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Euro tour set to take global view
America's FedEx Cup is catalyst for European golf's big-money expansion,
says Bill Elliott
While the FedEx Cup play-offs (so-called) achieved their
objective in attracting a larger television and media audience to the
US Tour during the dog-day weeks of late August and September, no one
cast a more interested, or analytical, eye on proceedings than George
O'Grady. Imperfect the FedEx Cup structure may be - and, be assured, it
will be changed for 2008 - but even so the chief exec of the European
Tour was impressed. And, as it happens, relieved.
'Any administrator must admire the foresight of the US Tour,'
he says. 'Organising such a concept, finding a sponsor, driving the thing
through is a huge achievement. They looked good too, played as they were
at some outstanding American country clubs. If you were FedEx you'd have
to say you were pleased. So were we. Pleased, that is, that our events
stacked up pretty well against the four weeks of the FedEx. These tournaments
[in Holland, Scotland, Switzerland and Germany] enjoyed record crowds
and demonstrated the depth of the European Tour.'
This, to be fair, is true enough. While the prospect of watching someone
pick up a $10million (?5m) prize will always grab significant public attention,
O'Grady's job is to grow professional golf outside the United States.
They have Manhattan, but O'Grady is happy to take the rest. This the European
Tour has been doing for the past three decades. It long since ceased to
be exclusively European and now it is a brand name for big-time golf outside
the US.
'In money terms the PGA Tour in America remains the Holy Grail for the
pro golfer, but while there are always people going over there to try
their luck there is also a steady stream of players coming back here,'
says O'Grady. 'The American lifestyle is for some, that's for sure, but
it's not for everyone and what we offer is a real alternative. We have
now been given a great opportunity in the weeks after the FedEx play-offs
to shape our tour differently, to lend greater focus and cohesion to it.'
This cohesion is planned to begin in 2009 when the European Tour will
start in January and end in December. At present the season ends in the
first week of November and the 2008 season opens a fortnight later. From
a calendar perspective this is clearly daft and O'Grady would change it
now were it not for the existing contracts that mean his desired change
must be delayed.
Not only does he plan a diary change, however, he plans his own version
of the FedEx Cup, although this will not be a hybrid form of a play-off,
but a properly structured and incentivised bonus pool with serious amounts
of money on offer. The European Tour used to operate a bonus system, throwing
sponsorship money at the top finishers on the Order of Merit, but this
new system is certain to be more demanding of the top players before they
get their hands on the loot.
For now O'Grady is keeping the actual structure of this under wraps, but
he is clearly determined to boost interest in the European Tour over the
last three months of the year following the American decision to manufacture
a climax and then sit back and blow bubbles through October, November
and December. When the play-offs were announced O'Grady dismissed those
who feared they threatened the European Tour and claimed instead that
they presented an opportunity. Now we know what he sees this opportunity
to be and it is simply to corral three months of the year as Europe's
exclusively.
Actually, it is more likely, geographically at least, to be concentrated
in the Far East and, in particular, China, where golf is growing faster
than anywhere else and where the market opportunities are without precedent.
He has to take the players with him in this grand plan, but this he intends
to do by involving the biggest names in discussions before the biggest
decisions are taken.
He is sanguine about reports that the US Tour might wish to offer FedEx
points to certain high-level tournaments outside the US, events such as
the European Tour's own flagship week, the PGA Championship at Wentworth.
'They would not do so without consultation and it would be something we'd
look at with interest,' he says. 'After all, there already are points
available at The Open.'
Nor is he worried about next year's play-offs adversely affecting the
Ryder Cup matches that follow on almost immediately. Complaints that the
month-long play-offs drain players mentally do not quite have him yawning,
but they very nearly do. 'Well, I suppose one could say two things to
that... one, it will be the same for everyone and, two, the last several
Ryder Cups would suggest that the Europeans have no problem being up for
it.'
The Observer,
September 23, 2007
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