Are we witnessing the low point for professional golf?

As a chronic optimist this is hard for me to write. But it is possible professional golf has hit its lowest point. To borrow a line oft used in 1994-95 to capture the challenges of Major League Baseball at the time, we are seeing the millionaires squabbling with the billionaires. All hubris aside – as someone who is in neither camp (millionaire or billionaire) – for the golf enthusiast, the viewer, it is us who are suffering.

In a capitalist world, LIV Golf came in as a disruptor and was catalytic to create change. Change which benefitted top golfers on the PGA Tour. And while we can understand this was needed, the by-product, or the ripple effects were unpleasant to experience as a viewer. Today, professional men’s golf is seriously fragmented. This will change, but like major league baseball in 1994, for some the losses may be longstanding. I am not here to argue the merits or lack thereof of the LIV Golf Tour. But the ramifications have been significant. And while many see this as a PGA Tour versus LIV Golf spat, others have been impacted. I believe the DP World Tour has been relegated to a PGA Tour feeder Tour, which is both odd and sad to me. It places them in a unique space. And while not necessarily a positive space, the solution to bringing back former PGA Tour players from what is possibly a demise of LIV Golf is for players to join the DP World Tour and earn their way back.  Sounds easy enough but that may not be enough bloodletting for angry PGA players who would see this as a slight to their own loyalty. Valid, if viewed in a perfectly selfish vain. But for me, the average viewer who simply wants to see the best men golfer battle on one Tour, this may take more time than necessary. Like baseball did in the mid 1990’s, we will get there. But the damage could be great. It need not be, but it is likely so.

A lost opportunity amidst all this squabbling is the LPGA Tour. With a renaissance of women’s sports, the LPGA has lost an opportunity for growth in viewership. Women’s sports bring a unique combination of skill with a degree of power which is more consistent with many more golfers. Do I love seeing Rory hit it 370 off the tee? Sure, but I can relate more to LPGA players who average 250 to 260. That is my wheelhouse. But they are relegated to limited viewership windows on television which keep viewers from building connections with these elite athletes. And in an era where the men’s professional game is more fractured than ever, this is simply a lost opportunity.

So where are we left? This eternal optimist is hopeful that soon, in time, genuine leadership can be seen to build bridges, improve access, and grow the game from the top down. Until then, it is like we are back in 1994 again. And while there is not the strike to contend with, it is the fragmentation of the professional game which, to me, is taking away from what could be an amazing era for professional golf. Like public golf, post pandemic, interest is sky high. Leadership across the professional game needs to step up. Time for leaders to lead.

I am curious to know your thoughts?

(photo credit - golfblogger.com)