Scandinavian ‘Mixed’ Euro tour event

[Thomas Dai]

A different ‘mixed’ format to the one played at the splendid Victorian Open in Aussie.
Be terrific to see more tournaments adopt formats akin to them.
See - [size=78%]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LQJlCR02sKA[/size]
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[Joe Zucker]

This is a really interesting format to see ladies and men playing together.  I wonder if having everyone together on the same course on the same days revealed anything about the architecture we don't already know?  If they had shotlink data it would be cool to see where the scoring gains differed from men vs women. 

[Jason Thurman]

I watched a bit on Sunday. Loved the concept. The fact that there was, like, one woman in the top 15 (I don't actually know the ratio, but there was only one woman whose shots were being shown at all) sorta suggests that it might not have been a very equitable setup, though.


It's only really a novel idea for golf, too. My wife was very competitive locally as a middle distance runner for years. There's nothing weird at all about having men and women run races on the same course, with an overall champion crowned, a men's champion, a women's champion, and age group champions. Why not have more golf events that look similar? Seems like a huge opportunity to cross-promote the different tours, and get more creative with playing formats.


Of course, it won't happen. The Tour's philosophy seems to center around running basically the same event every week - 72 holes of stroke play - and avoiding anything that could possibly be interesting enough to disrupt the comfort of fans who rely on televised golf for their weekly weekend nap. Which I appreciate in a way. I love my golf naps.

[Tim_Weiman]

I watched a bit on Sunday. Loved the concept. The fact that there was, like, one woman in the top 15 (I don't actually know the ratio, but there was only one woman whose shots were being shown at all) sorta suggests that it might not have been a very equitable setup, though.


It's only really a novel idea for golf, too. My wife was very competitive locally as a middle distance runner for years. There's nothing weird at all about having men and women run races on the same course, with an overall champion crowned, a men's champion, a women's champion, and age group champions. Why not have more golf events that look similar? Seems like a huge opportunity to cross-promote the different tours, and get more creative with playing formats.


Of course, it won't happen. The Tour's philosophy seems to center around running basically the same event every week - 72 holes of stroke play - and avoiding anything that could possibly be interesting enough to disrupt the comfort of fans who rely on televised golf for their weekly weekend nap. Which I appreciate in a way. I love my golf naps.

What is an “equitable setup”?

[Jason Thurman]

Equitable is a word that means "fair and impartial." It's not foreign to golf. For example, equitability is what the handicap system is based on.


Presumably, a goal of a mixed event would be to find a setup that provides relatively equal opportunity for success, regardless of gender.


In a field comprised equally of men and women (which this event was), I would look to metrics like "number of men vs. women who made the cut" and "number of men vs. women in the top X finishers" as ones that indicate equitability of setup.


Two women finished in the top 15, and 26 made the cut vs 45 men.


To be clear, I don't think that's some great failure. I say kudos to this event for trying something different. I found it interesting to watch. I would also suggest that there's some statistical evidence that suggests the women were playing a slightly harder course and that the statistics above are at least worth thinking about for future editions.

[Tom_Doak]

Why not have more golf events that look similar? Seems like a huge opportunity to cross-promote the different tours, and get more creative with playing formats.


Of course, it won't happen. The Tour's philosophy seems to center around running basically the same event every week - 72 holes of stroke play - and avoiding anything that could possibly be interesting enough to disrupt the comfort of fans who rely on televised golf for their weekly weekend nap. Which I appreciate in a way. I love my golf naps.

The main problem is simply the size of the field.  The one thing the PGA Tour players won't condone is more events with not enough room for all the "exempt" players who want to play.  A field that's half women leaves not enough room for 125++++ men.


So, from that standpoint, it might be better for the LPGA Tour to run the event, and limit the men's side to whatever 60 guys from the PGA Tour or the Korn Ferry Tour wanted to come. 


Personally, my dream is to see a Tour pro equivalent to the old Worplesdon mixed foursomes event, once won by Joyce Wethered and Bernard Darwin.  Will it happen?  Not likely, but never say never.  The LPGA Tour is definitely on the upswing.

[Thomas Dai]

I’m confident a post from Downunder will advise if I’m incorrect but I believe the splendid Vic Open in Aus has been run at a club with 2 18-hole courses thus allowing a double size field, split half-n-half male/female on each course each day with a cut later on. Not 1 set of prizes through, prizes per gender.
Whatever the format however, and mixed foursomes would be interesting option, its good to see both men and women professionals playing together in the same event. More such events please.

Atb

[Jason Thurman]

Why not have more golf events that look similar? Seems like a huge opportunity to cross-promote the different tours, and get more creative with playing formats.


Of course, it won't happen. The Tour's philosophy seems to center around running basically the same event every week - 72 holes of stroke play - and avoiding anything that could possibly be interesting enough to disrupt the comfort of fans who rely on televised golf for their weekly weekend nap. Which I appreciate in a way. I love my golf naps.

The main problem is simply the size of the field.  The one thing the PGA Tour players won't condone is more events with not enough room for all the "exempt" players who want to play.  A field that's half women leaves not enough room for 125++++ men.


So, from that standpoint, it might be better for the LPGA Tour to run the event, and limit the men's side to whatever 60 guys from the PGA Tour or the Korn Ferry Tour wanted to come. 


Personally, my dream is to see a Tour pro equivalent to the old Worplesdon mixed foursomes event, once won by Joyce Wethered and Bernard Darwin.  Will it happen?  Not likely, but never say never.  The LPGA Tour is definitely on the upswing.

Agree completely.

One place I think about is the Tour Championship. You have, what, 30 guys in that field? Why not also contest the LPGA and maybe even the Champions and/or Korn Ferry season-long championships on the same course? That feels like the kind of end-of-season blowout that would draw viewers and contribute to drive interest in multiple tours.

[Tom_Doak]

One place I think about is the Tour Championship. You have, what, 30 guys in that field? Why not also contest the LPGA and maybe even the Champions and/or Korn Ferry season-long championships on the same course? That feels like the kind of end-of-season blowout that would draw viewers and contribute to drive interest in multiple tours.

That's probably the last place the Tour would want it to happen, they don't want to share the spotlight at their "Super Bowl" /s


But if you could sell the idea to FedEx, the Tour would cave in a minute.


Meanwhile, I would bet my right arm that Mike Whan will get the USGA to do a double US Open at the same venue, as soon as has enough clout to start having influence on the site selection.  But that would still be, what, 6-8 years from now?  Hopefully it won't take that long for somebody else to try out something similar.

[Joe Zucker]

Why not have more golf events that look similar? Seems like a huge opportunity to cross-promote the different tours, and get more creative with playing formats.


Of course, it won't happen. The Tour's philosophy seems to center around running basically the same event every week - 72 holes of stroke play - and avoiding anything that could possibly be interesting enough to disrupt the comfort of fans who rely on televised golf for their weekly weekend nap. Which I appreciate in a way. I love my golf naps.

The main problem is simply the size of the field.  The one thing the PGA Tour players won't condone is more events with not enough room for all the "exempt" players who want to play.  A field that's half women leaves not enough room for 125++++ men.


So, from that standpoint, it might be better for the LPGA Tour to run the event, and limit the men's side to whatever 60 guys from the PGA Tour or the Korn Ferry Tour wanted to come. 


Personally, my dream is to see a Tour pro equivalent to the old Worplesdon mixed foursomes event, once won by Joyce Wethered and Bernard Darwin.  Will it happen?  Not likely, but never say never.  The LPGA Tour is definitely on the upswing.

Agree completely.

One place I think about is the Tour Championship. You have, what, 30 guys in that field? Why not also contest the LPGA and maybe even the Champions and/or Korn Ferry season-long championships on the same course? That feels like the kind of end-of-season blowout that would draw viewers and contribute to drive interest in multiple tours.

Another option would the the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua every year? Similarly small field and it would be easy to add 30 women playing at the same time.  Having the winners of the largest men's and women's tours to start the season in Hawaii would be fantastic viewing in January.  I'm sure there are 100 reasons why this won't happen though...

[Daryl David]

I’m confident a post from Downunder will advise if I’m incorrect but I believe the splendid Vic Open in Aus has been run at a club with 2 18-hole courses thus allowing a double size field, split half-n-half male/female on each course each day with a cut later on. Not 1 set of prizes through, prizes per gender.
Whatever the format however, and mixed foursomes would be interesting option, its good to see both men and women professionals playing together in the same event. More such events please.

Atb

I’m not currently Downunder, but can confirm it’s played over the 36 holes at 13th Beach Golf Links at Barwon Heads.  I stopped by a few years ago to watch. It is a great event. Fun to watch the women and men coming thru each hole alternating. Would love to see something similar here.

[Mike_Clayton]

I’m confident a post from Downunder will advise if I’m incorrect but I believe the splendid Vic Open in Aus has been run at a club with 2 18-hole courses thus allowing a double size field, split half-n-half male/female on each course each day with a cut later on. Not 1 set of prizes through, prizes per gender.
Whatever the format however, and mixed foursomes would be interesting option, its good to see both men and women professionals playing together in the same event. More such events please.

Atb

The Vic Open is 154 men (co-sanctioned with the European Tour) and 154 women (an LPGA event) tournament at 13th Beach. It's a 36 hole venue with the Beach and Creek courses.
The field is split over both courses the first two days and then cut to play the Beach Course on the weekend. There is a 36-hole and a 54-hole cut.
The groups alternate tee times. It's a brilliant event - spectators walk the fairway with no ropes, something that freaked out the LPGA security guy until he saw it in action.
Dogs are encouraged, entry is $10 and whilst not the most important tournament in Australia, it's the best event.


The only complaint some women have is their higher winning scores make them look inferior - which is silly. No one expects the women's 100 meters in Tokyo to be won with the same times as the men.
The problem isn't the women's course is too long - it's that the men's course (around 7000y) is too short.

[David_Tepper]

The Taylormade (formerly the Spalding, formerly the Callaway) Pro-Am held at Pebble Beach the weekend before Thanksgiving is a fun event to spectate. It features players from the PGA, Champions, Korn-Ferry and LPGA Tours, with tees adjusted appropriately to compensate.

The format is similar to the Crosby/AT&T, with pro-am play over 3 courses the first 3 days. On Sunday, the low pro-am teams and the pros who make the cut play at Pebble. Only the tee boxes and greens are roped off, so you can pretty much walk down the fairways behind your favorite player.

I was there for the final round in 2019 and saw several pros carrying their own bags!

https://www.pebblebeach.com/events/taylormade-pebble-beach-invitational/ 
 

[Thomas Dai]

Perhaps timely in view of LIV etc to mention that this mixed gender singles pro event with all the players playing for the same prizes is being played this week.
On Sky TV in the U.K. Hopefully it’s being shown on TV elsewhere as well. Be nice imo to see more events with a similar format.
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