RIP Australian Golf

[Mark_F]

Apparently the Australian open is on at the moment.

[David_Tepper]

Not an inspiring leaderboard:

https://www.golfchannel.com/tours/australasian-tour/2019/emirates-australian-open
 

[Matt_Cohn]

Are we talking about the quality of the course, or of the event, or of the field?

[Tim Gallant]

Not an inspiring leaderboard:

https://www.golfchannel.com/tours/australasian-tour/2019/emirates-australian-open

Our very own Lukas Michel is T8 at the moment!!


Had a wonderful -3 yesterday, and hope he can continue the great play. Would love to see him challenge into the weekend.

[Pete_Pittock]

Which is a better warm-up course for next week's Presidents Cup, the one in The Bahamas or in Sydney?

[Tal Oz]

Yes, but who turns down free OWGR points, free money, and a Captain's invitation to his own tournament?

It's a shame the HERO is this week when everyone full well knew the President's Cup date.

[Matt Wharton]

I've always enjoyed staying up late and watching live coverage of the Australian Open, PGA and Masters.  Now sadly the Australian Masters no longer exists! I find it disappointing more top professionals worldwide do not place an emphasis or desire to win one of the world's oldest championships, the Australian Open was first contested in 1904.


Funny how it wasn't that long ago Adam Scott returned home with the Green Jacket in 2013 and nearly won all three, but was thwarted in the open by a charging Rory McIlroy.  Coincidentally Rory used that as a springboard for a big year in 2014.  Also, Jordan Spieth won the Australian Open the following year, returned stateside to dust the field at the Hero and went on to have a major 2015 season.


It will never happen but I wish the PGA Tour and European Tours would co-sanction an Australian Swing right after the Sony Open and revive the Masters and revitalize the other two.  The world needs to see the best players playing in Australia more so than China or Malaysia in my opinion.


Cheers,

[BHoover]

It will never happen but I wish the PGA Tour and European Tours would co-sanction an Australian Swing right after the Sony Open and revive the Masters and revitalize the other two.  The world needs to see the best players playing in Australia more so than China or Malaysia in my opinion.

This is absolutely what golf needs. I could not be more in on wanting this to happen. I loved watching the Australian events, especially the tournaments on the sandbelt courses in Melbourne and at Lake Karrinyup in Perth. If the professional tours really wanted to grow the game and show entertaining golf, they absolutely should sanction an Australian swing.

[Mark_F]

Are we talking about the quality of the course, or of the event, or of the field?

All of that and more, Matt.
The event, at least in Melbourne, feels almost anonymous.  I didn't even know it was on until Thursday. The TV coverage ends at 5.00pm for an inane game show. Not all of the best Australian players play in the event.

The Australian Masters was so poorly run for years it has screwed pro golf here. 

[Luke Eipper]

[quote author

It will never happen but I wish the PGA Tour and European Tours would co-sanction an Australian Swing right after the Sony Open and revive the Masters and revitalize the other two.  The world needs to see the best players playing in Australia more so than China or Malaysia in my opinion.

Cheers,



The only way to get players to leave the US and Europe is to host a couple of events in late January or early February. It avoids the thanksgiving and Christmas holiday period. It would also dovetail nicely with the Australian Open tennis grand slam. 


These events (the Australian Open and the Australian PGA) need to offer up lots of OGWR points and loads of exemptions into the four majors. If no appearance money is paid to players, the purse could be kept at a reasonable amount.


Sadly the above will be unlikely to happen given the PGA Tour doesn't care about golf outside of the US. But one can dream.

[Kalen Braley]

Late January and February are too late though because good events are popping up Tour that players don't have to travel half way around the world for. Pebble, LA Open, Torrey Pines, Phoenix, etc.

I think they need to try late October - mid November before Thanksgiving and the last 5 weeks of the year. There isn't a lot of compelling stuff on the schedule then...

[Matt Wharton]

Late January and February are too late though because good events are popping up Tour that players don't have to travel half way around the world for. Pebble, LA Open, Torrey Pines, Phoenix, etc.

I think they need to try late October - mid November before Thanksgiving and the last 5 weeks of the year. There isn't a lot of compelling stuff on the schedule then...

I suggested January based on conversations I had with Mat Goggin. He pointed that November is late spring/early summer for Australia and sometimes course conditions can be less than ideal compared to peak summer (Jan/Feb) if they experience a less than ideal winter. 


I agree the normal fall schedule stateside is not exciting and a swing Down Under would be 100 times better than what we’re seeing currently. 

[Pete_Pittock]

First half of December.  Or the first half of January, as the tennis Australian Open starts past the ides.
Opposite that on the PGA Tour is the Tournament of Champions, Wailae (Sony) and the Palm Springs event. Do players need to seek waivers on conflict weekends.

[Peter Pallotta]

Money makes money -- but it's not so good at making memories.
National open championships, without hyphens or title sponsors: Nicklaus and Player and Norman so many times at the Australian; Trevino famously at the Canadian, in between wins at the US and the British.
Yes: the 'smart money' said the open championships without an RBC or an Emirates couldn't survive; but the Canadian and Australian are now languishing in obscurity -- while the US Open and Open Championships are more prestigious than ever.
Granted: you'll say they always were more prestigious, and that you can't compare the US or the home of golf with the colonies; and yet, I can shake the feeling that if you live by the sword you'll die by the sword, that if you are so eager to show that you can be easily 'bought' you'll one day be 'sold' just as casually.
Trade your history and traditions for short-term money, and in the long term -- it seems -- you'll have neither the history or traditions, nor the money.

[Craig Sweet]

Little screen shot yesterday...Gary Player has more wins in Australia than Greg Norman....geez

[Thomas Dai]

It's a great shame that the Aussie Open, and some others, isn't appreciated more in golf.
Of course wheres once players travelled on their own or maybe with their other half and basically turned-up and played these days the requirements of holding a tournament/championship are huge and very expensive what with the seemingly vast tournament and media etc circus that travels alongside them and all the logistical issues this brings. And someone, somewhere has to pay to transport such around the globe and then transport it back again or to the next destination and the further you travel the more it costs.
atb

[David_Elvins]

Little screen shot yesterday...Gary Player has more wins in Australia than Greg Norman....geez

I am not sure that is right.  He did win more Australian Opens though

[Ronald Montesano]

2 co-sanctioned weeks in Australia, then fly to Hawaii for 2 events. Nice month of down-under/out west. Beats hell out of some of the cool-weather golf we see in NoCal and Jax.

[Matthew Rose]

I think the Open has probably suffered a little bit from being Sydney-centric the last few years. Not that the courses there are bad, but it seems a bit silly to host your national open in one place every year when you have the entire sandbelt left out due to geography.

Fortunately they are going to Kingston Heath next year so it looks like this nonsense is over.

[Scott Warren]

Matthew,

The test in 2020 and 2022 will be whether anyone turns up.
If Melburnians were as accomplished at attending golf tournaments as they are at feeling entitled to host them, the Aussie Open wouldn’t have gone north and the Australian Masters wouldn’t be dead.
The Australian and Royal Sydney aren’t great courses, but they work well for sponsors and corporates and, in defence of Sydneysiders, the crowds have been beyond healthy.

And come Sunday afternoon we again have a good leaderboard with several interesting storylines.

[Mark_F]

If Melburnians were as accomplished at attending golf tournaments as they are at feeling entitled to host them, the Aussie Open wouldn’t have gone north and the Australian Masters wouldn’t be dead.

Not quite true.  The only event Melbournians have been able to attend the last decade or more has been the Masters, which was a terribly run event by an inept management group.

The Vic government throw their support behind the Vic Open, but I think having the Spring racing carnival, Boxing day test, Aust Open tennis and F1 Grand Prix within somewhat similar proximity to each other dilutes the appeal of the golf to the casual sports fan.

Given how much money golf contributes to the Victorian economy, you would have thought more  of it might have made it's way back to the game, but it seems the Andrews government is more interested in junkies and trannies than healthy activity.

But I guess it's too much to expect more from a Kingston heath member.

[Matthew Rose]

My experience with the Melburnian casual sports fan seems to have golf about 10th on the list behind all of those things. Could also be the time of year - maybe by December there is event fatigue.

Still seems strange not to showcase it on your world class courses at least once in awhile.

Next week should be interesting. I'm going on the Saturday for the double session.

[Pat Burke]

smallish population (mid 50s globally)
less depth of big enough companies to sponsor competitive purses.
A much different structure than the USPGA tour which can leverage larger companies and the non-profit status to help generate huge deals.
A long time ago, the television rights were much different.  In the US we were selling tv rights, back when I played Australia in early mid 90's, the tour (or tournaments) was (I was told) basically were buying their television time.  That was forever ago though, I'm really not certain what happens anymore.


But the structure of the tour and the economic strength of the US PGA tour sponsors started to create an enormous gap in purses.
ANd even points flying in business class from the West Coast, it was a very difficult trip to make and feel competitive when you arrived, but also when I returned home to play.


Without a doubt, private or first class have to be easier, but that is a big assed trip!


When I played, the AusTour golf courses IMO were light years better than my early years on the PGA Tour in architecture quality, but also playing conditions, it was no contest.

[jeffwarne]

Yes, but who turns down free OWGR points, free money, and a Captain's invitation to his own tournament?

It's a shame the HERO is this week when everyone full well knew the President's Cup date.

+1
but it gives the US team and Tiger a chance to complain they were fatigued...

[Rob Marshall]

smallish population (mid 50s globally)
less depth of big enough companies to sponsor competitive purses.
A much different structure than the USPGA tour which can leverage larger companies and the non-profit status to help generate huge deals.
A long time ago, the television rights were much different.  In the US we were selling tv rights, back when I played Australia in early mid 90's, the tour (or tournaments) was (I was told) basically were buying their television time.  That was forever ago though, I'm really not certain what happens anymore.


But the structure of the tour and the economic strength of the US PGA tour sponsors started to create an enormous gap in purses.
ANd even points flying in business class from the West Coast, it was a very difficult trip to make and feel competitive when you arrived, but also when I returned home to play.


Without a doubt, private or first class have to be easier, but that is a big assed trip!


When I played, the AusTour golf courses IMO were light years better than my early years on the PGA Tour in architecture quality, but also playing conditions, it was no contest.

Pat, as a former tour pro how does the Patrick Reed incident affect the rest of the team? Non issue?