Top-ranked golfer Jordan Spieth's current schedule "epitomizes a sport whose worldwide reach has never been greater," as within an 11-month period he likely will play "tournaments in nine countries spanning every continent except Africa and Antarctica," according to Brian Costa of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Spieth this weekend will play the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Maui after entering events last fall in South Korea and China. He then travels over the next month "to tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Singapore" before playing the PGA Tour's annual event at Pebble Beach. Between last October and this August, Spieth "projects to log well over 125,000 miles in the air." The extent of Spieth's global schedule is "indicative of how overseas tournaments have been able to lure top-ranked Americans from Tour events, typically in the fall and early winter." The PGA Tour does not offer appearance fees "as incentives for star players to show up," though the practice "is widely accepted" in Europe and Asia. Top players "have been known to receive guarantees" of more than $1M on top of what they earn. Another reason golfers go globe-trotting is because "cultivating fans on other continents is seen as an important way to maximize their value to both existing and potential sponsors." Regardless, the combined result of the PGA Tour's events outside the U.S., overseas tourneys and events like the Presidents Cup and the Olympics "is something like a world tour" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/5).
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? ESPN.com's Jonathan Coachman writes top golfers are "headed down the path of burnout and resentemnt" due to the PGA Tour's wraparound schedule. Due to the format that debuted in '13, players are "starting to openly complain and show up only because the tour has forced their hand." If players wait to begin their season at the start of each calendar year, they "could be as many as six tournaments behind their peers." That could mean "potential losses in the millions by August" when they get to the FedExCup playoffs. Coachman: "In the long run, the bottom line is going to suffer if the PGA Tour doesn't give these players more time off" (ESPN.com, 1/5).
