The 108th PGA Championship

[Highfade]

Major week!
But you would hardly know it...

The much maligned least favourite child is coming to visit this week.
What is it about the PGA Championship that people can't get on board with?

A historical and significant tournament with many memorable moments and played on terrific course every year.
But for some reason it just can't quite resonate with casual and even some hardcore fans.
Is it simply lacking the marketing of the others and a USP or is it now an ingrained habit for people to hate on it?

When it was held in August it certainly had the 'After the Lord Mayor's show' feel about it, especially in UK coming so soon after the Open.
The move to May, I feel has revitalised it somewhat, but is now squashed in the schedule of the 'elevated' events.

Personally, I think its a great tournament and that is often tied to specific memories (Daly '91 for me).
I think it is certainly held in higher esteem amongst American professionals as their establishment and may therefore seem closed off.
People say its the 'worst' major. I would just say perhaps 'least prestigious'.

I for one am looking forward to it.
Spieth for the win??

 

[wjemather]

I don't think there is much special about it for anyone outside the US.
Except for a comedy sized trophy and the club pros (some of whom are taking absolute liberties with the definition), there is very little to distinguish the PGA of America Championship from any of the stronger PGA Tour events.

 

[Neilds]

I suspect some (many/a lot?) people don't like it because they have been told it is rubbish. They wouldn't be able to state exactly why it is not a 'proper' major and just follow the herd.

 

[Orikoru]

It just doesn't have anything going for it. The Masters is iconic and starts the golf season (in the UK anyway). The Open is also iconic and is the 'British' major so it's unique in that sense. The US Open is known for being the toughest test for the players. And the PGA is pretty much just the poor man's US Open or the US Open's little brother.

When it was the last major of the year, that helped it a lot, because at least it was the last chance saloon of winning a major that year. Guys who had come close in the others would really be trying to up their game to win the PGA before the end of the season. If they moved it back to it's old slot that would help it a lot. Otherwise they need to find some other selling point for it. (Well, they don't need to, I guess they can just not care and carry on as they are.)

 

[irip]

I feel it is very similar to most other weekly tournaments.
The other majors all have something different about them.
Would love to see the PGA played in the country of the previous winner (I understand this won’t/can’t happen),

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I don't think there is much special about it for anyone outside the US.
Except for a comedy sized trophy and the club pros (some of whom are taking absolute liberties with the definition), there is very little to distinguish the PGA of America Championship from any of the stronger PGA Tour events.

It’s very much special to all the players - it’s a major at the end of the day

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Major week!
But you would hardly know it...

The much maligned least favourite child is coming to visit this week.
What is it about the PGA Championship that people can't get on board with?

A historical and significant tournament with many memorable moments and played on terrific course every year.
But for some reason it just can't quite resonate with casual and even some hardcore fans.
Is it simply lacking the marketing of the others and a USP or is it now an ingrained habit for people to hate on it?

When it was held in August it certainly had the 'After the Lord Mayor's show' feel about it, especially in UK coming so soon after the Open.
The move to May, I feel has revitalised it somewhat, but is now squashed in the schedule of the 'elevated' events.

Personally, I think its a great tournament and that is often tied to specific memories (Daly '91 for me).
I think it is certainly held in higher esteem amongst American professionals as their establishment and may therefore seem closed off.
People say its the 'worst' major. I would just say perhaps 'least prestigious'.

I for one am looking forward to it.
Spieth for the win??

Will disagree about the impact of the change of the date


I think it’s the worst thing that it could have done


Before that it was Golf “last chance” - players saw it as the last chance to get a major for that year and it’s produced some great competitions over time

Moving it to May has reduced the impact and imo having all the majors done by July is poor

 

[BubbaP]

Agree the move to May hasn't worked out.
Probably the PGAT didn't like the "Glory's last shot" image, when the exciting FedEx was still to happen

I've generally appreciated the field strength & how it is more diverse that a tour event, but some venue choices likely lead to the 'bit like a tour event' feelings

 

[Neilds]

I will now play a bit of devils advocate

Masters - Boring, always played on the same course.
The Open - only interesting if it is windy.
US Open - Hides behind stupid course set ups to try and make it 'interesting'.

Not sure how some of these can be called iconic?

 

[Orikoru]

Agree the move to May hasn't worked out.
Probably the PGAT didn't like the "Glory's last shot" image, when the exciting FedEx was still to happen

I've generally appreciated the field strength & how it is more diverse that a tour event, but some venue choices likely lead to the 'bit like a tour event' feelings

And they keep changing the format of that so clearly that doesn't work as intended either. I would make the FedEx a matchplay personally, that would really give people a reason to watch it, since there are no other matchplay events anymore. Where they currently give players a head start, they could simply have a seeded draw, and possibly even give the top 16 players a bye to round 2 or something like that.

 

[Backache]

And they keep changing the format of that so clearly that doesn't work as intended either. I would make the FedEx a matchplay personally, that would really give people a reason to watch it, since there are no other matchplay events anymore. Where they currently give players a head start, they could simply have a seeded draw, and possibly even give the top 16 players a bye to round 2 or something like that.

The trouble with matchplay is its bad for tv if the 'wrong' players get through or it's not close.

Id maybe try something fresh like a team event or a shotgun start or something maybe cut the number of rounds .

 

[Orikoru]

The trouble with matchplay is its bad for tv if the 'wrong' players get through or it's not close.

Id maybe try something fresh like a team event or a shotgun start or something maybe cut the number of rounds .

Have they got much to lose though? Or do some people actually enjoy the FedEx Cup currently?

 

[Arthur Wedge]

For me it needs to do one of two things

1. Move it back to August


Or 2

Have it change to become an event that goes around the globe

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Have they got much to lose though? Or do some people actually enjoy the FedEx Cup currently?

Personally think the FedEx Cup is the biggest joke in tournament golf. There’s no real jeopardy in it,
It’s an event designed to make the Tour championship more impactful but ultimately makes a mockery of it as the winner always then wins the FedEx which is worth more than the actual tournament they’re playing in!

Go back to an old fashioned order of Merit to restore the meaning of playing consistent golf to earn the right to be the best and for others to earn the right to keep their cards.

Move the PGA back to August and you solve a lot of issues straight away.

For me it needs to do one of two things

1. Move it back to August


Or 2

Have it change to become an event that goes around the globe

1. Absolutely agree with that restores the jeopardy for players and enjoyment for fans

2. Never gonna happen purely because the name of the event lift has the word America in it.

 

[Backache]

For me it needs to do one of two things

1. Move it back to August


Or 2

Have it change to become an event that goes around the globe

Its the US PGA there is no way they are going to move it outside the US. Could even move it to September I guess.

 

[Depreston]

Was ridiculous last year. Having the event at Quail Hollow. At a similar time to when they normally play Quail Hollow. Stupid.

Hopefully there's a decent story line, Rory up there or any European. Hell even Spieth challenging would get me interested.

Its the least exciting but that said I'll probably still watch more of it than i will The Open

 

[Wilson]

Agree with those who say it needs to be moved, it's now in the shadow of The Masters, and that's not good when you're already at the bottom of the list, for most people.

 

[Orikoru]

Was ridiculous last year. Having the event at Quail Hollow. At a similar time to when they normally play Quail Hollow. Stupid.

Hopefully there's a decent story line, Rory up there or any European. Hell even Spieth challenging would get me interested.

Its the least exciting but that said I'll probably still watch more of it than i will The Open

I think this is important to remember. We all talk it down as the worst major, and possibly even rank it lower than the Players - however I still watch a decent amount of it every year and I don't watch any of the weekly PGA Tour events. The fact that it is a major is enough - it's just the least good one of them.

 

[Neilds]

Apart from the timing of it, I haven't seen a convincing piece of information yet about why people don't rate it.

 

[irip]

Apart from the timing of it, I haven't seen a convincing piece of information yet about why people don't rate it.

I think people do rate it but not as high as other majors.
I think for most it’s the 4th biggest comp of the year (individual).