Does the PGA Tour need Tiger to win a major?

[The Recreational Golfer]

I heard this question on a sports talk show this morning. What do you think?

[Koth]

I think they need it for the casual fan. The fan that pays closer attention to the tour doesn't really need it because they know the other names out there.

A lot of people seem to be dying for Tiger to bust out though.

[alf174]

I think they need a business plan that can address not having Tiger win a major - and if he does, then its that much better.

[chriskzoo]

Yes they do, and he will. I love how people are writing him off and yet in 2010 he has finished:

T-4 in the Masters
T-4 in the US Open
T-23 in the British

Two Top 5's in the first 3 majors - yeah, he sucks. He just needs is divorce settled, hopefully by the end of the year and get into some sort of normalcy in his life - whatever that is in the future - and he'll be fine.

[muggs]

No, what they need is other guys to finally play to their potential, or at the very least have a major that is competitive. The British was boring to watch, even with all the history St. Andrews adds to it.

[jayt0625]

Tiger needs it more than his fans. He will figure it all out soon. Remember his life has been insane the last 1/2 year and he is still playing damn good golf. I know anything less than a win from Tiger and "OMG he is done" is all you hear. The announcers write him off and then the next round he shoots a low score and they all love him again! Give the guy a break!

I agree with muggs, it was a very boring Open.......zzz....zzz.....zzz.....

[Chilli Dipper]

Here's the deal: there is an awesome degree of parity in professional golf right now. No player has claimed more than two wins between the three major tours this season (PGA, European, Japan), and there are dozens of golfers of extremely variant playing styles who can win on any given weekend. The last four major winners have come from four different continents, and a player from a fifth has two major wins in the last three years. There have been no shortage of great feats and great finishes in 2010; for a golf fan, this is a truly exciting period.

The problem is that media conglomerates and sponsors (who ultimately hold the influence of the casual fan) hate parity. They want dominant players with dominant personalities that can spark great rivalries and serve as the face of one's brand. The harsh reality is that no sport, except for pro football, can thrive in an environment of strong competitive balance. The NBA was written off around the time of Spurs-Nets finals, but all is well again with Lakers-Celtics championship clashes and superstars like LeBron and Wade (who are now teammates). International soccer flourishes in a culture where about a dozen European clubs have dominion over the rest of the world. The powers that be in college football defend the BCS because the prestige of the national championship is tied to the pedigree of the schools who have won it and the allure of the perfect season; no one wants to see Iowa State-South Florida title games.

With Tiger Woods, golf had an alpha dog. In his emotional (if no longer physical) absence, the numerous betas that had nipped at his feet have proven entertaining to watch, but not to those drawn in by the alpha's appeal. Connoisseurs of the game should appreciate this moment while it lasts; the monied interests had better hope Tiger gets his head back on straight soon, or that someone rise over the rest to challenge Tiger's undisputed status when he is ready to win again.

[JWL1957]

The PGA tour needs a few young guns to step up and spank Tiger and Phil. Kinda like Oosz did this weekend. It was refreshing to see a quiet, and friendly guy without all the hype. With a nickname like "Shrek"......... how could you not like him. :)

[sean_miller]

The PGA needs a Tiger exit strategy. Maybe some of the guys in the 18 to 25 age bracket can step up - they're getting hyped like they already have, so all that's left is the actual doing it.

[CarlSpackler]

I think the tour will do just fine with or without Tiger.

[Tiger Spuds]

You get the impression that the tour is in a little transitional period at the moment.Phil's getting old, Tiger's perhaps past his best.They're the two biggest names out there.The thing that's exciting is the next generation of golfers waiting to take over.Rory's already won on Tour, plus guys like Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Ryo Ishikawa (will be on the PGA tour before too long), Anthony Kim, etc.It's not just that they're talented players, it's how they play the game.You watch Rickie and Rory, and they're absolutely fearless.Most of the young guys are the same, they go for it more often than not and I think that's a bit of a break from a lot of the older guard, excluding Tiger and Phil, who play a much more controlled and frankly boring style of Golf.I think the new generation realise they're there to entertain as well play for themselves and that can only be good for the Tour, and Golf fans I'm already looking forward to watching Rickie and Rory battle it out in the coming years.

[Kieran123]

The tour needs a new prodigy like Tiger was.

Sure, McIlroy is good, but not that good.

They need a new young gun to come in and fire it up again

[mck]

No, what they need is other guys to finally play to their potential, or at the very least have a major that is competitive. The British was boring to watch, even with all the history St. Andrews adds to it.

I agree, the British Open was boring this year--kinda reminded me of the 2000 U.S. Open

[Zeph]

I don't think anyone will ever be as dominant as Tiger has been, but that is not needed. What I want is good competition, good golf, playoffs, and for the players I enjoy watching, both for their gamestyle and personality to win. Why do the main PGA Tour events draw more people than the alternate ones, or those without a big field? Because of the players. Because of Phil, Tiger, Ernie, Rory, Sean, Rickie, Anthony. Still, if those players are not in contention by the weekend, some of the entertainment value has already dropped. It can be saved by good golf and competition.

I've seen many lower tiered events with lots of drama that have been far more entertaining than fi. this The Open was. The Open was entertaining the first three days, but when it came down to Sunday, and it revealed itself pretty quickly that nobody could catch up with Louis, not so much. It would have been entertaining if someone had competed with him, would not have to be Tiger, Phil or any other top ranked player, but just watching a good competition is more entertaining than a solo run for the win.

The PGA Tour can't do much to affect the outcome of a tournament, or who will play spectacular golf.

[kafka01]

The PGA needs a Tiger exit strategy. Maybe some of the guys in the 18 to 25 age bracket can step up - they're getting hyped like they already have, so all that's left is the actual doing it.

I agree - but as of right now, the PGA Tour is pretty much like GM, trying to sell the old glory and not planning for the future or being ignorant of the present. And i´m sure they had a cozy decade with Tiger bringing in all the money. That was an easy sell - guess now its time to work for your salary again, Mr. Finchem.

I really dont think, that any of the young guns will be the next big thing. Sure, they are all very good players, but you can spot a "prodigy" miles away, and all those young guys arent. They are on a very equal performance level, but nobody seems to have shown big outperformance in the past.

The tour needs a new prodigy like Tiger was.

Oh dont worry, there are several young guns in the making, but you guys wont like it where they come from. 10-15 years from now the PGA-Tour will look like the LPGA Tour now. Maybe you should check some results of relevant junior tournaments and the dominance of asian players.

And if you thought this British Open was boring now, what do you think how boring it will be then to watch, when the leaderboard is filled with names we cant even pronounce nor can we identify with...

[Tiger Spuds]

Oh dont worry, there are several young guns in the making, but you guys wont like it where they come from. 10-15 years from now the PGA-Tour will look like the LPGA Tour now. Maybe you should check some results of relevant junior tournaments and the dominance of asian players.

Why should that matter?Where someone comes from should be the last thing that matters, as long as they have the talent and charisma to stand out.The PGA and European tour are both chock full of mediocre no-name players that'll never do anything major in Golf anyway, so will it really matter if they've been replaced by players from Korea, Japan or China?

[elvis14]

The answer is no, they do not need Tiger. What they need to do is a MUCH better job of promoting and celebrating other players. They put themselves in a bad spot by being too Tiger-centric. He's just about the best golfer I've ever seen but I enjoy golf much more when he's not in the field because of the way the PGA and others ignore everyone else (except perhaps Phil who I'm always rooting for because he's such a good guy). Look at the screen time he received yesterday at the expense of other players (some of whom were moving up the leader board quite nicely). There are a lot of really great guys, great golfers (not as good as Tiger) and great stories in golf and they should be highlighted.

[kafka01]

You might wanna read up on some of the LPGA threads on this board and realize that it matters A LOT. Even the LPGA was getting "tired" with the asian dominance on their tour since they couldnt sell this to their target audience, loosing sponsors and TV money left & right. They didnt had problems selling it in the asian market, but again, thats not where they make their main money from. In the end its all about marketing and selling it off, and selling a YE Yang (just hypothetical if he would become a dominant force) to a western audience is a lot more challenging (impossible?) than a Mickelson or Woods.