European Tour players - mini tour events

MendieGK

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I’ve been having a bit of a debate on Twitter and ironically Paul Lawrie weighed in.

I saw last week that Matt Southgate entered the clutch pro tour event where the winner got a £10k cheque, an 18 hole event.

Personally I don’t think it’s right a EuropeanTour player turning up in the hopes of making a quick buck (he won £600k last year and has career earnings of £2.5k) against up and coming pros who are financially strapped.

the organisers of the event stated the idea of it was to provide upcoming pros a way to win a season changing amount of money.

I’m interested in others views. Most of my mates agree with me, but seems I’m in the minority’s on social media
 

Papas1982

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Out of order imo.

Unfortunately whilst the organisers will of had the best intentions they con't have been able to refuse the chance of a high profile name and the media coverage it may have got?

Out of curiosity, did he win?
 

Dibby

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On the flip side, having a bigger name player raises the profile of the event, and attracts more interest, and potentially sponsorship cash.

Why should he not be able to enter? He is not stopping an up and coming pro taking the money, they just have to beat him, which is what they are going to have to do if they make it to the big boys anyway. I don't really see the problem with a pro entering a pro event.
 

duncan mackie

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Out of order imo.

Unfortunately whilst the organisers will of had the best intentions they con't have been able to refuse the chance of a high profile name and the media coverage it may have got?

Out of curiosity, did he win?

These events aren't ticketed, or media coverage dependant.

This is just like a +5 away player turning up once a year to play the club championship when the next best player in the club is scr - and not be seen again for a year.
 

Bxm Foxy

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If they promoted it as a comp for up and coming players, then yes, pretty poor form of the organisers. As an aside, as a keen League darts player, I absolutely love it when a tour pro turns up and enters. Would the golfers involved have seen him there and raised their games?
 

MendieGK

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I don’t buy the exposure element of it. He’s ranked 254th in the world. No one if turning up to see him play.

He lost in a playoff to Van Phillips. Richard Bland was also in the playoff, however I don’t have an issue with those two as neither hold European tour cards
 

MendieGK

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I don’t think the organisers can do anything about it and I don’t think they should stipulate it, but imo it’s poor from Southgate himself.

I didn’t see him entering the europro event last week where the winner also won £10k, why? Because it’s 3 days. He saw it as a cash grab, pure and simple.
 

Dibby

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I don’t buy the exposure element of it. He’s ranked 254th in the world. No one if turning up to see him play.

He lost in a playoff to Van Phillips. Richard Bland was also in the playoff, however I don’t have an issue with those two as neither hold European tour cards

He can't be both a top player and a nobody.

The idea of what people deem acceptable seems pretty arbitrary, former Euro tour pros are fine, but current ones are not? If he was allowed to enter, I really don't see the problem.

My former sport was amateur, so no money issues, but I never had a problem when Olympians turned up to tiny club meets, it made everyone raise their game, and the winner was the best competitor, not the "best of the rest".
 

MendieGK

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He can't be both a top player and a nobody.

The idea of what people deem acceptable seems pretty arbitrary, former Euro tour pros are fine, but current ones are not? If he was allowed to enter, I really don't see the problem.

My former sport was amateur, so no money issues, but I never had a problem when Olympians turned up to tiny club meets, it made everyone raise their game, and the winner was the best competitor, not the "best of the rest".

He’s a European tour Card holder!!! The others are not. He played for a first prize of €500k the week later.

The only debate is the fact this event was specifically to give pros without the glamour of the European tour a chance to win season changing money.

Southgate did not need that £10k.
 

MendieGK

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The others are former euro tour players because there’s game isn’t at the standard to compete at the higher level.
 

HomerJSimpson

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I don’t buy the exposure element of it. He’s ranked 254th in the world. No one if turning up to see him play.

He lost in a playoff to Van Phillips. Richard Bland was also in the playoff, however I don’t have an issue with those two as neither hold European tour cards
On a side note, interesting to see Van Philips in these events. He played in a Jamega tour event at my club the other week. Clearly these guys need to make a living but in the case of Southgate who has earned approx £100k on tour this season I don't see why he'd feel the need to turn up to an event like this but if the organisers accept his entry then he's free to compete and as it turns out he missed the win anyway
 

Dibby

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He’s a European tour Card holder!!! The others are not. He played for a first prize of €500k the week later.

The only debate is the fact this event was specifically to give pros without the glamour of the European tour a chance to win season changing money.

Southgate did not need that £10k.

The former tour card holders mentioned have £5m and £950k career earnings, and biggest wins of 180k and 93k respectively. By the same definition, why is it not an issue for them to take the money?

If it was an easy money grab, why didn't he win by miles, instead of losing in a playoff?

Even if it was a money grab, his job by definition is to make money by winning golf tournaments.

Regarding exposure, this forum post is evidence of it, no one here would be talking about this event without Southgate's involvement.
 

garyinderry

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I think a few 'names' beings a certain bit of glamour to these events.


Its not as if they shot 8 or 9 under and walked it. was it 5under the winning score?

If you want to step up to the big time then you had better make a score on a course set up for low scoring. reachable par 5s and driveable par4's were in play according to the video I watched.
 

Papas1982

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These events aren't ticketed, or media coverage dependant.

This is just like a +5 away player turning up once a year to play the club championship when the next best player in the club is scr - and not be seen again for a year.

If they run it yearly, then i'm sure having a European tour player could be seen by some people considering entering as a plus. The chance to test themselves against a top player.

I don't think he should have chosen to enter personally. I guess his defence could be he was simply local at the time and saw it as a better warm up than a practice round elsewhere.
 

MendieGK

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The former tour card holders mentioned have £5m and £950k career earnings, and biggest wins of 180k and 93k respectively. By the same definition, why is it not an issue for them to take the money?

If it was an easy money grab, why didn't he win by miles, instead of losing in a playoff?

Even if it was a money grab, his job by definition is to make money by winning golf tournaments.

Regarding exposure, this forum post is evidence of it, no one here would be talking about this event without Southgate's involvement.
That’s valid, around career earnings, but they don’t have a tour to play on at the moment. No different to an older prem player moving down leagues as they get older.
 
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I’ve been having a bit of a debate on Twitter and ironically Paul Lawrie weighed in.

I saw last week that Matt Southgate entered the clutch pro tour event where the winner got a £10k cheque, an 18 hole event.

Personally I don’t think it’s right a EuropeanTour player turning up in the hopes of making a quick buck (he won £600k last year and has career earnings of £2.5k) against up and coming pros who are financially strapped.

the organisers of the event stated the idea of it was to provide upcoming pros a way to win a season changing amount of money.

I’m interested in others views. Most of my mates agree with me, but seems I’m in the minority’s on social media

I have not looked and not even sure what a clutch pro tour event is.:)

Do you have a link in the rules or in the applying for the event process, that states that bold bit above ? or if it is stated something like you could not apply if you are a current main Tour card holder ?

Its an interesting issue, but unless it states something like that in the application process, then I think tough, its a money event and he should be allowed to enter and best score wins.

Any issues should be aimed at the organisers and not the player IMHO. If the organisers do not like it, then change the rules to stop it happening in the future, simples.:)
 

Lord Tyrion

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Every so often in club cricket a county pro returning from injury will rock up and play for his old club. They smash a massive score, take a pile of wickets, make the day entirely pointless other than it guarantees a win for his team. This is in the same territory except there is money involved. Southgate has passed this point in his career, he has moved on. There are steps on a ladder in the pro game and he has suddenly dropped a few steps just because he could. He has missed the point of the event, imo of course.
 

MendieGK

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Every so often in club cricket a county pro returning from injury will rock up and play for his old club. They smash a massive score, take a pile of wickets, make the day entirely pointless other than it guarantees a win for his team. This is in the same territory except there is money involved. Southgate has passed this point in his career, he has moved on. There are steps on a ladder in the pro game and he has suddenly dropped a few steps just because he could. He has missed the point of the event, imo of course.
I think you’ve excellently articulated what my opinion is.
 
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