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Saudi World Golf Tour 2022/2023 Thread

Basically doubled down on the WGC model with the limited field, no cut stuff.
 
The only thing they copied from LIV was the staggering amount of money.
 
These changes are obviously a direct result of the LIV threat. There are many reasons to dislike the LIV tour (primarily the Saudi backing), but I don’t think Phil was wrong when he said LIV will benefit pga pros. No cuts (or at least paying players who miss the cut enough to cover expenses) is long overdue.
 
No cut events for the top players aren't new. See the WGCs. What LIV did was accelerate the money, and get more of them in play. As fans we all benefit, but LIV is a joke of a golf tour and many of those players will be begging their way back in a couple years
 
Deacs playing inspired golf in the Arnold Palmer Invitational:

  • Cam Young tied for the early lead (-4)
  • Will Z 7th (-2)
 
LIV certainly accelerated a lot of these changes, but we'll see if they all end up benefiting the game or not at this rate. LIV is like a drunk trophy wife with a credit card - they're just throwing money at names with no considerations for anything else.

The depth of the PGA Tour owes a lot to the development of the Korn Ferry Tour, investments in amateur golf, an incredible retirement program, support for collegiate golf, women's golf - not that they're without fault for dragging on purse increases and rewards for top players but LIV has no such investments to consider. Most of the changes now are about getting more money allocated to the top 30 players, and while that's generally good for fans, who knows whether there will be fallout in the long run if it negatively impacts the underpinnings of golf as a whole. What if MLB lost it's 50 best players to a new Saudi baseball league so they doubled salaries and shut down the minors?
 
I don't mind the occasional no cut 70 person field (the LPGA last week had 1 in Thailand), but this is going to be too many. And it's undemocratic - let the newer guys and some lesser names compete in some of these big $$ events too. The other problem with the huge $$ events is it's creating some awful fields on other weeks to the extent that I literally recognized a lot more names of guys playing in Delhi than I did in Florida.
 
cville deac said:
I don't mind the occasional no cut 70 person field (the LPGA last week had 1 in Thailand), but this is going to be too many. And it's undemocratic - let the newer guys and some lesser names compete in some of these big $$ events too. The other problem with the huge $$ events is it's creating some awful fields on other weeks to the extent that I literally recognized a lot more names of guys playing in Delhi than I did in Florida.
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Agree, think its an over-reaction to LIV, and it's going to be much harder now for players to climb the ladder and/or for poor performing players to lose their tour status. So, in 8 events now, every player in these elevated events will accumulate points (which determines tour status) while younger/better players finishing higher in 156 man fields in de-emphasized events will get very few points and earn less money? That sucks. FWIW, that seems like the type of environment which is even more conducive to attract players to a rival tour as it will be exceptionally tough for young players to make it to top 50 status, even when they are outplaying older players that are able to game the system to maintain the tour status.

Realize that its hard to create a system that is fair to every player, but seems like the only priority now is to keep the current top players on the PGAT, and everyone else has to figure it out based on the remaining scraps.
 
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Pilchard said:
Agree, think its an over-reaction to LIV, and it's going to be much harder now for players to climb the ladder and/or for poor performing players to lose their tour status. So, in 8 events now, every player in these elevated events will accumulate points (which determines tour status) while younger/better players finishing higher in 156 man fields in de-emphasized will get very few points and earn less money? That sucks. FWIW, that seems like the type of environment which is even more conducive to attract players to a rival tour as it will be exceptionally tough for young players to make it to top 50 status, even when they are outplaying older players that are able to game the system to maintain the tour status.

Realize that its hard to create a system that is fair to every player, but seems like the only priority now is to keep the current top players on the PGAT, and everyone else has to figure it out based on the remaining scraps.
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Agree completely. And why do you need to over-react to LIV when it's floundering on the CW? I don't mind having the elevated events, although it is hurting the fields in other events. But let the top 156 have their shot in most of those elevated events.
 
Bill Haas, who has struggled for a couple of years is had his best round in a long time with a 5 under 67 today in the Puerto Rico Open (there are two PGA events this week: API (elevated); PR Open for the scroungers). He's currently tied for 2nd. Haas birdied his last 4 holes of the day. Would be great if he could get it going again.
 
I'm pretty OK with everything but wish they made the following changes:

1) Limit the no cut events to just the 3 major invitationals (Genesis, Memorial, API). Adding just 3 no-cut, limited field to the WGC's, Kapalua and API doesn't seem too bad. When they talk about all 8 designated events being that way, I think it's going too far.

2) Instead of 5 spots having a chance for promotion into ever pair of elevated events, should be 10 or even 15. Churn is good.

3) They absolutely have to weight the points equal between these events and regular events. If they step up the FedEx points it will further cheapen the lesser events and entrench the upper tier of the tour.

4) 4 sponsor exemptions is utter garbage. Obviously they needed one in the holster for Tiger. A 2nd one I can see, but 4 will just be abused.

Other points:

  • No news about whether or how they will rotate the other designated events.
Nothing about the Euro tour alliance, which IMO better be clarified quickly as the DP Tour could run to LIV in a heartbeat.

The positives I see are that it will be positively cutthroat for players trying to move off the bubble into these events. If properly covered on TV it will be something I would personally enjoy watching. And it likely will save events like the Wyndham. And honestly, it will be nice to see a shakeup of the normal tour cadence and format. Pretending that every event is of equal weight except the majors was necessary to appease the base and also for sponsors, but from a fan perspective it was stale. There is value to me as a fan in having a smaller number of events to focus on.

And personally, I think we will see multiple defections from LIV back to the tour this season.
 
Don't these changes basically create a major league and minor league system? Seems like you'll have really strong field events and really week field events, and little in between.
 
LK, if there are defections from LIV, what kind of suspensions do you think those guys will be looking at?
 
My guess is that the suspensions would be limited, if any, because the PGAT knows that a player bailing on LIV for the PGAT is good for the PGAT.
 
cville deac said:
LK, if there are defections from LIV, what kind of suspensions do you think those guys will be looking at?
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Honestly depends on who it is. For example, DJ is going to be treated differently than Pat Perez. Players who were not party to the lawsuit brought against the tour should certainly have a shorter suspension.

Or maybe not a suspension, but a probationary year where they have to play all the lesser events.
 
deac29 said:
Don't these changes basically create a major league and minor league system? Seems like you'll have really strong field events and really week field events, and little in between.
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It's basically already that way. Your top guys aren't heading to Iowa etc. It's a bit more formalized this way- but it was already like that
 
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