moving day
It's the week after the PGA tour has played the Players Championship in horrible weather. It rained most of the weekend and the players ended up playing 2 rounds on Monday. It ended with a great story in that Fred Funk won. Fred is the epitome of Mr. Nice Guy, a former club pro and University of Maryland golf coach who didn't play the Tour till his early 30s, who never won anything big...until now...but that's another story.
The popular talk now is that the tournament should move to May. It's been discussed before but the topic is hot now because of the ugly weather the tournament just endured. The thinking is there would be less rain in May.
There are good reasons to move it, but weather isn't one of them. The tour really really wants it to be considered a major, and that's not happening 2 weeks before the Masters. Right now it also runs head to head with March Madness...so it isn't even the major sporting event happening when it's being played. Most people are knee deep in brackets. If it moves to May, it would be THE golf event of the month in a month where not much else is out there sports-wise. Right now the Byron Nelson tournament and the Memorial are the biggest golf things happening in May and this would eclipse them and be the May major...or major-wannabe. A long time ago, that's why the Memorial was positioned where it is. It was supposed to be the next major, but that hasn't happened either. The biggest other sports thing happening in May is the Kentucky Derby and lets face it, unless you're within a 50 mile radius of Churchill Downs, the Derby is something you watch between yawns.
Back to weather though. This past week was the worst it has ever been for this tournament. There's no doubt about that. It doesn't mean it needs to move to May. It rains in May too. Not only that, but it can be hot....very hot...uncomfortably hot. Spaghetti straps are everywhere at this tournament now. Move to May and it will be bikinis...skimpy ones. Now far be it from me to veto eye candy. I'm a big fan of the thong, but not at a golf tournament in huge crowds with alcohol in the sun. It's a recipe for...I don't know, but trouble is a big part of it.
Agronomy is another factor. The grass they use for the tournament now doesn't like the weather in May in Florida. It will have to change to something else. I'm not saying something else doesn't exist. I'm sure it does, though I'm not enough of an expert to know what it is. I've just been told by those who know that what they use now won't do.
TV is another variable. Right now NBC owns the Florida swing, and it all fits nicely into March. It was a bigger deal when they also owned the NBA, which plays in May and would create a problem, but that's not an issue now.
I'm not saying it shouldn't be moved. I'm just saying move it if you will, but think about it and move it for the right reasons. Don't make it a knee jerk reaction to some rain.
The popular talk now is that the tournament should move to May. It's been discussed before but the topic is hot now because of the ugly weather the tournament just endured. The thinking is there would be less rain in May.
There are good reasons to move it, but weather isn't one of them. The tour really really wants it to be considered a major, and that's not happening 2 weeks before the Masters. Right now it also runs head to head with March Madness...so it isn't even the major sporting event happening when it's being played. Most people are knee deep in brackets. If it moves to May, it would be THE golf event of the month in a month where not much else is out there sports-wise. Right now the Byron Nelson tournament and the Memorial are the biggest golf things happening in May and this would eclipse them and be the May major...or major-wannabe. A long time ago, that's why the Memorial was positioned where it is. It was supposed to be the next major, but that hasn't happened either. The biggest other sports thing happening in May is the Kentucky Derby and lets face it, unless you're within a 50 mile radius of Churchill Downs, the Derby is something you watch between yawns.
Back to weather though. This past week was the worst it has ever been for this tournament. There's no doubt about that. It doesn't mean it needs to move to May. It rains in May too. Not only that, but it can be hot....very hot...uncomfortably hot. Spaghetti straps are everywhere at this tournament now. Move to May and it will be bikinis...skimpy ones. Now far be it from me to veto eye candy. I'm a big fan of the thong, but not at a golf tournament in huge crowds with alcohol in the sun. It's a recipe for...I don't know, but trouble is a big part of it.
Agronomy is another factor. The grass they use for the tournament now doesn't like the weather in May in Florida. It will have to change to something else. I'm not saying something else doesn't exist. I'm sure it does, though I'm not enough of an expert to know what it is. I've just been told by those who know that what they use now won't do.
TV is another variable. Right now NBC owns the Florida swing, and it all fits nicely into March. It was a bigger deal when they also owned the NBA, which plays in May and would create a problem, but that's not an issue now.
I'm not saying it shouldn't be moved. I'm just saying move it if you will, but think about it and move it for the right reasons. Don't make it a knee jerk reaction to some rain.
John put this out here at 11:43 AM
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