2024 Troon Open

No top professional golf tournament has a real draw...
The big names go out at prime viewing times morning and afternoon with the lesser mortals fitted in-between.
 
Game 28: 11.47am is a two ball…? Thought they’d all be 3 balls, and a reserve brought in if someone dropped out?
 
I think they've arranged groupings around TV schedules for many years now.
Each group still gets a morning start and an afternoon start though.
 
No top professional golf tournament has a real draw...
The big names go out at prime viewing times morning and afternoon with the lesser mortals fitted in-between.
Was it ever thus. I am sure way back in the day there were the top players out at silly o'clock in the second or third group of the day and there wasn't this onus on marquee groups. I'd rather it was all completely random and given it has wall to wall coverage on Sky now then all the good players out early will still get coverage
 
I think a lot of the draw must be random but they manually put about 5 or 6 marquee groups together for TV coverage. E.g. Tiger, Xander and Cantlay together is no accident. I'm not sure I agree with it from a golfing standpoint, we all know Xander and Cantlay are best buds so playing together is surely going to benefit them since they'll have a more relaxed frame of mind? Someone like Rahm as well probably raises his game when he's playing alongside another top player that he wants to beat on the day. But hey, TV and media runs the world so what can you do.
 
I think a lot of the draw must be random but they manually put about 5 or 6 marquee groups together for TV coverage. E.g. Tiger, Xander and Cantlay together is no accident. I'm not sure I agree with it from a golfing standpoint, we all know Xander and Cantlay are best buds so playing together is surely going to benefit them since they'll have a more relaxed frame of mind? Someone like Rahm as well probably raises his game when he's playing alongside another top player that he wants to beat on the day. But hey, TV and media runs the world so what can you do.
It's a wile since I read it. But I seem to remember in The Majors by Feinstein he discussed the way they put together groups for the US Open, they always had a *ankers group, consisting of the three most unpopular players on the PGA tour.
 
It's a wile since I read it. But I seem to remember in The Majors by Feinstein he discussed the way they put together groups for the US Open, they always had a *ankers group, consisting of the three most unpopular players on the PGA tour.

Oh that’s very clear at times

Even more so when they put a few that don’t get on together as well 😂
 
Top