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Saudi World Golf Tour 2022/2023 Thread

Pilchard said:
Yes, but at some point, the Champions Tour may want to add in a few more Mon-Wed tourneys as most Champions Tour events get swallowed up, by the corresponding PGA event for that weekend. During the season for most Thursday to Sunday stretches, there are PGA, Korn Ferry and LPGA events occupying those dates. Might be nice to have the exclusive Monday-Wednesday days for the Champions Tour now and then. Particularly makes sense for as long as no fans are allowed to attend as the one drawback to Monday-Wednesday schedule is that it's less likely for people to attend. During the pandemic, that is not an issue.
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I think it'd be a great way to avoid being swallowed up. As I said, there are quite a few premium names playing in the Champions Tour now on a regular basis that have potential to draw some eyeballs. It's true that on a typical Sunday, I'd probably watch the regular PGA Tour, but I still wouldn't mind having the opportunity to do that as well as watching some of the guys I grew up watching and not have to flip channels between the two.
 
Yeah, I watch a lot of the PGA and a fair amount of the Euros and the LPGA. But I don't watch the seniors unless they're at a venue that I really like. Would probably be more tempted to watch them if they did more weekday tourneys.
 
I think the Senior Tour (PGA Tour Champions) needs former PGA stars consistently winning tournaments or being in contention. I mean bless his heart, but Scott Parel is 2nd on their money list. Langer is #1, but he's been around forever and although I think he's a really good guy, Langer is just boring to watch in my opinion. Jerry Kelly, another really good guy, but another guy nobody is excited to watch won the only major that will be played on the that tour this year. Seems like you get more journeyman or "never were" guys doing well out there, then the guys that were the premier players on the regular tour.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
I think the Senior Tour (PGA Tour Champions) needs former PGA stars consistently winning tournaments or being in contention. I mean bless his heart, but Scott Parel is 2nd on their money list. Langer is #1, but he's been around forever and although I think he's a really good guy, Langer is just boring to watch in my opinion. Jerry Kelly, another really good guy, but another guy nobody is excited to watch won the only major that will be played on the that tour this year. Seems like you get more journeyman or "never were" guys doing well out there, then the guys that were the premier players on the regular tour.
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The top 20 of the current Champions Event includes:

Steve Stricker
Retief Goosen
Mike Weir
Bernhard Langer
Vijay Singh
David Toms
Ernie Els
Mark Calcavecchia
Kirk Triplett
Phil Michelson

All are either winners of majors or Ryder Cup/President's Cup participants.

The Champions Tour gives qualifying preference to those who are on the all-time money list, have won multiple PGA events, who are in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but unless you want to ban the grinders that are able to play their best golf after 50, but didn't have PGA tour success, there are going to be no-name golfers that for whatever reason can compete with the best players as they got older. I guess the Champions Tour could restrict the field in certain events to only those who were in the top 100 in all-time PGA tour earnings, but that would not be fair.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
I think the Senior Tour (PGA Tour Champions) needs former PGA stars consistently winning tournaments or being in contention. I mean bless his heart, but Scott Parel is 2nd on their money list. Langer is #1, but he's been around forever and although I think he's a really good guy, Langer is just boring to watch in my opinion. Jerry Kelly, another really good guy, but another guy nobody is excited to watch won the only major that will be played on the that tour this year. Seems like you get more journeyman or "never were" guys doing well out there, then the guys that were the premier players on the regular tour.
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Scott McCarron falls into this list too. Sounds like Rich Beem is joining the Tour soon though along with Pilch's list. He should be good for some laughs.
 
Pilchard said:
The top 20 of the current Champions Event includes:

Steve Stricker
Retief Goosen
Mike Weir
Bernhard Langer
Vijay Singh
David Toms
Ernie Els
Mark Calcavecchia
Kirk Triplett
Phil Michelson

All are either winners of majors or Ryder Cup/President's Cup participants.

The Champions Tour gives qualifying preference to those who are on the all-time money list, have won multiple PGA events, who are in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but unless you want to ban the grinders that are able to play their best golf after 50, but didn't have PGA tour success, there are going to be no-name golfers that for whatever reason can compete with the best players as they got older. I guess the Champions Tour could restrict the field in certain events to only those who were in the top 100 in all-time PGA tour earnings, but that would not be fair.
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Yeah, I know, but who on that list really excites you to watch beside Phil? Els maybe, Vijay maybe? I'm not knocking the guys that play their best after 50, often I think it's a matter of them being hungrier and more motivated, I think it's great for them and would never want to see them excluded. However, it's just a fact that names like Parel, Kelly, Sutherland, Flesh, Austin, Pernice Jr., Browne, Goydos, Waldolf, Petrovic, or even Triplett just don't register. Langer has been great out there, but he's boring and he's won so much it's tiring. I remember when the Senior tour was almost as popular as the regular tour, but it just seems to lack the star power it used to. Phil playing this week has certainly helped though.

I think what's good is to have some guys that are still relevant on the regular tour go and play some on the Champions tour when they hit 50, like Furyk and Mickelson. Guys like Mike Weir and Rich Beem, yeah it's good to see them playing, but they've been part-time golfers for years before turning 50. Heck, I was kind of excited about seeing DeMarco out there, I was always a fan of his, but he hasn't done squat out there.
 
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Well, Jack is 80 and Arnie is dead; so, who do you want to play in the over 50 events? Tom Watson did play in senior events. Of the former PGA players in the 50 to 65 range, the only big-time guys not playing at least some senior events are Faldo because of TV, and Norman because he is super rich. Both those guys are in their 60s anyway, and probably would not be competitive.
 
Pilchard said:
Well, Jack is 80 and Arnie is dead; so, who do you want to play in the over 50 events? Tom Watson did play in senior events. Of the former PGA players in the 50 to 65 range, the only big-time guys not playing at least some senior events are Faldo because of TV, and Norman because he is super rich. Both those guys are in their 60s anyway, and probably would not be competitive.
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Oh I know, it is what it is, no doubt. I think maybe the bigger names probably just aren't as committed, who can blame them, and that kind of allows some of the lesser known excel out there. I still watch it a fair bit, I'm a golf nut, but it's just not what it used to be.
 
Pilchard said:
Well, Jack is 80 and Arnie is dead; so, who do you want to play in the over 50 events? Tom Watson did play in senior events. Of the former PGA players in the 50 to 65 range, the only big-time guys not playing at least some senior events are Faldo because of TV, and Norman because he is super rich. Both those guys are in their 60s anyway, and probably would not be competitive.
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It was a treat to watch Arnie back in the day when the Vantage Championship was being played at Tanglewood. He wasn't competitive but still drew the biggest crowds. Watching Miller Barber on the range and trying to figure out how that swing of his worked so well was fun. He must have been Jim Furyk's swing coach at some point.
 
tagsfan said:
It was a treat to watch Arnie back in the day when the Vantage Championship was being played at Tanglewood. He wasn't competitive but still drew the biggest crowds. Watching Miller Barber on the range and trying to figure out how that swing of his worked so well was fun. He must have been Jim Furyk's swing coach at some point.
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Yeah, I remember that as well. I remember watching Arnie on the range at the Vantage and he could still play well then, but wasn't a threat to win. Anyway, he was hitting 3 woods off the deck (actual woods then) and he was smoking it. Boring trajectory with a little draw and I thought, damn Arnie can still hit it this well way past his time and yet he isn't good enough to really be competitive any more. Showed me how good the top guys on the Senior Tour were and how even that much better the young guys are on the regular tour.
 
Phil goes wire to wire to win his first Champions Tour event. Having him play even a handful of events will increase that tour's ratings substantially.
 
deacz said:
Phil goes wire to wire to win his first Champions Tour event. Having him play even a handful of events will increase that tour's ratings substantially.
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Phil is so entertaining. Even destroying the field and that course for 3 days, yesterday he misses a 50 yard wide fairway and hits it in waist deep fescue, can't find his ball, re-tees and makes a 2nd ball "birdie" to only lose one shot.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
Yeah, I remember that as well. I remember watching Arnie on the range at the Vantage and he could still play well then, but wasn't a threat to win. Anyway, he was hitting 3 woods off the deck (actual woods then) and he was smoking it. Boring trajectory with a little draw and I thought, damn Arnie can still hit it this well way past his time and yet he isn't good enough to really be competitive any more. Showed me how good the top guys on the Senior Tour were and how even that much better the young guys are on the regular tour.
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Our fraternity volunteered at The Vantage (valeting cars, etc.). On Sunday night, I grabbed Arnie's oversized scorecard on the way out. Glad I still have it, even though he shot like 77-76-74.
 
I watched some of the back 9 last night. Kinda pretty in the AR hills with really wide fairways. That course was made for Phil. Phil still hits it 300+ and put his tee shot on 18 100 yards in front of his competitor.

Looking forward to Olympia Fields. I don't remember it from when Furyk won, but TGC was saying it's playing hard and fast, so maybe 20-30 under isn't in the cards this week.
 
Talking about older guys playing well, Jay Haas is now 66 and he shot 69-69-71 this week. Not too shabby.

This makes me feel 1) old 2) not as good as I think I am at golf.
 
Dekin said:
Talking about older guys playing well, Jay Haas is now 66 and he shot 69-69-71 this week. Not too shabby.

This makes me feel 1) old 2) not as good as I think I am at golf.
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Jay won the Senior Players at my club. It's pretty cool seeing his picture in the trophy case.
 
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