Tee It Up: PGA Tour Releases '09 Schedule Minus Tour Finale Details
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| PGA Tour Will Offer A Higher Purse In '09 |
The PGA Tour yesterday released its '09 regular-season schedule, which features 25 tournaments with "at least $6[M] purses and a newly configured 'Texas swing' of three events in the spring," according to Doug Ferguson of the AP. The '09 season will start "one week later" than usual with the January 8 Mercedes-Benz Championship. Excluding the four major championships, prize money for the regular season increased to $222.9M, from $214.4M this year. In announcing the schedule, the Tour "put to rest speculation that some tournaments might be in jeopardy because of the economy," as the title sponsors are "under contract at least through 2010, and most of them have slight increases in prize money built into their agreements." The FBR Open and Travelers Championship were among tournaments that "kept prize money the same," both at $6M. Still to be determined are "details on a revamped FedEx Cup, and whether to take a week off before the Tour Championship." Meanwhile, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem in a statement said that "charitable giving for 2008 was expected to set another record" at $123M (AP, 11/11). In Dallas, Bill Nichols notes the Valero Texas Open moved from its Fall Series slot to May 14-17, to be followed by the HP Byron Nelson Championship on May 21-24 and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial on May 28-31. The move "benefits all the Texas events," as the Valero "becomes part of the FedEx Cup regular-season schedule, and the Nelson should get a stronger field coming two weeks after the Players Championship instead of one" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/12).
TO BE DETERMINED: ESPN.com's Bob Harig noted the Tour Championship was announced yesterday as "to be determined," but while it is "awkward ... the tour does have its reasons." The Tour is "looking out for the players, who have made it known that they prefer a break in the four-tournament playoff run that they did not have in 2007 but did enjoy this year because the Ryder Cup was part of the mix." PGA Tour Exec VP/Communications & Int’l Relations Ty Votaw: "We're working to build in a week off, but we need to work out the details. We didn't want those details to hold up the full schedule, which is fully sponsored and very good." Harig noted the Tour so far has been "unable to work out the necessary issues which would allow them to move the Tour Championship at East Lake back a week, from Sept. 17 to Sept. 24" (ESPN.com, 11/11). GOLF WORLD's Bob Verdi writes the FedEx Cup playoff system is "all about money when, ideally, it wouldn't be." Verdi: "For a big-bang conclusion, the FedEx Cup cannot depend on the sound of a cash register, and that requires more than tweaking the points system." Verdi added, "With a recession upon us and the European Tour bulking up, panic warnings exist about the relevance of the PGA Tour. I don't share the gloom. Last time I checked, only one league lost the world's most famous athlete in mid-season. Also, if an industry in the austerity mode reduces its sports marketing budget, golf still offers what is unavailable elsewhere -- a clean image" (GOLF WORLD, 11/7 issue).
FALL SERIES: GOLF CHANNEL's Brian Hewitt said the fate of the PGA Tour Fall Series next year is "not on the front-burner in Ponte Vedra right now, but believe me it's a priority." The "problem is an economy that has weakened many of the financial institutions that serve as the Tour's title sponsors." Hewitt said when he asked Votaw whether "there could be contraction next fall from seven events to a lesser number, his text message reply was, 'Still working on that. We'll have definitive answers when we announce the fall schedule'" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 11/11).
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U.S. Bank Has One Year Left
On Contract With PGA Tourney |
TRYING TIMES: In Milwaukee, Gary D'Amato wrote of the PGA Tour U.S. Bank Championship, "Is this tournament still relevant in Milwaukee?" That is the question tournament officials "must be asking" after the event drew "dismal attendance" in July. U.S. Bank has one year remaining on its naming-rights deal, and the bank "could decide not to pick up its option." D'Amato: "If that happens, in all likelihood Milwaukee will lose its PGA Tour event. Forever. Don't say I didn't warn you" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/11). Meanwhile, in Orlando, Josh Robbins notes PGA Tour Children's Miracle Network Classic organizers "have tried just about everything to lure fans to their tournament," which was held last week at Walt Disney World Resort, but the crowds still were "sparse during the tournament's first three days, despite beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday." Organizers have priced one-day tickets "at just $20" and provided "free parking and free shuttle buses to and from the Epcot lot." They also allow "each paying adult to bring in a kid aged 17 and under for free." Still, there were "times early on when the course was eerily empty." Tournament Dir Kevin Weickel: "Any time you run an event, especially a golf event, you always love to see more people. That's what we're in business for. But, overall, I think we had pretty good attendance" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 11/12).
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