I think pro golf would benefit from an international major, do you?

In golf, as we know, the majors mean everything. We live in an age where talented golfers come from all over the world. Yet 3 of 4 of the most prestigious events of the year are held in the USA. I'm American, so I particularly enjoy watching the US Open, Masters, and PGA Championship (heck even the Players Champ. sometimes). And I always look forward to the British Open as it's typically such a massive difference in course design from our parkland courses.

But that's all we as golf fans get, year after year. The Euro Tour (and other pro tours) of course play all over, but no, they have to all jump on planes and come across the world to participate in the game's true championships here or on a small island with limited course variation.

I'd love to see one of the majors each year go to any destination in the WORLD outside of the USA or UK. We could see Australia, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, etc etc. I think it would expose the golf fans to a whole new exciting venue of golf and landscape, I'd imagine ratings would be high. I would for sure tune in. And I know there has got to be tons of amazing courses out there that could easily be made into major form, so much so that we'd perhaps never need to repeat one for so, so many years.

Not proposing to add a fifth major. And I'd bet the majority of us would nominate the PGA Championship to go away and become this World Golf Major (or whatever it would be called). But the USGA would never give it up. Maybe we could agree that each year one of each of the majors (outside of the Masters) will be played internationally? So they'd be on a 3 year schedule, something like that. Who knows - bottom line is that I as a golf fan in the USA would absolutely enjoy the pro game more if a single major was held internationally. What about you?

A few years ago the PGA floated the idea of taking the PGA Championship abroad in Olympic years. Ultimately, they decided against it.

As far as I know, the USGA only runs the US Open. Augusta National runs the Masters. PGA of America runs the PGA. Majors have to develop organically. There already is a big Australian and European tournaments. Only way to challenge is to attract the best players, promote, and hope it takes off. I'm fine the way things are now.

Terrible idea.

“Small island with limited course variation?” - LOL, troll away I guess.

The Open is my favorite major...

They have been lobbied for a European venue since Seve was at the height of his power...

The R&A will likely never stray far from their historical rota save an Irish or Northern Irish venue...

Also, Europe is technically part of the Eurasian plate and is merely a recognized “continent” based upon convention...

In scientific terms, the Eurasian plate and continent are considered one...

But I digress...

The PGA Championship will hold an event in Asia at some point imho...not as likely with the R&A, Augustus, or the USga...

The PGA will eventually follow the money...just my opinion

-Chris

^^^^^ Augustus....lol

How about the Singapore Open? Deepen the bunkers, narrow the fairways, maybe even put in a snake hazard.

No.

"^^^^^ Augustus....lol"

Cæsarosterone?

Don't see majors going anywhere.

Tournaments become Majors to signify the importance of the sport of golf to a country. For a sports event to gain prestige, it indicates that the sport is loved and has weaved its way into the fabric of a society.

So, it’s no surprise the golf majors began in the home of golf and then spread to the US as a tradition from our kin.

For a true major to develop, it would have to do so as a result of generations of love a country has for the game. This could happen in countries besides the US and UK. But the event would have to be at special venue and have developed over time to a prestigious event considered truly elite in order to supplant the PGA Championship (the only major that I can see being dropped in favor of another tournament)

Speechtotextus

Ver. MMXIX. Once knew a guy who could send messages from Mars (Otis Sistrunk?) via voice.

Majors don't need any changes. Hope each this year can equal last week.

It would be fun, selecting top guys from each tour. There's a significant talent gap from the PGA/Euro tours on down though. Great for promoting the game but where would it take place?

Yeah I was thinking, 'quite the spellcheck he's got.'

Keep it American

Keep it as is. Other countries have their Opens, and if the prestige, money, and fan base were there to attract top talent and tv production, they would. Reality is though that they don’t.

Nobody in or around professional golf (from players to tv executives) would shy away from hyping up some other tournament if there was valid reason to do so. No need to force change for change’s sake.

The Olympics do this don’t they?

As has been said, many countries around the world have their opens, the PGA Championship, their Masters. Because the money isn’t there and the TV/marketing push is also absent for those things, they don’t end with the same status as what we now consider majors. Events like the Irish and Scottish Opens can draw decent fields in years past thanks to the travel time and time zone issue between the US and the U.K. as well as The Open being so close in proximity. Not every open has that advantage.

I can say that I actually enjoy watching the Australian PGA and the various opens that are held around the world. Some of it is the fact that I don’t sleep much and golf is something they can broadcast at all hours thanks to The Golf Channel. Some is also that I get enjoyment of seeing how other countries set up some of their biggest events and the courses that they are brought to.

Just starting a tournament and calling it a major doesn’t work,

Signed,

The Players Championship

I've always viewed the British Open as THE INTERNATIONAL MAJOR.

There is an international major. It's the British Open.

Adam Scott won the Australian championship and $250,000 AUD. He also won $1.67 Million USD at Riviera on Sunday, a non-major PGA tour event.

changing the current majors will probably never happen but if you want to see a big international event, money attracts players.

World Tour???

OP I think your best bet would be the US PGA moving around the world to other venues. The USGA is probably content to have a US based Open. The Open doesn't have the name implications, but the RandA likes the links golf thing they have going for them. Augusta could no doubt afford to build an Augusta clone course in Timbuktu, but they are happy to do what they do. So it'd have to be the PGA.

But there is a small problem, where exactly?

I'm sure we'd love to see a major at Royal Melbourne or maybe Kingston Heath, but outside of the UK and the US, how many courses can you think of you'd really like to see a major at? Le Golf National? That one in Monza they play the Italian open at? Cabot in Canada? I'm not saying it's impossible, especially given that Quail Hollow and Harding Park get to host, but it wouldn't be easy.

Otherwise, I like your idea and think it would be interesting to see, but probably won't happen for reasons discussed. Might make the PGA more relevant though.

lol.. well buddy if so the British Isle surely broke away from that plate many millions of years ago before brexit. The PGA really is the best possibility to be taken anywhere in the world with some adaptation.

Augusta, US Open, British Open obviously have those names for a reason.

They have these things called World Golf Championships. They also have another little tournament called The Open. It’s open to everyone who can qualify if you haven’t heard.

The USGA is the governing rules body for the US and Mexico. So I suppose they could take the US Open to Mexico once.

PGA Championship not going anywhere, IMO.

It already oversees a little International shindig called the Ryder Cup.

It is not going to force club pros to travel around the globe and it isn’t going to dump them.

It’s the trendy answer but that ship mercifully sailed a few years ago and doesn’t seem to be any vibe from the current structure to float that balloon again, especially now that it moved to spring and the major season and PGA Tour seasons are so compressed.

Not happening.

Except for OP (for the sake of a "take"), U.S. golf fans aren't clamoring for moving the majors we host and devaluing the courses the Open Championship is played on reveals it's not a serious take at that.

Britain and USA are where the professional game reached it's highest levels in terms of history/development, viewership, and interest. Of course that's where the majors should be. If and when other regions of the world compete and/or surpass the level of interest, then it will probably take care of itself.

The PGA is a tournament conducted/hosted by the Professional Golfers of America. It should remain in the USA. The U.S. Open is hosted by the USGA, and should remain in the USA. The Open Championship is the original international major and is hosted by the R&A. They're British, Scottish to be precise. They can't move Augusta.

Everything is as it should be.