This past weekend, the winner of the American Express shot 29-under par. 13 under after three rounds made the cut. The winner of the Champions Tour event shot 25-under par in a 54-hole event.
Two weeks earlier in the Sentry, a limited-field event, the winner shot 29-under par. One player birdied 34 of the 72 holes.
Watching professional golf this time of the year is like watching the NBA All-Star Game: bombs away and no defense.
Charlie Jurgonis
Fairfax, Virginia
I have played golf for 60 years. Member of private clubs for close to 40 years. Member of USGA since ’87. Given some of the past USGA decisions, the recent rollback was the final straw (“Rollback,” December 4 GGP).
With the decision finalized, I cut the USGA bag tag off of my bag, disposed of the many hats accumulated over the years, and emailed the USGA not to bother to send next year’s renewal.
Good riddance.
Ron Whitmore
Savannah, Georgia
It seems that LIV and the PGA Tour may reach an “agreement.” Probably not a good one, if you're a PGA Tour fan. It's clearly all about the money now. Anyone who believes otherwise should contact me immediately about valuable bridge properties.
Golf's potential audience is quite small compared to any other pro sport. Players are individuals and not part of a local franchise team that plays half of its games at home and builds loyalty over years of play and promotion. Golfers are just a bunch of random guys who may be on tour for only a couple of years. Fans randomly pick whom to root for based on, well, I'm not sure what. Perceived personality, I guess. Viewers may well decrease in the immediate future, but fans usually forgive and forget after a while and return. For a sport as niche as golf, even a short-term fall in viewership is bad news, as it is likely to further sponsor unease with the value of their investment. Some are already bailing.
I don't care. And unless I'm the only one who feels this way, that's not good for professional golf. I rarely bother to watch most tournaments anymore. The majors, Players and maybe a few others are worth the effort, but catching the Tricity Acme Widget Open is not high on the list. Golf needs much better coverage, and the PGA Tour needs to provide more transparency about its operations. We may end up with a more unappealing mess than we have currently.
Blaine Walker
St. Paul, Minnesota
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