WHEN THE TOUR SPEAKS WHAT WILL THEY SAY?

[Mike_Young]

The Fox TV contract gives the USGA approx 60 million extra for TV revenue each year and yet they only increased the purse 1 million last year.  The leverage is there...will they push it?   

[JESII]

Not sure I understand the question, counselor...

Who has leverage to use?

[Mike_Young]

Not sure I understand the question, counselor...

Who has leverage to use?

The US Open is viewed because of the tour players not the few ams who play. On the extreme end , the pros could boycott...so far all the various groups have not stepped on toes but this latest snafu is not going away with the tour guys IMHO...

[Michael Felton]

The Tour players are independent contractors. I don't think the PGA Tour could stop them from playing in the US Open. I can't for the life of me see the players not playing. Not to mention Fox would be less than pleased with such a development and may pay the PGA Tour less. The amount of money that the Tour receives is a balancing act between what they are willing to accept and what the TV networks are willing to pay. If they took the US Open away, that would affect the balance. I seriously doubt if anyone would do anything like that.

[Mike_Young]

The Tour players are independent contractors. I don't think the PGA Tour could stop them from playing in the US Open. I can't for the life of me see the players not playing. Not to mention Fox would be less than pleased with such a development and may pay the PGA Tour less. The amount of money that the Tour receives is a balancing act between what they are willing to accept and what the TV networks are willing to pay. If they took the US Open away, that would affect the balance. I seriously doubt if anyone would do anything like that.

OK...the Fox contract is a 12 year contract with the USGA.  Golf Channel and NBC have zero loyalty to the USGA after being dumped for Fox.  Fox has zero to do with the PGA Tour and the USGA justed call Westwood, Johnson and a PGA Tour rules official liars to an extent.  The players don't care for the USGA anyway and would actually prefer that the Tour have it's own rules.  Seems to me the stars are aligning...it's not a question of some tour stopping them..they would just as soon play a tour event the same week as the Open to prove a point I think....but explain your view further I don't get it...

[Eric LeFante]

The Olympics is proving that the only thing that can enhance a world class player's career is to win one of the four major championships. The Players will never be on the same level as a major and I don't think the Olympics ever will either. That doesn't mean those two events aren't important, just not as important as the other four. Why? Because those four championships are the ones that every single hall of fame player won (excluding Montgomerie).


A player's image, status, marketability goes up immediately after winning a major. Even though the players may not like the USGA, they want to win our national championship. It's a tournament that has been around since golf started in this country and will be around for as long as golf is played in this country.


It would be very difficult in my opinion to get a company to spend millions of dollars to sponsor an event opposite the U.S. Open. The company may actually get some publicity because it would be so shocking, but when the world's best don't show up, it will be a huge gamble that will fail.


The Golf Channel covers the U.S. Open non-stop during the week. If the golf channel decided to telecast an opposite event, the USGA could not allow them media passes or allow them to shoot their Live From show on premise. I'm a golf nut, but I don't want to watch two golf tournaments, and I'm not going to watch the non-US Open event.


When it comes down to it, I don't think anyone wants to fight against a tradition that has been around for 116 years.

[Ronald Montesano]

Didn't something similar happen with the Indy 500 15 years or so ago? The stock car guys don't race it anymore, as it's not a part of NASCAR, or something. It's still prestigious, but not as much glitter, spangles and rhinestones.


RM

[Mike Schott]

Didn't something similar happen with the Indy 500 15 years or so ago? The stock car guys don't race it anymore, as it's not a part of NASCAR, or something. It's still prestigious, but not as much glitter, spangles and rhinestones.


RM

That was CART vs IRL not NASCAR. But the bottom line was there were 2 competing and very similar series. Eventually they merged. No doubt the sport's image was tarnished and has not returned to the same status.

[Mike_Young]

The Olympics is proving that the only thing that can enhance a world class player's career is to win one of the four major championships. The Players will never be on the same level as a major and I don't think the Olympics ever will either. That doesn't mean those two events aren't important, just not as important as the other four. Why? Because those four championships are the ones that every single hall of fame player won (excluding Montgomerie).


A player's image, status, marketability goes up immediately after winning a major. Even though the players may not like the USGA, they want to win our national championship. It's a tournament that has been around since golf started in this country and will be around for as long as golf is played in this country.


It would be very difficult in my opinion to get a company to spend millions of dollars to sponsor an event opposite the U.S. Open. The company may actually get some publicity because it would be so shocking, but when the world's best don't show up, it will be a huge gamble that will fail.


The Golf Channel covers the U.S. Open non-stop during the week. If the golf channel decided to telecast an opposite event, the USGA could not allow them media passes or allow them to shoot their Live From show on premise. I'm a golf nut, but I don't want to watch two golf tournaments, and I'm not going to watch the non-US Open event.


When it comes down to it, I don't think anyone wants to fight against a tradition that has been around for 116 years.

Eric,
I agree the odds of another tourney are very small...BUT don't underestimate the power of the pros when knowing they are the attraction.  The USGA has already shown they will prostitute themselves by taking sponsors and then controlling pairings as needed.  Fox has already agreed to pay them for a 12 year contract. They get that money even if no one shows.  Do you not think the individual tour guys and their AGENTS don't discuss where the money goes and the bargaining power they have...you bet they do...Don't forget they began as 5 clubs and those five clubs had zero use for golf pros...some of that is still around and after the Dustin deal the pro guys are not forgetting...And GC is not going to let up....

[Michael Felton]

The Tour players are independent contractors. I don't think the PGA Tour could stop them from playing in the US Open. I can't for the life of me see the players not playing. Not to mention Fox would be less than pleased with such a development and may pay the PGA Tour less. The amount of money that the Tour receives is a balancing act between what they are willing to accept and what the TV networks are willing to pay. If they took the US Open away, that would affect the balance. I seriously doubt if anyone would do anything like that.

OK...the Fox contract is a 12 year contract with the USGA.  Golf Channel and NBC have zero loyalty to the USGA after being dumped for Fox.  Fox has zero to do with the PGA Tour and the USGA justed call Westwood, Johnson and a PGA Tour rules official liars to an extent.  The players don't care for the USGA anyway and would actually prefer that the Tour have it's own rules.  Seems to me the stars are aligning...it's not a question of some tour stopping them..they would just as soon play a tour event the same week as the Open to prove a point I think....but explain your view further I don't get it...

I'm saying that the pros will never not play. The prestige of winning the US Open will always win out. The other stuff was simply me saying that the tour don't have any real control over the players. The players are where it's at. The Tour knows that.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Very little, if anything at all. 

[Eric LeFante]

With DJ getting $1.8 million and solo 2nd would have received $1.08 million, I sure hope I don't hear the pros complain about money. Hogan and Snead must have rolled over in their graves when Daniel Berger received $50k for hitting one tee shot yesterday.


It's true the USGA received a ton of money from Fox, but I remember reading the U.S. Open was the only tournament the USGA made money on (prior to Fox deal) and the profitability of the U.S. Open supports all the other championships the USGA conducts. You would think the fans would be disgusted if the tour pros asked for more money, but all the other athletes are doing it and getting what they want.

[Brian Finn]

With DJ getting $1.8 million and solo 2nd would have received $1.08 million, I sure hope I don't hear the pros complain about money. Hogan and Snead must have rolled over in their graves when Daniel Berger received $50k for hitting one tee shot yesterday.


It's true the USGA received a ton of money from Fox, but I remember reading the U.S. Open was the only tournament the USGA made money on (prior to Fox deal) and the profitability of the U.S. Open supports all the other championships the USGA conducts. You would think the fans would be disgusted if the tour pros asked for more money, but all the other athletes are doing it and getting what they want.

FYI - I just quickly reviewed the USGA form 990 for 2014.  It showed Assets of $393MM and Liabilities of only $84MM, leaving $309MM in equity/net worth.  The assets include $33MM in cash and an investment portfolio of $315MM.  For 2014 they took in $175MM in revenue and had expenses of $165MM, for a $10MM net gain.  Their top 15 executives received total compensation over $5.7MM in 2014 ($4.9MM salaries + $0.8MM other) for an average of $380k.  These are all pretty solid figures for a not-for-profit organization.

[K Rafkin]

Some sort of strike or boycott is not going to happen.  In reality the only players who actually have any leverage at all are the guys as the very top DJ, Speith, Day, Rory, and if you throw in Tiger and a couple of others its still probably less than 15 guys.  To each and every one of these guys the money to be made from tournaments is a distant second to what's made off the course.  You have to put a hell of a season together to match your endorsements (although i think Speith actually did this).  Given that these guy's primary occupation is that of a salesperson who happens to play golf on the side, they really actually have very little leverage.  I don't think Nike or UA would be thrilled about Rory or Jordan skipping out on the most prestigious and most watched golfing events in the world.  When you're brand is 10x more valuable than what you make on the course the size of the purse is trivial, especially when you consider the negative repercussions of damaging your brand by skipping/boycotting a major. 

[mike_beene]

I don't remember all the issues but it seems tennis has twice dealt with the majors not having the best players. First the majors were only for amateurs until the mid to late 60s and then in the 70s I believe there was a labor action of sorts and the top pros didn't play Wimbeldon at least. And tennis players have much shorter windows at the top generally. Not saying this would happen today, but it has in the past.

[Mike_Young]

Some sort of strike or boycott is not going to happen.  In reality the only players who actually have any leverage at all are the guys as the very top DJ, Speith, Day, Rory, and if you throw in Tiger and a couple of others its still probably less than 15 guys.  To each and every one of these guys the money to be made from tournaments is a distant second to what's made off the course.  You have to put a hell of a season together to match your endorsements (although i think Speith actually did this).  Given that these guy's primary occupation is that of a salesperson who happens to play golf on the side, they really actually have very little leverage.  I don't think Nike or UA would be thrilled about Rory or Jordan skipping out on the most prestigious and most watched golfing events in the world.  When you're brand is 10x more valuable than what you make on the course the size of the purse is trivial, especially when you consider the negative repercussions of damaging your brand by skipping/boycotting a major.

I disagree.  The top players can easily skip it...and they would emerge as "the good guys" in the overall deal.

[BHoover]

Mike, you should start a campaign to get the top players to boycott the USGA. Please keep us posted on the success of your efforts.

[Mike_Young]

Mike, you should start a campaign to get the top players to boycott the USGA. Please keep us posted on the success of your efforts.

Brian,
Would you wish toe campaign to boycott the USGA or the US Open?  If it is the USGA I think that has been silently in place and progressing for a few years now.  But I think Lee Westwood should be in charge of such.  Now if you mean the US Open, then it might be a little more difficult because there will always be some there to take their place but there are definitely a few who skip it.  Common sense tells you the PGA Tour would be so much better at running the US Open than a volunteer group of elitist.  Why does a volunteer organization that owns no golf course have 300-400 million in the bank and a billion dollar TV contract.  If thy are really into US golf then they should have 10 million in the bank and be using the rest to do something....explain that to me....

[Mike Schott]

Mike, you should start a campaign to get the top players to boycott the USGA. Please keep us posted on the success of your efforts.

Subscribed  .


Maybe this was covered but I don't think the Tour Pros really care that much about any of this as long as they are raking in the cash. Many are not the deepest thinkers. But to think they would skip a major in protest is fantasy.

[BHoover]

Mike, you should start a campaign to get the top players to boycott the USGA. Please keep us posted on the success of your efforts.

Subscribed  .


Maybe this was covered but I don't think the Tour Pros really care that much about any of this as long as they are raking in the cash. Many are not the deepest thinkers. But to think they would skip a major in protest is fantasy.

But best of luck to Mike in his crusade!