The 2016 PGA Tour season is finally underway with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions having just wrapped up four glorious sun filled days on the slopes of The Kapalua Plantation Course. I’ve always looked forward to that first week of January golf beamed direct from those lush fairways with incomparable views from the shores of Maui of humpbacks lolling about in the coves. And across the way the impressive hills of Molakai, as mysterious and marvelous a place as any in the good old U.S.of A.
Televised Golf in a tropical setting in the dead of winter was a gift, a break from the winter doldrums that got hold of me soon as Saint Nick was back in his sleigh. But this year, I’m sad to say, the magic just wasn’t there.
I’m not saying the TOC wasn’t great fun to watch with our Golden Boy, Jordan Spieth, doing his best Tiger impression. But I am saying it just wasn’t the same- with less anticipation leading up to the tourney and less enjoyment when it finally arrived.
I’m thinking that my world is changing in some slight but unwelcome ways for the Tournament of Champions to have lost so much luster . And I need someone to blame. So let”s start with Tim Finchem and his wrap around PGA TOUR season.
Although the TOC was the first tourney of the calendar year it’s the eighth official tournament of the 2015-2016 PGA TOUR season. This is the third year of this overlapping golf year schedule. Before that, in the good old days, we had a silly season in the fall with a bunch of second tier events where lots of dollars could be gathered but no stats for other important stuff like invites to the Masters, FedEx Cup points, official money list winnings, official world golf ranking points. Lots of dollars, usually won by Fred Couples, was the draw but we serious golfers weren’t compelled to watch. It was the SILLY SEASON, after all, paying attention was not mandatory.
Now with this official season stretched around the globe and around the year we compulsive tv couch potatoes don’t get much of a break. Mark Rolfing (great to see one of the best golf announcers back on the job) made a strong statement after the first round on Golf Channels post round show about the adverse effect a 47 event schedule is having on the players and on it’s fans. He argued that the sport needs some downtime to allow players to recharge. It would also have the benefit of rebuilding anticipation for a distinctly new season in the sports fan base. All the major team sports recognize the advantage of having both a season and an off-season.
The prospects for the PGA TOUR paring back it’s season to a reasonable schedule lie probably somewhere between slim and none. With the European Tour working feverishly to offer comparable prize money and trying to merge with the Asian Tour the commish sees his completion gaining ground. Throw into that mix the designation of golf as an Olympic sport and it’s impossible to see any scheduling restraint or reorientation coming from Ponte Vedra.
Well, at least we get to watch another week of golf in Hawaii.
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