British Masters player support

[Deleted member 1147]

i have no issue with the players skipping it. However, i do feel the Poulter, Rose, Donald and Westwood should all have been there for all 4 of the events in the past 4 years. They committed to hosting the event each for a year, so imo they should have been supporting each other at each others events.

Am I correct in saying this is the first one Rose has played?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Rose was definitely not there last year which was disappointing. All of the hosts should really be supporting each other.

I get that some will be running on empty. I don't know the money involved but the Dunhill to me is a Mickey Mouse tournament in comparison. However, if the money is bigger then you can't blame the pro's. Ideally, they would miss the Dunhill to rest after the Ryder Cup and then play this but that may be an old school view.

 

[Foxholer]

back on??? mine haven't come off

Must be starting to smell a bit by now then!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Rose was definitely not there last year which was disappointing. All of the hosts should really be supporting each other.

I get that some will be running on empty. I don't know the money involved but the Dunhill to me is a Mickey Mouse tournament in comparison. However, if the money is bigger then you can't blame the pro's. Ideally, they would miss the Dunhill to rest after the Ryder Cup and then play this but that may be an old school view.

The main big players don’t play the Dunhill as well , but it’s also an event that raises a lot of money for charity. Both events are only reall supported by the regular ET players - the others that mainly play on the PGA will have their families etc over in the US so will ensure they tailor their schedule to pick the top events. At the end of the day it’s just a regular ET event - it’s not a Rolex or a National Open.

Players like Rose , Rahm , Noren etc have just finished a very punishing schedule of events - their downtime is now to prepare for the ET ending events and WGC

 

[Imurg]

Rose was definitely not there last year which was disappointing. All of the hosts should really be supporting each other.

I get that some will be running on empty. I don't know the money involved but the Dunhill to me is a Mickey Mouse tournament in comparison. However, if the money is bigger then you can't blame the pro's. Ideally, they would miss the Dunhill to rest after the Ryder Cup and then play this but that may be an old school view.

Last year, the Hatton got €676k for the Dunhill where Dunne got €562k for the British Masters.
Still good money..and a good finish can cement a tour card for next year..

 

[MendieGK]

Am I correct in saying this is the first one Rose has played?

i think they all played the first one at Woburn, he then pulled out of the one at the Grove due to his neck injury. Poulter didnt play the Grove and also only played Close house last year because he was so out of form he added a few events (a bit like Rory did).

 

[TheDiablo]

You'd like to think the home guys would support an event in their own country. However with most of the top European players fulfilling schedules on both sides of the Atlantic, there is a lot of golf to play throughout the year.

The PGA tour requirement is 15 regular season event. Not including the 4 majors and 4 WGC events. But obviously if someone like Hatton has a slow few months he could slip outside the top 50 and then he is under pressure to try and fit in additional tournaments.

The European tour had a similar requirement (I think it was 12) but have reduced their requirements to 4 events (including Majors and WGCs).

A lot of guys at the Hatton level have actually suffered trying to keep cards on both American and European tours. It is a big decision as if you were going to play the minimum events... 4 majors, 4 WGCs, 15 US and 4 ET events - that is 27 events but realistically most guys will play additional European events - the Rolex Series. Most will also play a few additional US events because you can't guarantee you will qualify for some of the Fed Ex events (see Jordan Spieth) to fulfill your obligations.

Then you add in a Ryder Cup and the likes of Fleetwood, Hatton, Molinari, Noren, Rahm might be playing 35 out of 52 weeks.

Not quite. PGA Tour is 15 including Majors and WGC, so if you play those it's 7 others.

The only times players have 30 events a year are those who are trying to make it on both tours for the first time, or those very close to a significant OWGR rank (50) or trying to keep a card. No major player commits to 35 events though.

Molinari, Rahm, Noren, Garcia, Rose, Mcillroy all play maximum 25 events a year. Now Fleetwood is established his number will drop to 25ish. It's the Hatton/Fitzpatrrick/Pieters level that end up playing a lot.

 

[patricks148]

Most of the ET events in Europe are supported by home grown players from those countries. more English players should do the same TBH... but i suppose it all comes down to one thing....at the end of the day... Money

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Most of the ET events in Europe are supported by home grown players from those countries. more English players should do the same TBH... but i suppose it all comes down to one thing....at the end of the day... Money

Most of the home grown players support those events because they don’t have a PGA tour card or not in the top 75 to play in the WGC. There is no “English Open” as such for the English to support. I guess it’s a sign of success for English golf that the top players play in the top events.

 

[Blue in Munich]

That would be 28 weeks away from home... hotel bed, small TV, mostly programmes in a foreign language, and and and...

That could bring a tear to a glass eye Brian; I’m thinking of getting the Red Cross to send them food parcels.

Seriously I get the point you are making but having discussed the pros and cons of this with a tour player, just before he drove away in his personal plate Aston Martin, I can’t be too concerned for them.

 

[Grant85]

That could bring a tear to a glass eye Brian; I’m thinking of getting the Red Cross to send them food parcels.

Seriously I get the point you are making but having discussed the pros and cons of this with a tour player, just before he drove away in his personal plate Aston Martin, I can’t be too concerned for them.

I don't think anyone is too concerned for them, it's just that they don't want to and don't need to play more than 30 odd weeks of the year. It would not make them better players to play every week. They need downtime, coaching, fitness, sponsors event etc.

At the end of the day, the British Masters is not a 'must play' event and isn't ideal to be playing in England in October. Every year, Sky will give a bit of appearance money to a 'host' to give the event a bit of star quality but for the most part, it just won't be on the radar for many of the top players - especially in a Ryder Cup year.

I still think the line-up is pretty decent and it is better having it now than having it when the US season is still in full swing. Maybe they will bring it forward a few weeks with the Fed Ex cup finishing earlier in the season from 2019.

 

[patricks148]

Most of the home grown players support those events because they don’t have a PGA tour card or not in the top 75 to play in the WGC. There is no “English Open” as such for the English to support. I guess it’s a sign of success for English golf that the top players play in the top events.

maybe that's the key then, an English Open, though not sure where in the calendar this could be fitted in. i suppose this is the problem with the British Masters in the first place, when it could be fitted in.

 

[jim8flog]

i just saw a UK weather forcast and it said 23 deg down south... don't get it much higher than that here in the middle of summer

You want to scroll through to the weekend. That is the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday where I live, then it's all downhill

 

[patricks148]

You want to scroll through to the weekend. That is the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday where I live, then it's all downhill

boo hoo at least you have two days of that weather its sheer hite here all week

 

[Deleted member 15344]

maybe that's the key then, an English Open, though not sure where in the calendar this could be fitted in. i suppose this is the problem with the British Masters in the first place, when it could be fitted in.

But an English Open would just still be a regularly ET event - it’s not like how things were in the 80’s when the top Europeans played in the ET and ventured across the pond for a major - it’s a global game and the players follow the ranking paints ,sponsors and the sun - the Rolex Series has enhanced a few of the events which the top guys will play in as their qualifying events also some are timed well in the run up to The Open.

Ranking points are massive for the players because it opens doors for players - if the home grown players could get into the higher ranked events they would - but they play events that they are entitled to enter , not as some sort of support for the event or tour

 

[Papas1982]

That would be 28 weeks away from home... hotel bed, small TV, mostly programmes in a foreign language, and and and...

Pretty sure the players that go through that WILL be happy to attend the British masters.

The players that could help raise its profile are not struggling. I'm pretty sure that they speak a form of English in America..

 

[patricks148]

But an English Open would just still be a regularly ET event - it’s not like how things were in the 80’s when the top Europeans played in the ET and ventured across the pond for a major - it’s a global game and the players follow the ranking paints ,sponsors and the sun - the Rolex Series has enhanced a few of the events which the top guys will play in as their qualifying events also some are timed well in the run up to The Open.

Ranking points are massive for the players because it opens doors for players - if the home grown players could get into the higher ranked events they would - but they play events that they are entitled to enter , not as some sort of support for the event or tour

so you are saying the top English players wouldn't compete in an English open if there was one?

Not 100 sure but from the odd bit i've seen there seems to be a real passion to win your home open for most of the European players , be it the Spanish, Irish or Italian... even Scottish though admittedly there are not many high ranked players at the moment.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

so you are saying the top English players wouldn't compete in an English open if there was one?

Not 100 sure but from the odd bit i've seen there seems to be a real passion to win your home open for most of the European players , be it the Spanish, Irish or Italian... even Scottish though admittedly there are not many high ranked players at the moment.

I don’t think there is real passion for players to win their home Open unless it’s the top event in that country - the top players at times don’t even come over for the PGA which is supposed to be the flagship. You may get a few extra home players playing in them - Rory hasn’t played in every Irish Open for example and now he is no longer hosting then I suspect he will pick and choose when to play it but I guess when for example a lot of the Scots become passionate about their home Open it’s because that’s the top event they can enter unless they are top 50/75 etc

 

[Grant85]

But an English Open would just still be a regularly ET event - it’s not like how things were in the 80’s when the top Europeans played in the ET and ventured across the pond for a major - it’s a global game and the players follow the ranking paints ,sponsors and the sun - the Rolex Series has enhanced a few of the events which the top guys will play in as their qualifying events also some are timed well in the run up to The Open.

Ranking points are massive for the players because it opens doors for players - if the home grown players could get into the higher ranked events they would - but they play events that they are entitled to enter , not as some sort of support for the event or tour

Ultimately money is the main thing that would bring such an event back to prominence. You look at the British Masters prize pool of $3 million being ok, but even the Rolex events at $7 million are not must play events for the top players and there is always a few guys who miss some of the WGC events.

The Abu Dhabi and Dubai events at the start of the season are modest prize pools but the sponsors fairly calculatingly give a lot of appearance fees to top players to generate a much better field.

 

[Wolf]

Does anyone know what time the Pro Am starts am thinking of going along as I've got the day off but can't find any info online about times etc