Are The Yanks too One Dimensional

Fichems circus can at times throw up some drama and pure theatre, as witnessed a couple of weeks ago in California. The PGA play on some stunning tracks and have some sublime talent on show, plus 3 majors are played over there. Yet besides Tiger in his pomp, Bubba, Phil and a couple more, the golf can seem fairly one dimensional, as it turns into a big thrash off the tee and target golf into the green. Yes there are some special holes where players need to think about things, and I would love to play the par 3 16th (Stadium) at Pheonix, or Amen Corner etc. But recently we seem to have seen a slight demise of the prowess of many of the yanks, when abroad.

The ET is almost a proper World Tour now as we play in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. Our players are now able to experience every type of rough and of course different grasses used on greens. This experience has assisted, I believe our climb up the world rankings, because our players can match the yanks in their own back yard. The opposite seems to have happened in the last couple of years, because the yanks don't seem to be able to handle European conditions, and indeed not many travel over these days, except for the Open. Are the Americans even more insular than they were before? I know many of the LPGA have begged to have their tour extended into Asia because American ladies are now falling behind their Asian counterparts stateside.

Good question that one Doc and there are 2 sides to the coin aren't there, yes target golf is pretty much the norm for the yankees, with the occaisional foray to course like whistling straight's to liven it up,(largely only majors they do this for US Open and PGA) Yet when they do this you get a large European Contingent and a few other nations competing.

The likes of JB Holmes and most US players tend to bore me to tears, so do a lot of the Euro Guys out there none more so than Rose, yet the yankees are very successful when it come to the Open championship.

So you could argue both points, but certainly the majority we see on our screens don't have the shots in their bag a lot of Euro guys due to playing varied types of course, but that said there are quite a few of their guys i love to watch namely, Stricker, DJ, Bubba, Big Phil and of Tiger when he has his game on

Mav I think the likes of Watney, Johnson, Bubba and even 2-gloves Tommy have given the PGA something it needed, as Phil and Tiger were really the only things worth watching. Yes Stricker and the like are solid proper golfers, but this new breed (maybe 10) are what the tour's needed. Oh for the days of Super Mex as we've seen too much ordinary stuff. I agree about Rose, so why do you think these players opted to join the PGA, was it quality of life and cash before learning their trade? I accept the likes of Donald have gone through the American college system, so are basically yanks in some respect, but Poults I believe has opted to be more ET this season and still try and squeeze in the odd PGA thing. I believe Poults took this decision to further his game, due to it now almost being a world tour, and experiencing every type of course.

Without the yank players above, what would Fichem be cooking up to try and enhance the PGA next?

Indeed the likes of Watney, Johnson, Bubba, Fowler and even 2-gloves Tommy have given the PGA something that was lacking for a long time as when events were played minus Woods and Mickleson in the past they were dull and hardly worth watching even the commentaters found it hard to get excited about anything other than the chance to take a pee at an add break.

I wouldn't say you had to go back as far as super mex to say it was a good tour, in the 90's there were some cracking players plying their trade their that made the events well worth watching admittedly they didnt have the personalities of the new kids on the block these days, but you had faldo, Couples, a young els, Pavin was always a passioniate dog fighter of a player< John Daly and norman who dominated.

But then the late 90's hit and the sterile personalities that were emerging were now the household names and there were major winners that most people taking up the game now even some that were playing then wouldn't have heard of, I mean if you told someone that Lee Janzen had 2 US Opens to his name or that players like Steve Jones, Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem and Ben Curtis were major winners the likely answer would be WHO?

Why does Poulter ply his trade their, well I believe his original intentions for the move were honourable he want's a Major and genuinely thought at that time being stateside was his best chance much like Sergio did. The tides changing on that now we have a truly global ET and last years 3 of 4 major champions prove that.

Rose I cannot stand I believe he though he was "all that" after he finally fulfilled early promise by winning the ET OOM. Low and behold he goes stateside to play with "the big boys" or as he called it at the time the best players in the world and up until last years 2 wins was found wanting, he then rose up to top 25 in the OGWR and funnily enough since his paddy about missing the RC has slowly started sliding back down the rankings to where he really belongs, he is at best streaky and not as good as he believes he is.

Donald, Laird et al are to all intents and purposes yanks through the fact they have lived their since lates teens due to playing in the collegiate system out there which in truth does put any european youth system to shame, but then they have the funding.

What would Finchem do without the new breed, simple do what he did before they emerged create the FedEx guff sorry cup!

I think finchy needs to realise now that the ET is on par with the PGA tour and insome instances far more global and in real terms is possibly becoming bigger now we have a real desert swing and the far east on board at the end of the year out did the Fall series stateside by a mile. Gone are the days where the big boys play the late season PGA events like Vegas now its just the bubble boys.

I agree that Stricker is as you say a solid pro, but was comeback player of the year also and a massively consistent top 10 OGWR player, I like the guy the way he swings and plays unassuming golf compared to Tiger etc, but its true the PGA needs these new personalities to help it shine, the thing is I can see more and more major champions coming from outside the states to upset the finchmeister.

long live the revolution

Good points well made Mav, but going to disagree on one of them - Fowler I don't think he's got a win in him. yes he's different, but then so was Poults. Fowler looked like he had come straight from the chain gang last week in that all orange binmans stuff. Not going to mention the wardrobe on 'green day'. He starts off the week in good form, and think he led the field. Then as usual falls away, but still has the odd sublime iron thrown in, but not enough. Yes he's different a young rock star if you like, but if he wants to stand out, he's going to have to do what poults did, and start winning. Most pundits are throwing plaudits at the kid, and to be fair they know more than I, but I still don't get it ... I still see Bianca when I hear his name mentioned :lol: I also thought the best bit of last weeks waste management was the big lad, who had had to pack it in for a while due to cancer. he got the Ace at the 16th Stadium complex and his reaction and that crowd's was quality

Doc:
I said Fowler was good for the PGA I never mentioned him winning, I don't think he'll win anytime soon if at all, personally I can't stand the kid, Finchy likes him because he has his very own Poulter a somoe a bit flash that pulls in younger crowds, but he is not in the same class as Bubba, Watney or DJ, he just wants to be.

I think Finchy is worried now that the ET seems to awoken to Normans idea of a World Tour and what can be done and the PGA are being left behind and thats why we have the waste of time that is FedEx

Mav: I'd like to make a wager, that within the next 5-years we have an officialish world tour, where the top 40 from all the tour's qualify for the WT. Because if it doesn't happen, whats the betting that Finchem dreams up a world series like baseball, where the players are from american clubs

Doc wrote:Mav: I'd like to make a wager, that within the next 5-years we have an officialish world tour, where the top 40 from all the tour's qualify for the WT. Because if it doesn't happen, whats the betting that Finchem dreams up a world series like baseball, where the players are from american clubs

Don't doubt it will happen for 1 minute Doc, it will likely happen when "Dim" Finchem wakes up and smells the coffee and realises his product is starting to be on the back burner compared to the now truly global ET. Likely hood is he'll try to secure more "Co-sanctioned" events like the one Ben Crane won last year in saying that its best for both parties to raise the friendliness of the 2 tours. When what he really means is I've realised we need you because my ship is sinking. Then from the co-sanctioned events he'll no doubt look to get upto 20 of these say 10 stateside 10 Europe, Aisa, UAE etc then label it the PGA WT and then announce himself as tour president as he will say how great am I for giving birth to this baby!

Hopefully the ET will resist and tell him to take a short walk off Long Beach pier!

I think him to be a complete tool! His ideas for the game are laughable, end of season playoffs! Where you don't get the 30 best players on tour (top 30 money list) qualifying for the TC but instead you can end up with 30 randoms who just happened to do ok in 4 events ridiculous and punishing to those that truly deserve it. I feel that's another reason the ET will grow because so many are now saying what a farce the FedEx is. I may be wrong but I'm sure I saw somewhere maybe wikipedia that Stricker is the only man to play every single round of FedEx cup golf since its inception.

That is testament to Strickers consistency but also an idea of what a poor event. Fedex is! What's wrong with a straight forward money list and TC, I tell you what its not enough of a cash cow for Tim. Don't get me wrong I like Donald he's a brit, but how can you have a $10 million dollar event that is potentially winnable by a guy that does not win tournaments just finishes top 10 once in a while.

Sorry Timbo its the ET trumping PGA

more "Co-sanctioned" events like the one Ben Crane won last year in saying that its best for both parties to raise the friendliness of the 2 tours

I also think the Asian tour would need adding (Which tour do the aussies/NZ play, is it Asian). This would truly be a world tour and we've seen how good some of the Korean's are especially on the LPGA as they dominate.

The Aussies have their own tour in place which is the PGA Tour of Australasia, I believe that it incorporates their own events and some co-sanctioned events in Asia/Far east.

If there is to be a truly WGT, it could take a lot of time to work out and plan, you would need to include the ET, PGA, Sunshine tour, as well as the Asian and Australasian.

You would then surely have to have events in countries that currently don't have a major hold on golf but produce good golfer, e.g South America, they have produced players such as Villegas, Cabrera, and have whole of of new guys coming through in Vegas, Echenique and a few more.

Korea would need more events to, they have guys like Noh coming through so it would be a logistical nightmare the set up initially and I feel would be hard to gain players to commit to for the first few years espescially PGA guys, I mean its only really Tiger and Big Phil that are global golfers on the PGA tour, a nd most will say if I can eanr my bread stateside why would i travel so far, after all hard enough getting them over for the Open.

No doubt finchy would add somesort of incentive to get his guys moving about the globe as in , if you dontp lay a certain amount of co-sanctioned PGA, WGT events it's bye bye tour card

Mav is there only us 2 that can see this post, because it's turned into the Mav & Doc post. Obviously boring and of no interest to anyone else :606laugh:

Doc there are 2 theories on this, either were the only ones who think this is worth talking about.

or

Others have seen the intillect of our posts and thought woah! how do i respond to that :friend: