European Tour PGA

[Deleted member 15344]

As mentioned in the other thread IMO the PGA is no different than your average Tour event now - the prize money maybe a bit more but the lack of top 10/20 players shows the level it has now dropped too - the commentators trying to big it up is a bit cringeworthy

So what's to blame if the prize money has been increased ?

Over the last couple weeks heard numerous reasons for pull outs - the course and the schedule being the main two ?

For me the flagship event needs to be later in the year when the courses are better and weather is better

So should the PGA be moved to later or should one of the Desert events later in the year be seen as the flagship event.

It's such a shame to see an event with so much history and prestige start to wither away

 

[Imurg]

The problem is, to a large extent, a scheduling one.
Including this event, there are 7 "big" ones in the next 12 weeks - 3 Majors, the PGA, the French, Scottish and then the Olympics.
Add in big US events - Memorial, St Jude, Bridgestone WGC, Greenbrier, Travellers....there's a hell of a lot of fairly big events in the next 3 months.
After that you're into the FedEx in US and the TV the week after.....
Although a lot of the big European players started on the ET, most of them don't play on it much anymore as the bigger events are in the US - that's just the way it is, people go where they can get paid the most....

I don't think it was a particularly poor field this week if you bear in mind how much else is going on in the next 3 months.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The PGA is supposed to be the flagship of the ET so it should be seen to have the same standing as The Players - above events like The Memorial , Greenbrier , St Jude etc - they are just your normal PGA events the same with French and Scottish.

If the top ET Members are preffering to play in your normal USPGA events then it does show how far down the ladder it has dropped

 

[Imurg]

Surely these days the Flagship event is the DP Tour Championship at the end of the R2D..?
All 4 of the last events of the season have a bigger purse than the PGA so based on that the PGA hasn't been the top event for a while
Money talks

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Surely these days the Flagship event is the DP Tour Championship at the end of the R2D..?
All 4 of the last events of the season have a bigger purse than the PGA so based on that the PGA hasn't been the top event for a while
Money talks

Not according to the sponsers, commentators, pundits , ET ( that CEO just seems a bit weird ) who all called it the flagship event

 

[Hobbit]

I'm with Imurg on this. It's not a flagship event anymore, whatever the ET say it is. I might even go so far as to say that newer course design, or the fact they screwed up the last hole, makes it an average course with a poorer finish than it had.

Take it to the Grove or Centurion, and pitch it before the Open.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm with Imurg on this. It's not a flagship event anymore, whatever the ET say it is. I might even go so far as to say that newer course design, or the fact they screwed up the last hole, makes it an average course with a poorer finish than it had.

Take it to the Grove or Centurion, and pitch it before the Open.

It isn't a flagship event and I think the players see the Dubai event as such. No matter what spin the ET and media put on it, unless it can get the top players every year, which they won't with the current place in the schedule, it will never be so.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

It's mainly down to the course, quite simply they don't like it. Too many silly holes now. No big surprise the course is being closed again so they can have another go at redesigning it.

 

[Tongo]

I dont think there's a simple answer to this conundrum. Obviously the schedule is now an issue, particularly since the Players was bumped back from its previous March date. And there is an antipathy in some quarters regarding the course. Will the European Tour listen though?

On a separate issue I also think that the European game is suffering from a lack of genuine characters and players of interest though. Its not like the late 80's and early 90's when players like Seve, Faldo, Langer, Torrance, Ollie, Woosie etc were playing in the event. What if they managed to get Stenson to play next year, for instance? He may be a high ranking player but he's not exactly exciting!

For me, its equally interesting why Ernie didnt play. He's not exactly having a good time in the States yet he couldnt be tempted to play in an event next door to where he lives!

 

[Ethan]

The PGA Tour has become stricter on releases for PGA Tour players to play outside the US. They are also insisting players play some lesser events, hence Rory playing the Frys.com last season. That plus the busy schedule means the BMW PGA got shafted this year.

 

[TheJezster]

The flagship Euro tour event is the Dubai one at the end of the year. This is just a nice biggish one for those who can make it in the middle. Used to be big, not now.