PGA Tour: 2014/2015 Season, The Final Examination: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Well done Jason Day; transformed in just one month from Nearly Man to Major Champion. Perhaps the path to Day's convincing win was first laid at St.Andrews, paved at Glen Abbey and the walk was well and truly walked at Whistling Straits.

2).Two American Slams were extinguished on Sunday:
Jordan Spieth's effort to win all three US Majors.
The possibility for Americans to win all four Majors in a year for the first time since 1982 (Stadler, Watson, Watson, Floyd).
(The only year Americans failed to win any Major was 1994 - Olazabal, Els, Price, Price.)

3).Not so sure I agree with the opinion that Whistling Straits is a great golf course; it may be a bombers' paradise (only Kuchar, Snedeker and the unranked Iwata of the PGA's Top 24 are outside the top 80 in driving distance on the PGA Tour), but is length to be the only criteria for success? The 1,000+ bunkers are about 900 too many, and the 100 remaining could certainly be redefined to restore the balance between length and accuracy.
And, for Major Championships at least, there is a distinctly Chambers Bay atmosphere on some holes which are apparently inaccessible for most spectators.
Dustin Johnson's right to a Play-Off place in 2010 was denied him because he thought a sandy area that was full of spectators and litter, and certainly not marshalled, couldn't possibly be a bunker.
How are they going to manage this at the 2020 Ryder Cup? Five years to get it sorted.

4).Jordan Spieth has rightly been acclaimed as the world's best golfer of 2015; but aren't we getting a bit carried away with all the "Number One" hoopla? Rory said it best when he referred to the "Rory Era" of a few months ago having been replaced by the "Jordan Era". But are we entering the "Jason Era"? Enough already.

5).What's the buzz in the European Press about Keith Pelley's decision for the European Tour not to sanction the 2016 edition of the "WGC-Bridgestone Invitational", given that its new date clashes with the new and improved "Alstom Open de France"?
Pelley's decision hints that all is not unanimous within the Federation of Golf Tours (or whatever it's called), but it makes perfect sense that a date change designed to suit the PGA Tour might not be fully embraced elsewhere. I wonder if Pelley suggested negotiating with "France" to host the WGC?
Regardless, GolfWorld anticipates Finchem "retaliation", possibly in the form of reduced releases to European Tour events but hopefully that won't happen.
Ramifications will certainly include even more micro-managing of the playing schedule of European Tour double-dippers.

6).The "regular season" of the PGA Tour concludes Thursday at the Donald Ross-designed Sedgefield CC in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the "Wyndham Championship". Much is on the line, not least guarantee of 2015/16 Tour cards for the 125 golfers qualifying via accumulated FedEx points for next week's "The Barclays".
Let's go through the various examination criteria one by one, and start with the sure knowledge that several "notables" won't qualify for The Barclays:
~Donaldson, Stallings (suspended), S-Y Noh, Ogilvy, McDowell, Stricker and Cabrera. But all these have some exemption for Tour play next season.
~Dubuisson & Romero will also be absent and lose their "cards" unless they retrieve them via good play in the web.com Tour Finals in September. In addition, Freddie Jac has been out for three months and will presumably be granted some sort of "Medical Exemption".

7).These notables are among those on the Barclays bubble:
~Exempt for 15/16: Tim Clark, Vijay, Luuuke, King Charl, Camilo, Toms, Choi, Els, Kaymer, Woods, Ben Crane.
~Not exempt: Overton, Ishikawa, Blixt, Brian Davis, Badds, Gonzo, Glover, Van Pelt, Garrigus, Allenby, Justin Leonard and Immelman
Full details of worst-case scenarios: http://www.pgatour.com/fedexcup/2015/08/18/playoffs-scenarios-wyndham-championship.html
Finally, there are some walking wounded. Rory has already declared himself out for The Barclays. Others nursing recent injuries include DeLaet, MacKenzie & Woodland. EDIT: Chris Kirk targetting The Barclays as he recovers from a broken bone in his hand.

8).There are a couple of Tour "status" categories worth competing for, especially those who finish the 2014/2015 season ranked 126 to 150 in FedEx points. And those ranked 126 - 200 in FedEx points will be eligible for the web.com Tour Finals.

9).All of which means that there is plenty to play for at Greensboro this week and the field is jam-packed with golfers ranked 115 on the FedEx points list and worse! Including of course Tiger Woods whose appearance has reportedly caused the Wyndham Tournament Director to order the printing of 49,000 more tickets!!

10).Back to the final PGA Tour Championship and some special bennies that were handed out to the Top 15 finishers:
2016 Masters invitations to: Day, Spieth, Grace and Rose.
2016 PGA Championship invitations to these players not already assured of exemption: Grace, Koepka, Lahiri, Coetzee, Kuchar, Finau, Lingmerth, Snedeker, Steele, Henley.

And so to Greensboro, perhaps the first tournament of the "Jordan Era". Or is it already the "Jason Era"?
Hopefully the Rory Era will be back, normal service resumed.

kwinigolfer wrote:But that's not the point; the PGA Tour has reshuffled its schedule to suit itself, damn the other Federations, and damn Europe who are committed to the oldest Continental Championship on their calendar, arguably their 3rd or 4th biggest tournament.

Let me see if I have this right... so the PGAT had to shift some things around... but the Euro Tour couldn't?   Sheesh... if the French Open was that important... why not the ET get off its ass and change up their schedule too?   ET is NOT the only Tour that's going to have some individual events feeling some pain next year because of the Olympics scheduling issues... PGAT has had to move all kinds of things around... why should the Euro Tour be exempt from having to do he same thing?

Bottom line... this French Open thing is an issue that could have been avoided if the ET had the management wherewithal to solve the problem and move some more things around. Hey I get that maybe the past management didn't have the moxie to get it done... but I was at least hopeful this new management was.  But seems to me.... once again... the ET has settled on absolutely the WORST possible solution for itself and it's members on this WGC - French Open thing... and instead of whining about it and pointing the finger of blame across the pond... they should be wagging their fingers in the direction the blame belongs... towards Wentworth.

Mac,
That's all very well. But it's pretty sad that one Tour seems hell-bent on cannibalizing another.
That may not be what's actually happening, but listening, for instance, to Clarke, McIlroy and McDowell it sure gives off that perception.

As has been said so many times "World" does not mean "US". Except in the U.S. and your bedsit.

kwinigolfer wrote:Mac,
That's all very well. But it's pretty sad that one Tour seems hell-bent on cannibalizing another.
That may not be what's actually happening, but listening, for instance, to Clarke, McIlroy and McDowell it sure gives off that perception.

As has been said so many times "World" does not mean "US". Except in the U.S. and your bedsit.

Don't forget the "World" Series Kwini.

The ET won't put up much of a fight for fear of invasion liberation.
Freedom Fries you mothers!!!

Let's lighten up with an easy trivia question:
Before this season, six Europeans (no Frenchmen) had competed in each season of FedEx Play-Offs.
Which two of those six failed to qualify this season?

kwinigolfer wrote:Mac,
That's all very well. But it's pretty sad that one Tour seems hell-bent on cannibalizing another.
That may not be what's actually happening, but listening, for instance, to Clarke, McIlroy and McDowell it sure gives off that perception.

As has been said so many times "World" does not mean "US". Except in the U.S. and your bedsit.

Seriously?  Here's a clue. If he ET wants to keep itself from being cannibalized as you call it, then the answer is glaringly simple as it always has been in business (and make NO mistake about it, this IS business) ... quit the whining and find a fricken way to COMPETE EFFECTIVELY with the PGAT.  

IMO it CAN be done. In fact I think there's signs the ET is finally starting to figure out that the foundation of a strong tour is NOT with the Tour itself, but rather the strength of its individual parts... it's tournaments.  IMO that's exactly what they're doing with the Paul Lawrie Match Play, and bringing back the Porsche European Open and  British Masters.  It looks to me by the involvement of name players and the communities/charities involved in those events, they're trying to build the foundations of those events stronger than they were before.  IMHO, that's a helluva lot better way to do it than willy-nilly throwing up corporately owned events anywhere worldwide they can find a place to land them.

Bottom line: When you have sponsors in effect owning events, the event is ONLY as strong as the sponsors commitment to keep it going. Sponsor loses interest, then poof, the event is gone with it. But when you build events to be part of the fabric of the players and communities and/or countries in which they're played consciousness, and supported by organizations with a non-profit but VESTED interest in keeping them going... then you have that core strength of a tournament on which to build on.  Then get enough of those... and you got one helluva a Tour.   Just look to the PGAT for all the proof one needs to see exactly how well that approach works.

robo,
Completely agree with almost all of what you say, just don't think having the PGA Tour coming across as a predator does it any favours. I would agree that the ET is in a better place now than it has been since it lost most of its Spanish tournaments - was probably relying too much on them.
The Lawrie tournament was a great step forward, as was the Made in Denmark event, as you say community tournaments and very well supported.

Vive la difference, no reason why any two Tours can't co-exist, be complementary to one another, so long as there's a will to accept each other - just think The Bridgestone date thingy went over the edge, you disagree and that's fine.

Kwini

"As has been said so many times "World" does not mean "US". Except in the U.S. and your bedsit."

Really? From my posting over the years do you actually think I hold a US centered world view?




"it's pretty sad that one Tour seems hell-bent on cannibalizing another"

The issue with the idea that the PGAT is cannibalizing the Euro tour is that it is unclear how things would change for the PGAT if the Euro tour didn't exist at all. The PGAT already easily attracts the best players and provides a far more watchable product. Maybe the prize funds would drop a little with a non-existent or very weak Euro tour but really the PGAT has already seen off the European challenge.

kwinigolfer wrote:Vive la difference, no reason why any two Tours can't co-exist, be complementary to one another, so long as there's a will to accept each other - just think The Bridgestone date thingy went over the edge, you disagree and that's fine.

EXACTLY... on the first part at least. IMO a strong European tour does NOT run as contrary to long term PGAT interests as people might think.  And I don't think its a matter of the PGAT wanting to cannibalize or conquer the ET or the world, but sheesh... if the ET management is so ineffective it fails to capitalize on opportunities it does have, and in addition seems to make the worst out of bad situations as well... then it NEEDS to be conquered for its own good.  IMO... and based a good deal on opinions from those I respect on this very board (about management and such), the ET probably got VERY close to needing to be taken over.  Hopefully with Coles and O'Grady out... this new team can reverse that trend. IMO the signs are already in place they're figuring out how to do so.

kwinigolfer wrote:Let's lighten up with an easy trivia question:
Before this season, six Europeans (no Frenchmen) had competed in each season of FedEx Play-Offs.
Which two of those six failed to qualify this season?

Brian Davis?

Brian Davis . . . . and ?

kwinigolfer wrote:Brian Davis . . . . and ?

Freddie Jac.

Very good GPB, Grumps!
Davis presumably off to the web.com Tour Finals, Jacobson must be hoping for a Medical Extension/Exemption - not sure what his status is.

I can find five names (Garcia, Goosen, McIlroy, Molinari, and Oosthuizen) mentioned as not teeing it up for whatever reason however I've seen it noted that it's likely 119 are going to start. Who's the sixth?

Grumps,
I think the earlier projections were for 119, but they assumed MacKenzie (injured) and Stallings (suspended) would qualify but not be able to play.
As it happened, neither qualified, but Oosthuizen who was in the original field subsequently withdrew from his earlier commitment.
So, unless one or more of the walking wounded are unable to play, the field will be set at 120.

kwinigolfer wrote:Very good GPB, Grumps!
Davis presumably off to the web.com Tour Finals, Jacobson must be hoping for a Medical Extension/Exemption - not sure what his status is.

If I understand the exceptionally complicated Major Medical policy properly... Freddie will have met the major medical 4 month continuous injury threshold by the end of the playoffs.  So with the 13 events he has on the books... once he gets back that would give him 12 additional events under a major medical in which to gain equiv 125th 2014-15 year regular season FEPoints or money.  That's about 190 additional FE points or roughly $325K more in money.

Got you, thanks Kwini

Cheers robo; I've just never seen anything remotely official disclosing the details of Freddie's absence.

kwinigolfer wrote:Cheers robo; I've just never seen anything remotely official disclosing the details of Freddie's absence.

Well.. I did get this... "Personal family emergency" but it was not proper for me to inquire as to the nature due to privacy issues..... so I really can't be certain it would qualify under the Major Medical/Family Crisis Extension policy. I'll add more if I get any further indication.

Hadn't seen that.

Pity they can't afford Billy Hurley leniency . . . . . . . . .

kwinigolfer wrote: Hadn't seen that.

Pity they can't afford Billy Hurley leniency . . . . . . . . .

See my edit above... I went back and re-read my correspondence... and "may" have misstated... it is "personal family emergency" for certain... but I can't be 100% sure to categorically state it is something that would qualify under the Major Medical/Family Crisis Extension thing...

Kwini... I was able to just now confirm that whatever the "personal family emergency" situation is with Freddie Jac... it is something that would qualify under the Tour's Major Medical/Family Crisis Extension policy. So once he comes back, he'd have the 12 events to make his bones up to #125 in either 2014-15 FEpoints or money.

Hope all is OK w/Freddie; he's entertaining to watch.

I'll miss him on Thursday & Friday . . . . .