-off?” October 21 GGP).
In the end, the issue is a continuation of the elitist, out-of-touch attitude exhibited throughout the golf industry. Golf courses across the country are raising their prices to the point that many players who have been hit by the high-inflation economy can no longer afford the green fees. These people in many cases are the folks who during the down years of golf have helped carry courses on their backs. Now they are seemingly forgotten.
The hope of being able to attend a Ryder Cup, which carries the esteem of a nation-against-nation competition, is now lost to even more people who can neither afford nor justify $750 a day, plus the cost of travel, a motel, and of course the high costs of eating in restaurants.
Going back to its earliest history, golf was always for the elite. It was never meant to be for the common man, and clearly what we see today throughout the industry solidifies that attitude. When I read the explanation from the PGA of America’s Bryan Karns as he attempted to justify charging $750 a day, it raised one thought: How out of touch and greedy. I didn’t see one real concern from Karns for the common patron. That was left up to Ron Green to mention in the article. What I heard from Karns was: We priced it at $750 because we can.
I love the game of golf; its history, the challenge of playing the game, and the way it builds character in many whom I’ve seen benefit from the game. What a shame that those who control the game seem to be completely unaware of how this game is not just for them and their friends; it is for everyone.
Woody Bell
Bradenton, Florida
The vitriol from the peanut gallery about Sergio García and LIV Golf is really frying my last nerve (“It’s Your Honor,” October 21 GGP).
The guys who get on their high horse about it make me wonder: If they were offered 40 times their wages, fewer working hours and more vacations, would they turn it down? I hardly think so. If so, then they’re up for analysis by the medical field.
If García could make the Ryder Cup team, it would bring greater viewership and interest, which is what the sponsors want overall because money is what drives the boat ($750 a ticket for the weekend!).
The hypocrites fail to recognize the event is money-driven, period. I just hope the elites would give it a rest and that the two sides can resolve their issues, and we can watch the best of the best play one another again.
Garen Eggleston
The Villages, Florida
The Ryder Cup has become an ugly tournament, lacking traditional golf match-play courtesies and appealing mainly to raucous and partisan fan behaviour. I couldn’t care less what the ticket price is as, again, I’ll not even bother to watch it on TV (“$750 Ryder Cup tickets: Righteous or rip-off?” October 21 GGP).
Hope others enjoy the ruckus.
Peter Newman
Weybridge, Surrey, England
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