Potential World Tour Takes Aim At PGA Tour With Lucrative Individual And Team Concept

[Holy Moses]

Probably, but isn’t it possible that the USGA, the Masters, and the PGA overrule them? Is it a simple majority vote? No OWGR points means that the PGA’s Ryder Cup could get screwed over.

[grm24]

Well played. The PGA Tour could do that. It would be known as the Ponte Vedra screw job with Jay Monahan playing Vince McMahon. The PGA Tour and the The ET have plenty of decisions to make.

[grm24]

Could be. The reality is none of us know how many organizations/tours actually vote on who decides to award OWGR points. My guess is that the OWGR points issue is already settled. Outside of those founding members are a whole host of other professional tours that make up the OWGR. Do you really think that the 4 majors are going to allow a fairly small shop (PGL) help damage the two most important professional golf tours?

[grm24]

I agree with that. There are likely so many other behind the scene things going on at this time. and probably have been for some time. Will be interesting to see the reports going forward.

[Holy Moses]

Not unless a core group of stars are so insistent on leaving the PGA Tour that the majority of OWGR stakeholders overrule the PGA Tour and the European Tour to save their own events by awarding the PGL points.

[grm24]

The fly in the ointment is that whatever current PGA Tour/ET players do jump to the PGL, for a short monetary gain, will not have a home tour to come back to if they are no longer part of the chosen 48 PGL players. It appears the line in the sand has been drawn. Leave the PGA Tour/ET for the PGL you can't come back. The players that might leave for a short term bump in money, will at least on the PGA Tour, miss out on skyrocketing purses over the next 10 years. Also some endorsement deals are based on world ranking. If the PGL doesn't get OWGR points those players will lose money.

FWIW do you really think all of the other small tours that make up the OWGR that their top players want to get to so they can advance their careers to the two largest professional golf tours will not agree with the PGAT/ET? The PGAT/ET hold more sway than you think.

[OrangeGravy]

What would happen if the PGL happened to get Tiger,Rory, Brooks, Phil, Rahm, Bryson, and a handfull of the other top 25? It won't happen, but the people who run the 4 majors would be sweating bullets. Their tournaments would essentially be turned into something akin to the Players with a weaker field. Every winner of those majors would have an * next to their title because they didn't beat the best players in the world. I don't think those tournaments would give in so easy to not allowing OWGR points to the PGL in that scenario. It would effectively kill the "major" part of the Major tournaments.

[OldTomMorris]

Watching a re-run and that was said by Rex Hoggard, he indicated that he heard that a possible sanction if a player were to move is that there could be no route for a return. The PGA Tour and to a lesser extent the European Tour do have leverage over the players. I would think it would be likely that the tours would join forces on this. Go to PGL and no return to PGA Tour or ET, a ban would cover both.

The PGA Tour is far from perfect but I am massively against this PGL idea and to be honest I'm not sure why some fans like it, I don't see the attraction. I get some players will always be interested in at least exploring it given the $s being mentioned.

At the outset I was convinced this wouldn't come to fruition and that's still the case.

[MMB1500]

I agree. The whole thing sounds crap and I can't see it happening.

Let's also call it out to for what it is, which is sportwashing.

[Holy Moses]

I agree, there are some huge hurdles to get over. It’s unlikely the PGL gets off the ground, but I think there’s a chance and if Tiger wants in the Tour will be making exceptions left and right.

[BMC]

The new Tour can have Patrick Reed - no charge.

[cardia10]

I've said it before, if Tiger or big names even consider it, the tour will 100% jump on board and be a partner to protect itself.

[Holy Moses]

I don’t see that happening at all

[cardia10]

I don't think it will happen either, but it would be funny to see how fast the PGA Tour would backtrack if it did.

[MidwestGolfBum]

If that was to happen, it really wouldn't shock me to see all of the various tours that make up the sanctioned list vote on it happening. If it means you as a tour can claim you have more people higher up on the list, do they then vote to not allow them in? I don't know, but if you take the top guys out, while giving people from your tour a leg up by doing so, maybe it gets decided that they can just go do their own thing.

Given Rory has announced that he is out, I wouldn't be shocked to see other big names start to talk along those lines, as well. Rory made a good point with why he was out, even it it does toe the PGA Tour company line, in that they basically can tell you what you are going to do and what you are going to say because you no longer are an independent contractor and are just part of the new league.

[dcmidnight]

I wouldn't be shocked to see other big names start to talk along those lines, as well.

[Holy Moses]

All the really big names don’t care outside of Rory. They all played in the Saudi International. Money trumps all other loyalties unfortunately.

[redfirebird08]

 

I don't buy your theory on Tiger. He couldn't play 52 weeks even if he desperately wanted to. That body is pretty worn out at this point. Anyway, I think Rory issued a pretty serious body blow for the PGL. If Tiger also turns them down, that's the end of this silly bunch of speculation we've been seeing.

[dcmidnight]

The difference I see is thats one event where they can cash grab and go back to their cozy life on tour. Are they going to leave that cozy life to have their schedule dictated to them? Thats the billion dollar question.

[cdnglf]

 

[tiderider]

good for charlie ...

 

 

[Oldboy]

BOOM goes the Hoff .. couldn't have said it better

[Oldboy]

"all"? not really .. maybe 4 of em .. DJ Phil Brooks and Sergio? is he still a big name?

[Holy Moses]

Bryson too until he pulled out due to security concerns. Tiger would have played had he not been old. Reed was also there. My point was all the players that were given appearance fee money except Rory took it.

[MOAB]

Here for the gifs

[CasualLie]

Really? Sweating Bullets? Come on, an upstart league, no matter how much money is thrown at it, will not overtake Bobby Jones' heritage, 150 years of the Open, 125 years of the US Open, or even 100+ years of the PGA anytime soon. There won't be an asterisk. Those are full field events; deep fields, even without some of the best players. Were the majors any less of a major without Tiger? Do any of those winners in a major without Tiger need an asterisk?

Even if in some crazy world the top players actually chase money over a major, no one is going to say the major winner didn't beat the best because the best is on the PGL and be taken seriously. Actually, giving up your status and chasing money on a limited field tour no longer makes you the best, it makes you someone who basically plays for an appearance fee.

A big part of history in the majors is the scenario of the unknown player taking on the weight of pressure trying to win a major when the leaderboard has the big names. Am I supposed to get excited watching Bryson trying to take down Rahm, Brooks, and an aging Tiger??? No way.

[Philomathesq]

While I agree with most of what you wrote, I do think the Tours' (PGA/ET) reactions has shown why players may want to leave. Essentially, the Tours are the bullies on the playground that get upset when someone else wants to play with their ball; they just pick up the ball and go home. The idea that you could be permanently banned from the PGA Tour for daring to go play somewhere else is ridiculous. If I were a Tour player, I would not be happy that some entity that claims I am an independent contractor also tells me that I am not free to go work elsewhere. I understand why the Tours have said that, but I can also see players being pissed off about it.

Whether players will be pissed off enough to leave is a whole other issue. But, I think the reactions exhibited so far by the Tours isn't a great look.

[bscinstnct]

PGL be like

 

[dcmidnight]

Essentially, the Tours are the bullies on the playground that get upset when someone else wants to play with their ball; they just pick up the ball and go home. 

Sorry but I had to chuckle at this. The "bully" in this case that offers these players - and as you pointed out, independent contractors - it offers them a weekly chance to play for millions and in several cases, well over $10M in purse money. Per week. In addition to whatever teeup money or sponsorship money they are getting - every week. Some bully. And they arent saying you are not free to go elsewhere - quite the contrary I think. They are saying feel free to go play if you want - but you arent playing both. If you were the Tour, you hold all the cards, why would you make it easy on the players to support a direct competitor that claims to want to threaten your billion dollar business?

[Lakeeffectgolf]

The PGA of America is a bunch of money grabbers. Period. Kind of funny that Rory would come out against it.... right? Why rock the boat at home....