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PGA Tour Season Preview
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Two Prominent Golf Writers Talk State Of The PGA Tour
Ron Sirak, author and Exec Editor of Golf World, and L.A. Times golf writer Tommy
Bonk have each been covering professional golf since the ‘80s. With the
PGA Tour undergoing some major changes this season, Senior Staff Writer Jon Show
discussed with them during a conference call the changing TV landscape, the new
FedEx Cup playoff, and why Judy Rankin will be the most missed announcer in golf
this year, among many other issues.
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Panel Feels Woods’ Participation
One Key Issue Of FedEx Cup
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SBD: What are the key things you’re watching for during the first
year of the FedEx Cup?
Bonk: Player participation.
Sirak: Absolutely, and fan interest. Is it going to capture the imagination
of fans? Are people going to make the transition from looking at the money list
to looking at the FedEx Cup point list?
Bonk: The funny thing is, Tiger was talking about this at his tournament
at Thousand Oaks and he was asked, “What do you think about it?” And
he was kind of lukewarm, which was a little bit surprising. He called it interesting.
You know, interesting is maybe what you’re having for dinner; it’s
certainly not the FedEx Cup, or at least that’s not the reaction they were
hoping for. He was saying it’s difficult to change gears when the focus
has always been on money to keep your card and now it’s keeping track of
points. I think there is a little uneasiness on the players’ side of this.
Sirak: I don’t think we’ve ever headed into a season with so
many “wait-and-sees” hanging in the air. Wait-and-see what the player’s
participation is going to be, wait-and-see what the fan interest is going to be.
I don’t think even the Tour has a sense as to how successful this is going
to be.
SBD: What are some more challenges for the Tour in year one of the FedEx
Cup?
Sirak: The switch over to the Golf Channel is going to be an interesting
challenge for the network to step up and really function on a much bigger stage
and a much bigger platform. That’s another interesting avenue that (PGA
Tour Commissioner Tim) Finchem has chosen to go down.
Bonk: I would totally agree about the Golf Channel. Making a 15-year commitment
as the Tour has done with the Golf Channel is really interesting and I do not
think they would have gone down this road unless they are pretty convinced that
they can make it a viable option. The thing that is most intriguing to me is the
thought that big purses get fans’ interest. I think fans are kind of (indifferent)
these days as to how much money the players are making -- they don’t really
care. If a lesser-known player is the guy who ends up winning the FedEx Cup, I
don’t know how successful that’s going to be.
SBD: What are some of the risks and rewards with moving the entire cable
package over to the Golf Channel?
Bonk: You give it a home; you kind of brand it. You say, “If you
want to watch golf, this is the place to see it.” The problem is, I think
in Canada the only way to get the Golf Channel is if you have a digital set-up
and I’m not sure how widely available that is. Poor Mike Weir’s folks
can’t even watch him play.
Sirak: It’s not on basic cable almost anywhere. I think the big risk
is the promotional value you had with ESPN or NBC cross-promoting USA Network
on its other networks. You are not getting as much of that now, but the great
thing they got is the primetime replay on Thursday and Friday nights. What the
Golf Channel is going to be looking for is a combined ratings number on Thursday-Friday,
that live time window in the afternoon combined with the primetime replay at night.
That could be a very effective promotional tool for the Tour.
Bonk: One of the drawbacks that I see is that there is a potential to further
drive golf into a niche spot in sports. ... It’s a move, it is a risk, it
is challenging and it may very well be the right one. But we are not going to
find out this year. This is a long-term deal.
Sirak: I think one thing we may see is that at the end of the six years
of the CBS and NBC component of the TV deal, they go into partnership with the
Golf Channel and have their own network and produce their own events themselves.
I know that the Tour has looked into doing it; the problems have always been distribution,
not production, and with the Golf Channel you have solved that distribution problem.
I do think the reason they have this 15-year deal is that they have a vision of
what this could become down the road. It has got to get into more homes, it has
got to get up around 90 million homes to have critical mass to be effective. But
it could be there at the end of six years.
SBD: Aren’t avid fans still going to tune to Golf Channel or find
some way to get Golf Channel in order to watch Thursday-Friday golf?
Sirak: Yeah, I think absolutely. I think in that way, the Tour is not taking
very much of a risk. Anybody who really cares about golf is going to watch golf
no matter where it is. ... Early on there is very little risk.
SBD: What kind of impact do you think the playoff events are going to have
on TV ratings?
Sirak: I really think if there is one thing the last ten years have shown
us it’s that you get a Tiger-ratings bump when Tiger is doing something
exciting and I think that will continue. I don’t look for a dramatic up-spike
in the ratings for those events this year. Maybe they will build over the years,
but I don’t look for it this year unless Tiger is doing something sensational.
Bonk: There is always a Tiger factor. He and Phil (Mickelson) definitely
control the popularity market. My question is, are they going to play all these
events? I’m not certain that they are. I think they may have indicated that
they would be willing to do it this year. In ’08 it is a different story
because you have the Ryder Cup after the PGA Championships and that’s five
weeks in a row. Do you think they are going to do that? I don’t.
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Writer Calls Finchem’s FedEx
Cup Playoff Format A Gamble
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SBD: Do you think the FedEx Cup will ever match the majors in interest
and drama?
Sirak: Here is the problem that Tim Finchem faces; he doesn’t own
the five most valuable properties in golf: the four major championships and the
Ryder Cup. When he talks about wanting to create a playoff-like ratings boost
like team sports get during the playoffs, golf gets that. It gets it during the
major championships and the Ryder Cup.
Bonk: That is the way it is. You cannot artificially create history, history
happens. The tournaments, the majors and the Ryder Cup have history. You just
can’t throw something out there and make it something for everybody to take
notice of. It is either really going to be good or it is going to stink, or maybe
it will just be average. This is a huge gamble, but they had to do something to
get out of the way of pro football and they had to do something to justify the
TV rights fees.
Sirak: There is no question that they had to move to Tour Championship,
it was getting a 1.9 rating in November. ... That was a smart move and a necessary
move. The other good move is moving The Players Championship from March into May
and getting it away from the NCAA basketball tournament. That gives it a stage
of its own. Those were two really, really good moves and, let’s face it,
they were all made because they were in TV contract negotiations.
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Daly Still Draws Marketing Interest
Despite Well-Publicized Flaws
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SBD: With TV deals secured and most of the tournament title sponsorships
signed, what should the Tour be focusing on?
Bonk: They should be dealing with the drug testing issue. I don’t
think there is a drug problem on the PGA Tour; I don’t know of one and I’ve
never heard of one. I think this is something that you need to do proactively
to protect your brand. You need to have some kind of program and be prepared.
Sirak: I agree with that because I think one of the real marketing strengths
that the PGA Tour has always had is the image of its athletes. They are very proud
of the fact and they market very strongly -- to both their title sponsors and
corporate endorsement sponsors with individual players -- that their guys don’t
get into trouble.
Bonk: Unless John Daly’s in it.
Sirak: He’s the exception to the rule. The thing you have with Daly
now is that there are no surprises left with him. Anybody who signs with John
knows what they’re getting. There are absolutely no surprises. There are
probably only four or five golfers that really drive fan interest and he is one
of them. It’s Woods, it’s Mickelson, it’s probably Freddy Couples,
it certainly was Greg Norman and John Daly.
SBD: Aside from the big four, Ty Votaw mentioned Jim Furyk as a player
he saw exploding internationally in the next couple years.
Sirak: Furyk took a big step forward this year; he won a boat-load of money.
If you want to look at somebody ready to explode internationally who only needs
a little bit of success to do it is Camilo Villegas. That opens up the whole other
market of South America. He’s muscular, athletic, good-looking and articulate.
Bonk: I would give you Adam Scott as well. I know he’s ranked fourth
in the world so he’s not exactly unknown, but here is a guy who has really
got it all. He’s won a Tour Championship and he can win a major as well.
Furyk is ranked No. 2 so I don’t know how much more he’s going to
explode.
SBD: Who will win the inaugural FedEx Cup?
Bonk: I think it’s going to be somebody down the line like a David
Howell or somebody like that. I would use a Fred Funk except I don’t think
he’s going to be in the mix. It’s going to be somebody like that.
Ron: I’m going to go absolutely conservative on this and say that Tiger
Woods will win it just because it’s the first one. He may lose interest
after this year but I look for Tiger to continue on the way he ended the ’06
season.
SBD: Name one player you think will explode this year.
Bonk: Anthony Kim (a Korean-American born and raised in California with
a head-to-toe Nike deal) is an interesting player. A lot of people are talking
about him. He went to school at Oklahoma and left a year early -- he must be the
real deal. I think he would be a terrific demographic.
Sirak: A couple of those Brits -- Luke Donald and Paul Casey -- who you
get the feeling might end that slump of European players not winning major championships.
SBD: Who is the most underappreciated TV golf personality?
Sirak: I am a huge Judy Rankin fan.
Bonk: I was just going to say Judy Rankin.
Sirak: I’m sorry that we are not going to be seeing her this year.
She’s got that ability to be critical without being cruel and that’s
a real art.
Bonk: I think (Roger) Maltby is really good too. He is very, very steady;
doesn’t miss anything, knows the story and delivers it in a good way.
SBD: Most overrated?
Sirak: (laughing) Tommy?
Bonk: (laughing) I don’t know. I’m tempted to say Johnny Miller
but I would also have him right up at the top as one of the best. He sure irritates
the players, which means he’s doing something right.
Sirak: He’s got an interesting modus operandi and you’ve got
to wonder because it works for him. He doesn’t have any contacts with players
and he’s not the kind of guy who is going to hang out on the range and chat
with guys and I think that makes it easier for him to say the things that he says.
SBD: Who is the most effective organizing body in golf?
Bonk: Augusta National.
Sirak: Yeah.
Bonk: All of the stuff about female membership, just put that aside. That’s
an issue they will deal with on their own, but they sure do know how to run a
tournament.
Sirak: It will be interesting to see over the long term how the changes
to the golf course are going to play out, but I do agree with Tom. What makes
them so good is that they are beholden to no one except themselves. You could
really argue that it’s the last pure sporting event because commercialism
is at an absolute minimum at Augusta; price-gouging is at an absolute minimum
at Augusta. It’s really run for the enjoyment of the players and the fans.
Bonk: They really take care of the fans.
Sirak: (joking) Actually Tommy they’re the patrons. We better correct
ourselves.
Bonk: (laughing) Sorry, the patrons. And don’t ever call them the
gallery either.
SBD: What is the most media-friendly tournament on the tour?
Bonk: Whichever one has the best parking for the media. As Dan Jenkins
once wrote, “Despite abysmal parking for the media, Ben Hogan won his fourth
U.S. Open.”
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Charles Howell III Receives Nod As
One Of The Most Media-Friendly Players
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SBD: Who’s the most media-friendly player?
Bonk: Boy there is a bunch of them. It is easier to say who the jerks are
but let’s not go there. If I had to pick, I like Charles Howell III. I get
along great with him and he’s always helpful. Adam Scott’s terrific.
There just aren’t too many bad ones.
Sirak: Golfers are really way more accessible than virtually any other
athlete out there. It is rare when you get somebody who is not open to give you
at least a few minutes.
SBD: So who are the least friendly?
Bonk: Colin Montgomerie, Vijay Singh.
Sirak: Vijay is a tough nut, he doesn’t give up a lot.
SBD: What is your favorite golf book?
Sirak: (laughing) Do I eliminate mine?
Bonk: No, say your own!
SBD: Not to write, to read.
Bonk: “Dead Solid Perfect” (by Dan Jenkins)
Sirak: I’ll go with “Dead Solid Perfect” too.
SBD: Favorite golf movie?
Sirak: “Caddyshack.”
Bonk: I can’t argue with that.
Sirak: And the worst golf movie ever made was “Caddyshack II.”
Bonk: I thought the worst golf movie ever made was that Bobby Jones movie.
I thought that was dreadful.
Sirak: I will agree with you there.
SBD: What’s your best round ever?
Bonk: I chipped in once for par on the seventh hole at Riviera.
SBD: What was the final score on your card?
Bonk: I lost it, I think it was run over by the drink cart.
Sirak: I shot 71 about 34 years ago, but in recent history it’s 75.
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