Do English golfers get the credit they deserve?

[NBonfield]

Interesting comments from Chris Wood ahead of his BMW PGA Championship title defence this week.

He feels that English golfers do not get the recognition they deserve, given that there are 12 English golfers within the world's top 80 at the moment.

He said:

“You know, if it was tennis, it would be global news and golf really deserves a lot more credit for the standard of English golf.
“Golf is one of our biggest national games.
“I know we’re working hard at promoting the game in different ways but the standard of English golf is really as high as it’s ever been though.

“I buy a paper quite often and look at the back pages. When you read about (tennis) players that are 100th in the world, but they are ranked No. 2 in tennis in the U.K. and things like that, it is quite frustrating, because we’re working just as hard as they are.”

What do we make of his comments? Does he have a point?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It is the same in other sports when we start to do well in numbers. There are cyclists now with Olympic gold medals that barely get a mention because we have so many of them. Go back 20 years and they would have been legends.

Not a great deal they can do as you can't dictate the media's editorial policy. Just be grateful that they can play sport for a living.

Incidentally, I agree the numbers are hugely impressive and golf is a success story.

 

[fundy]

Arsenal syndrome, top 4 isnt a trophy, nor is being in the top 80 in the world, our highest currently at #9. Won 2 majors in 30 years since Faldo won his last I think, add a few more then theyll have something to shout about

 

[Curls]

Agree with Tyron. I'll go one further and say that from an outside perspective, English sportspeople quite often don't get the recognition they deserve because the media is usually pretty lukewarm about anything other than winning.

 

[Hosel Fade]

Interesting comments from Chris Wood ahead of his BMW PGA Championship title defence this week.

He feels that English golfers do not get the recognition they deserve, given that there are 12 English golfers within the world's top 80 at the moment.

He said:

“You know, if it was tennis, it would be global news and golf really deserves a lot more credit for the standard of English golf.
“Golf is one of our biggest national games.
“I know we’re working hard at promoting the game in different ways but the standard of English golf is really as high as it’s ever been though.

“I buy a paper quite often and look at the back pages. When you read about (tennis) players that are 100th in the world, but they are ranked No. 2 in tennis in the U.K. and things like that, it is quite frustrating, because we’re working just as hard as they are.”

What do we make of his comments? Does he have a point?

Specifically with the tennis example I think he does. Its not a player base issue as there are more golfers than there are tennis players. Television exposure is basically identical (apart from The Open moving to Sky last year, whereas the BBC are just about clinging on to Wimbledon)

 

[Dan2501]

I'd suggest that Justin Rose would be a huge star if he competed in another sport. Olympic gold medallist, major winner, should be a superstar.

 

[Junior]

He's right. I think perhaps now the European Tour is starting to play more in the UK in general will help. I think that the lack of events in the UK in recent times (pre 2015/2016) has led to the lack of publicity.

 

[dufferman]

I think English golfer's don't have a "prolific" winner either. No Tiger, Rory, Dustin etc type player who can string wins together in the space of a few weeks.

Willet's win at Augusta was impressive, but he literally did nothing else all year. Even Rose waited years between his major & Olympic win. Whereas we look at Rory & Speith who win multiple majors in one year, DJ, Matsuyama & Justin Thomas who win 50% or more of the competitions they enter in the space of a couple of months.

As terrible as it sounds, winning one event every few years becomes diluted because almost every week there is a new winner. So the bar is set to an almost unattainable standard, which the likes of Rory, DJ, Tiger etc can only achieve.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I think he makes a fair point, he's not saying the wins when they happen don't get the publicity, it's the media coverage when they are not No 1 or winning, there has been plenty of times when English Tennis players have got through the first round in a Major and it's all over the media, were as Golfers working hard week in, week out to make their way up the world rankings are ignored, maybe it's the frequency the Golfers play that loses the interest with the mainstream media?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Does it really matter? At the top they all get paid well enough and I'd hope the personal satisfaction they get from performing at the top of their sport is enough without having to be lauded by all.

 

[BubbaP]

Had the 5-live news on earlier. 10 mins on tennis, couple on cycling, one on Lions tour and bulletin over. No mention of Tommy winning in France.

 

[GB72]

Thing is football has taken over all media. Look at 5 live, even low league football commentary takes priority over everything except the crown jewels of other sport. Everything else gets paid lip service or is bumped to sports extra. Talk sport may as well be talk football. Newspapers are the same. Football is rammed down peoples throats even now when it is out of season so other sports just do not get the press coverage to make people stars or household names

 

[Jacko_G]

Personally I believe that Faldo had it easier in his day than current modern day golfers do. Far far more players capable of winning majors now than previously.

Guys like Fleetwood, Suliven, Hatton, Fitzpatrick, Casey are all more than capable of winning a major if their stars align in a major week. So yes I'd agree that they don't get the level of recognition they deserve.

That said there are also about 50 other guys you could say the same for without mentioning Spieth, DJ, Fowler, Garcia etc etc.

Tiger was a phenomenon of a golfer, can't ever see that level of consistency again given the level of talent now on tour.

 

[Hobbit]

English golf may be as high as it's ever been but is it as high as when Faldo, Seve, Langer, Woosnam and Lyle were pushing the ET to the fore? They were at the top when the WR ranking system was even more weighted in favour of the US tour.

Where were the top 10 players on the leaderboards this weekend?

The also ran tennis players are pushing up into the later stages of tournaments lately, and British golfers are doing.... what?

As much as I admire Chris Wood this just sounds like a petulant whinge. When the British golfers are pulling up trees the media will give them air time.

 

[Dasit]

I fully agree with Wood


Always amazed at how many world class Golfers we produce in England, yet only die hard golf fans would have even heard of some of the English guys in the world top 100.



Tennis on the other hand...we seriously under perform, yet always hear them banging on about players outside the top 100...no hopes who require wild cards to play in tournaments

 

[davemc1]

I think English golfer's don't have a "prolific" winner either. No Tiger, Rory, Dustin etc type player who can string wins together in the space of a few weeks.

Willet's win at Augusta was impressive, but he literally did nothing else all year. Even Rose waited years between his major & Olympic win. Whereas we look at Rory & Speith who win multiple majors in one year, DJ, Matsuyama & Justin Thomas who win 50% or more of the competitions they enter in the space of a couple of months.

As terrible as it sounds, winning one event every few years becomes diluted because almost every week there is a new winner. So the bar is set to an almost unattainable standard, which the likes of Rory, DJ, Tiger etc can only achieve.

If I knew how to link a post I'd send you over to the Tommy Fleetwood thread :thup:

 

[dufferman]

If I knew how to link a post I'd send you over to the Tommy Fleetwood thread :thup:

You are right, Tommy has done well recently. But, I think the European Tour events will never get the same hype as PGA Tour events, so his win in France isn't covered as much as his win in the WGC.

Even Justin Thomas has faded into the background a little recently, even with his big wins & 59 earlier in the year!!

 

[FairwayDodger]

I think it's down to the low profile of golf in the media rather than being an English specific phenomenon. Look at Rory's failure in spoty the year he won two majors.

Even Greg rusedski has won spoty!