PGA Tour Cahampions sustainability

[RickyBobby_PR]

Vijay, Stricker, DL3 play a lot of PGA tour events and some Chsmpions. Phil is eligible soon and Tiger not far behind.  

If Phil, Tiger and maybe others like Stenson, Poulter, Zach Johnson don’t make the move to the champions tour can that tour survive or will it eventually go away?

[GolfSpy_BNG]

I think Phil may play a few eventually as well as Zach but I have no doubt Tiger won't. He plays so few events on tour now that I don't see him trading any of them events for Champions events.

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[GolfSpy MPR]

It's a very interesting question.

Golf magazine had a story about the trend of the top players in golf getting younger. Included is this chart:

That's a large movement. To be sure, we'll have to wait to see if it's a continuing trend; if the same story had been written in 1994, it would be that the top players are getting older.

But I think that signs point to this trend continuing. A lot of it is the enormous skill and distance of the younger players of this generation. We used to see guys coming up on Tour and not winning, and especially not sustaining winning, for at least a decade. That script has been obliterated, and I think there are reasons to expect that to continue.

If the young guns are taking a bigger chunk of those 125 Tour cards, there is a greater incentive for some of the bigger name guys who are getting edged out to play Champions' Tour events. And we have a chicken-and-egg issue here: they might not want to go to the Champions' Tour to play for the smaller purses, but if more popular names play on that Tour, the purses increase.

So put me in the category of predicting that we will see bigger names (maybe not Tiger and Phil, but others) start picking up more CT events, and that that Tour will actually increase in popularity in the coming years.

[THEZIPR23]

If my recollection of history is right a big push to start the champions tour was to increase overall wealth of tour players. When it started the money was no where near where it is now on tour. In fact many of them used to work during off season. We know this is not the case any more. However I do believe that it is sustainable. My opinion is that while we won't see many of the big names, Tiger, Phil etc. the group just below them will want to compete and get wins that they may have not been able to get before. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

36 minutes ago, THEZIPR23 said:

If my recollection of history is right a big push to start the champions tour was to increase overall wealth of tour players. When it started the money was no where near where it is now on tour. In fact many of them used to work during off season. We know this is not the case any more. However I do believe that it is sustainable. My opinion is that while we won't see many of the big names, Tiger, Phil etc. the group just below them will want to compete and get wins that they may have not been able to get before. 

This is where I’m at. The money the guys have these days. The desire for more of them to want to be with family or home as much as possible (see Rory limiting Euro tour schedule) leads me to think many won’t play the champions tour.  It’s a big gap between tiger, Phil, ZJ, Kuch, Furyk to Rahm, Rickie, JT, Spieth and many other relatively popular names.  

Will fans want to see a bunch of the middle of he road pros waiting for the young guns to turn 50 and if still able to play at a high level wabtvto play fir less money.

[Mr. 82]

Interesting topic to discuss. Because the Senior Tour was founded by Jack and Arnie, and they are no longer sustaining it, but yet it carries on in spite of the fact that it’s biggest name cheats every time he hits a putt, probably says that that tour remains viable regardless of what players tee it up. It’s definitely transitioned from a celebrity senior tour into a more serious tour where older players who (essentially) sucked on the regular tour are getting a second chance at winning and cashing a few checks along the way.

As always, players that are addicted to the game will tee it up anywhere and everywhere, while players with bigger bank accounts and less motivation to get paid (see Steve Stricker and Davis Love Davis Love Davis Love) will make occassional appearances whenever the mood strikea them, or if it’s convenient for them.

I would be surprised if either Mickelson or Woods ever grace that tour with their presence.


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[HardcoreLooper]

As long as they can get sponsors, they will survive.  And from what I've seen, they're pretty sponsor-friendly.