Did the Player’s provide the excitement that the PGA Tour needed?

[Javs]

Did the Player’s provide the excitement that the PGA Tour needed? Sunday’s finish was fantastic and Scotty continues to dominate!

[Hook DeLoft]

It was a great final round.  Arguably the best player in the world coming from behind and barely nipping the current U.S. Open champ, the current British Open champ and an Olympics gold medal winner.  I still can't believe Clark's birdie putt on 18 didn't go down.  When it was a foot out, I was thinking, "Playoff!"

And I would like to point out that Scheffler seems like the nicest dominant player since Nicklaus and none of the other three seem like jerks.  That's refreshing.

[Josh Parker]

Great final round!  It is needed these days. Now if media would leave the rest alone. Ha

[Javs]

2 minutes ago, Hook DeLoft said:

It was a great final round.  Arguably the best player in the world coming from behind and barely nipping the current U.S. Open champ, the current British Open champ and an Olympics gold medal winner.  I still can't believe Clark's birdie putt on 18 didn't go down.  When it was a foot out, I was thinking, "Playoff!"

And I would like to point out that Scheffler seems like the nicest dominant player since Nicklaus and none of the other three seem like jerks.  That's refreshing.

I agree fully with you! Scheffler does remind me of Nicklaus in a lot of ways. Scheffler shows you can win and be dominate without being a jerk. 

[THE GOLF GUY]

The PGA tour events , particularly the majors , The Players Championship, Tour Championship are the marquis events and are always what we are eager to see. Unfortunately, LIV has nothing that is noteworthy or important enough to even warrant an audience, for the most part.

[Wakit300]

If you weren't captivated by this weekend at The Players then you should find another sport to watch.

[Bobbers]

This weekend was a lot more interesting (and fun) than trying to decide if the leader is going to win by 4, 6, or 8 strokes on Sunday.

And, for me at least, what I learned from watching Full Swing only added to watching them on course.  Four interesting golfers, different games for each one, and not an obvious jerk in the mix.

As a side note I found it interesting that Joel Dahmen, who I believe had about $57,000 in earnings thus far this year, finished high enough to take home just north of $600,000.  Made me feel good for him and Geno as well.

[Javs]

7 minutes ago, Bobbers said:

This weekend was a lot more interesting (and fun) than trying to decide if the leader is going to win by 4, 6, or 8 strokes on Sunday.

And, for me at least, what I learned from watching Full Swing only added to watching them on course.  Four interesting golfers, different games for each one, and not an obvious jerk in the mix.

As a side note I found it interesting that Joel Dahmen, who I believe had about $57,000 in earnings thus far this year, finished high enough to take home just north of $600,000.  Made me feel good for him and Geno as well.

I agree after watching Full Swing I was interested to see if Dahmen would see success this season. 

[TSauer]

I so badly wish TPC Sawgrass was a 5th major, it's one of my favorite tournaments of the season. It was definitely a fun final round. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a three-way playoff... I thought for sure it was going to come to that. 

Also, echoing above, really cool to see Dahmen taking home some dough. 

Edited March 18 by TSauer

[jaskanski]

Totally gutted for Clarke, but he'll bounce back.

But kudos for Scottie - what a player.

[bens197]

I’m becoming less and less surprised to see many TOUR events come down to the final 9 holes every Sunday.  There is so much depth and so much talent that makes it so difficult to run away and win every week. 

 

[David Leighton Reid]

A great final round and a nail-biter to the end.  I was a bit disappointed in Wyndam Clark throwing his caddy under the bus after his horrific water ball on Saturday at the 17th.  Supposedly his caddy told him to take a little off the chosen club, so I guess that caused him to hit fat.  

[Kaden_Marcell]

I think that Sunday was everything that they needed, another Xander and Clark battle coming down to the wire, Scottie going bananas on the final round (shocker), and even a few surprise finishes with Harman and Fitzpatrick. I just wish that the players weren't as much of a birdie fest and was a little tougher condition (given that is tough to achieve in March).

[jbern]

23 hours ago, TSauer said:

I so badly wish TPC Sawgrass was a 5th major, it's one of my favorite tournaments of the season. It was definitely a fun final round. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a three-way playoff... I thought for sure it was going to come to that. 

Also, echoing above, really cool to see Dahmen taking home some dough. 

Unfortunately, because it's the PGA Tour's signature event I don't think it'll ever become major-like because they would never invite the LIV folks. I do totally agree that it's one of my favorite tournaments! So far in 2024, it's been Kapalua & the Players that I've been most excited to watch!

I wasn't rooting for Wyndham all week, but seeing him turn into rymdham was pretty heartbreaking.

Agreeing with @TSauer, @Javs & @Bobbers - very happy for Joel Dahmen! Watching him and Geno is just great!

The leaderboard had to be a dream for the PGA because I was VERY into watching 8 of the top T-11! "Better than most" tournaments!

[cnosil]

I guess I don’t understand what the PGA tour needs so I don’t know if the tournament accomplished anything.    Will it bring more viewers each week? I don’t think so as there really wasn’t a charismatic player or I have to watch this player every week kind of vibe.   Finish was good but this tournament was no different than any other and won’t change anything.  

[Javs]

3 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I guess I don’t understand what the PGA tour needs so I don’t know if the tournament accomplished anything.    Will it bring more viewers each week? I don’t think so as there really wasn’t a charismatic player or I have to watch this player every week kind of vibe.   Finish was good but this tournament was no different than any other and won’t change anything.  

I thought it was a great finish. I enjoy watching the Players. Scheffler is one I will tune in to watch. He is an impressive player week in and week out.

[cnosil]

5 minutes ago, Javs said:

I thought it was a great finish. I enjoy watching the Players. Scheffler is one I will tune in to watch. He is an impressive player week in and week out.

Definitely a great finish. I enjoyed it no more or less than any other event.  I also don’t tune into golf to watch a specific player; I view it simply as entertainment.  I have a rerun of an LET event on TV right now and I find it equal to watching the players.  
 

I Guess your question is does the current group of top players increase viewership?   Yes, Scottie is a great player but does he have the same appeal as a Tiger or even a Ricky Fowler?  Does Scottie being in the top 10 going into the weekend cause more people to tune in?  I personally don’t think so.   

[Javs]

4 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Definitely a great finish. I enjoyed it no more or less than any other event.  I also don’t tune into golf to watch a specific player; I view it simply as entertainment.  I have a rerun of an LET event on TV right now and I find it equal to watching the players.  
 

I Guess your question is does the current group of top players increase viewership?   Yes, Scottie is a great player but does he have the same appeal as a Tiger or even a Ricky Fowler?  Does Scottie being in the top 10 going into the weekend cause more people to tune in?  I personally don’t think so.   

I get it that you aren’t moved that much by golf on TV. To each their own. I like watching good events and tight finish’s. I do enjoy watching Scottie play. I learn a lot watching him. Tiger doesn’t move the needle for me. I know he does for millions, but I’m not one. Ricky is ok to watch. I saw him live at Torrey and he is not as impressive as some of the others. I like watching Rory play when he is in the hunt. At times he seems to be just going through the motions. However, he has unlimited talent. 

[Shrek74]

I really enjoyed the final round this past Sunday, and I really enjoy the Player's each year as the course is a great test for all who play. Dad and I forgot to eat dinner as we watched the recording about 2 hours after play started.

I agree that Tiger doesn't move the needle for me at all either, and the more they talk about him or show him, the less interested I become. But Scottie, Wynham, Xander, Ricky, JT, etc all do move the needle for me, especially when they play well. Watching Scottie put on a ball striking clinic is incredible to watch.

Sadly, the network coverage still leaves A LOT to be desired. You'd think the tournament only had 10 players in it all week. There's nothing wrong with showing the 50th player or the 40th player in the field, but NBC/CBS don't seem to understand we want to see them all play not just the handful at the top. I would have loved to see more Joel/Geno over the week.

The "filler" events I generally have on while I do other house stuff or to just help me relax without being actively involved. But when an event only has a couple top 50 players in it, it's hard to watch.

[Javs]

13 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

I really enjoyed the final round this past Sunday, and I really enjoy the Player's each year as the course is a great test for all who play. Dad and I forgot to eat dinner as we watched the recording about 2 hours after play started.

I agree that Tiger doesn't move the needle for me at all either, and the more they talk about him or show him, the less interested I become. But Scottie, Wynham, Xander, Ricky, JT, etc all do move the needle for me, especially when they play well. Watching Scottie put on a ball striking clinic is incredible to watch.

Sadly, the network coverage still leaves A LOT to be desired. You'd think the tournament only had 10 players in it all week. There's nothing wrong with showing the 50th player or the 40th player in the field, but NBC/CBS don't seem to understand we want to see them all play not just the handful at the top. I would have loved to see more Joel/Geno over the week.

The "filler" events I generally have on while I do other house stuff or to just help me relax without being actively involved. But when an event only has a couple top 50 players in it, it's hard to watch.

I agree with you!

[chisag]

1 hour ago, Javs said:

I get it that you aren’t moved that much by golf on TV. To each their own. I like watching good events and tight finish’s. I do enjoy watching Scottie play. I learn a lot watching him. Tiger doesn’t move the needle for me. I know he does for millions, but I’m not one. Ricky is ok to watch. I like watching Rory play when he is in the hunt. At times he seems to be just going through the motions. However, he has unlimited talent. 

 

... I am a little surprised to read that, unless you are talking about right now because he is a shell of his former self. In his prime there was nobody better at hitting spectacular golf shots or seemingly willing putts into the hole when needed. 

... I am not a big PGA TOUR fan mostly due to bomb and gouge with too much emphasis/coverage of putting. But I love watching the Players because the course is the star. Soooooooo much can happen on the last 3 holes and we all know them so well. I thought this was a fun 4 days of veining and I am looking forward to the Masters. 

... I try not to have negative thoughts about anyone, let alone a stranger playing golf but hard to keep those thoughts at bay with Clark. He acts like a 2 yr old that just wants his way screaming at his ball to do what he wants it to do, which of course is just silly. But after hitting out of a divot and then angrily taking out a huge chunk of turf makes me want to say he has to stick around Monday and fill/repair every divot on the course. Maybe he would show the course a little more respect. Bumping a tree limb with his backswing then turning and smacking the limb hard is just more immature behavior. Not to be too much of a hippie tree hugger, but a tree is a leaving thing and taking your anger out on a tree because YOU hit a bad shot is just another selfish toddler act. 

[Javs]

2 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I am a little surprised to read that, unless you are talking about right now because he is a shell of his former self. In his prime there was nobody better at hitting spectacular golf shots or seemingly willing putts into the hole when needed. 

... I am not a big PGA TOUR fan mostly due to bomb and gouge with too much emphasis/coverage of putting. But I love watching the Players because the course is the star. Soooooooo much can happen on the last 3 holes and we all know them so well. I thought this was a fun 4 days of veining and I am looking forward to the Masters. 

... I try not to have negative thoughts about anyone, let alone a stranger playing golf but hard to keep those thoughts at bay with Clark. He acts like a 2 yr old that just wants his way screaming at his ball to do what he wants it to do, which of course is just silly. But after hitting out of a divot and then angrily taking out a huge chunk of turf makes me want to say he has to stick around Monday and fill/repair every divot on the course. Maybe he would show the course a little more respect. Bumping a tree limb with his backswing then turning and smacking the limb hard is just more immature behavior. Not to be too much of a hippie tree hugger, but a tree is a leaving thing and taking your anger out on a tree because YOU hit a bad shot is just another selfish toddler act. 

My feelings on Tiger (as I have stated in other posts) are purely from personal experience. I won’t deny he was a great talent at his peak. Well, even sub-peak he was better than most. When you have personal interaction with someone several times and the outcome was less than pleasant than it’s hard to change that opinion. Basically my interaction and view is great talent, but horrible person. 
I tend to agree with you on Clark. Don’t blame your caddie because you chunk a wedge. Also, he is sort of a head case. I hope he works it all out. 

[chisag]

2 minutes ago, Javs said:

My feelings on Tiger (as I have stated in other posts) are purely from personal experience. I won’t deny he was a great talent at his peak. Well, even sub-peak he was better than most. When you have personal interaction with someone several times and the outcome was less than pleasant than it’s hard to change that opinion. Basically my interaction and view is great talent, but horrible person. 

 

... Understood. In his prime he was certainly not a likable human being. That said, I have always felt to be the very best in the world at anything takes a lot of sacrifice and single minded determination. But when it gets personal that is a different story. 

[Javs]

15 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Understood. In his prime he was certainly not a likable human being. That said, I have always felt to be the very best in the world at anything takes a lot of sacrifice and single minded determination. But when it gets personal that is a different story. 

Agree fully! There were many others that came to our work that were great to meet. Along with MLB and NFL players. The best ever interaction was with Drew Brees! He is authentic and a great guy. 

Edited March 19 by Javs

[GaDawg]

On 3/18/2024 at 10:32 AM, Josh Parker said:

Great final round!  It is needed these days. Now if media would leave the rest alone. Ha

I agree, but the media is one of the biggest issues with all sports these days.