PGA Tour Moving South Literally

[r7 425]

I just want to say that i think these new tournaments in Mexico and Puerto Rico are rediculous. This is bad news for the PGA Tour as it has to rely on foreign markets instead of trying to keep its product in America. The Puerto Rico Open and the MayaKoba Classic are the effects of the tour going in a downward trend of lost revenues. I mean if we cant keep all of the PGA tournaments in the U.S.A. with the exception of the canadian open--i think we have a big problem on our hands. The tour's ratings when Tiger is not in the field are appaling. And to tell you firsthand about this-i was at the US Open at Oakmont all week and the majority of the people were following Tiger and Phil Mickelson. For instance nobody even knew who the other players were. As soon as tiger came to the tee b ox everyone rushed. Big names that golf fans know like vijay singh and jim furyk-nobody watched and you could get soo close to them. I would say 60 percent of the people at oakmont were following tiger and phil. It was kind of a shame because nobody knew who the other golfers were besides tiger and phil.
We must keep tournaments in America because i really dont see these southern markets knowing about anyone other than Tiger. I mean if we cant find great golf courses in our own backyard then what is happening. Its a snowball effect that could turn the PGA Tour into the World Tour. It is happening because the Tour is not marketing its other players well enough. The Tour is now getting desperate and hoping that it will tap into other markets across the globe. I hate to see it happening because there are big name courses than would die to have an annual tourament there

[BASHERBAKER69]

hi

I don't see anything wrong with the PGA tour going international from time to time..it would be good for the players. The European tour is a 100% international tour-there has to be a relationship betwen this and the Euros' recent Ryder Cup successes.

bb

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

So you don't have a problem with Canada but you do Mexico and Puerto Rico? I'm not sure I understand that. I've got no problem with these events. Mayakoba for one is opposite the Match Play event so even though it's in Mexico you've still got your PGA event in the US at the same time. Bottom line is I don't think the venue is going to change the type of draw Tiger Woods gets. He, pretty much by himself, has brought golf to this level with the diverse interest it is getting. I'm pretty sure these people know who Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh are... but that's not going to stop them from wanting the chance to possibly watch the best player ever. And again, I'm willing to bet a lot of these fans wouldn't be interested in golf at all if it weren't for Tiger Woods. It is what it is.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

I just want to say that i think these new tournaments in Mexico and Puerto Rico are rediculous. This is bad news for the PGA Tour as it has to rely on foreign markets instead of trying to keep its product in America. . . We must keep tournaments in America because i really dont see these southern markets knowing about anyone other than Tiger. . .

You need to bone up on your "politics". Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth is association with the U.S. The chief of state is "W", the president of the US of A.

Go here for more info http://welcome.topuertorico.org/government.shtml . Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez, one of the PGA Tours most popular, entertaining and competetive golfers of an earlier generation is from Puerto Rico and I think you are grossly underestimating the countries and people of both Mexico & Puerto Rico.

[TourSpoon]

I don't have a problem with the Tour staying in North America (Puerto Rico is part of the US and Mexico is under the USGA umbrella) and I like the idea of exposing more populations to the great game that we love. I have always thought that Greg Norman had a great idea with the World Tour, which would play all over the world and have the world's best players. That transformed into the World Championships but it hasn't had the global effect that it was supposed to have.

The issue with Tiger is no different than it was with Arnold Palmer. Arnie's Armie was quite the same way and even benefited Palmer with some great bounces from time to time. Like it or not, golf doesn't really have another star at the moment and Tiger is part of the reason for the tour's success.

[iacas]

This is bad news for the PGA Tour as it has to rely on foreign markets instead of trying to keep its product in America.

Mexico and Puerto Rico are both in America.

Heck, Puerto Rico is even part of the United States.

The Puerto Rico Open and the MayaKoba Classic are the effects of the tour going in a downward trend of lost revenues.

You seem to like to speak about things about which you know very little... How is an alternate field event "losing revenues." Who's losing the revenues? Not the players. Not the sponsors. Not the TV people. Not the Tour or its charities.

The tour's ratings when Tiger is not in the field are appaling.

Gee, good thing Tiger played the week of the Mayakoba Classic. Duh.

And he'll probably play the week of the Puerto Rico Open, too.

I would say 60 percent of the people at oakmont were following tiger and phil.

Not on the weekend they weren't. And a lot of people followed Furyk given his western PA roots.

[r7 425]

Mexico and Puerto Rico are both in America.

I live 2 roads down from where Furyk's dad grew up and his grandparents still live there. Honestly Nobody really knew Jim Furyk had family only 5 miles away!!! I think if more people knew that then more would have followed Jim. If Jim wasnt in contention then obviously nobdoy would have followed him on the weekend. Its pretty sad because modern golf fans know nothing about the game. All of the people i talked to at Oakmont asked me "Where's Tiger? and nobody knew who any of the other golfers were--and i had to tell them.

[TourSpoon]

It was no different at the Honda this year when I went. Tiger wasn't there, so everyone was trying to follow the Els/Garcia/Maggert group. I picked a local named Dudley Hart who shot a 29 on the front with six birdies in a row. I was one of 15 people in his gallery versus a throng for the others. By the turn, Hart was in the lead and picked up a whopping five more fans. I saw the best golf that day up close and personal. The people trying to get a glimpse of the stars had to continually jockey and fight for position and missed a lot.

[iacas]

I live 2 roads down from where Furyk's dad grew up and his grandparents still live there. Honestly Nobody really knew Jim Furyk had family only 5 miles away!!!

Plenty of people knew he was from the area originally. The number of times I heard "Let's go Steelers" chanted as he walked around Oakmont is confirmation of that.

Its pretty sad because modern golf fans know nothing about the game. All of the people i talked to at Oakmont asked me "Where's Tiger? and nobody knew who any of the other golfers were--and i had to tell them.

Guess what? Go back 35 years and the questions become "Where's Jack?" and "almost nobody" (at the same levels as nobody knows about Jim Furyk) would know about Tom Watson or Lee Trevino.

And how many wins does Jim Furyk have on the PGA Tour? 13. Peh. I think he might get more respect and be more well known than most others with 13 wins in 13 years?