The PGA Tour Zurich Classic will become the first event to "feature walk-up music" for players as they are being "introduced during the final two rounds" on the 1st tee, according to Sheldon Mickles of the New Orleans ADVOCATE. It marks "another PGA Tour first for the tournament, which last season became the only two-man team event during the Tour's regular season." The Zurich Classic takes place April 26-29 (New Orleans ADVOCATE, 4/10). In New Orleans, Ron Higgins writes the Zurich Classic "has become the PGA Tour's official experimentation lab" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 4/10). GOLF DIGEST's Sam Weinman wrote the PGA Tour is "stealing a page" from both MLB and the WWE with the idea. Adding walk-up music "offers a whole new element of creative expression for a sport accused of keeping its personalities well concealed" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 4/9). European Tour CEO Keith Pelley has talked about the idea of adding walk-up music to some events on that circuit (THE DAILY).
LET'S LOOSEN THINGS UP: ESPN's Jordan Rodgers said the introduction of walk-up music is the "best thing that is going to happen to golf." Rodgers: "I love tradition, and I'm not saying we need to go full Happy Gilmore and start trotting around the golf club like we're riding a horse. But we can loosen things up on a first tee box, where everybody is tight as it is anyway" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 4/10).
