WOODS PROVES TO BE LUCRATIVE DRAW
Tiger pulls in extra green for golf industry coffers
BULLS OF THE WEEK
Rarely is an even-par 71 noteworthy, but it was Thursday in Tiger Woods’ first appearance in a PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff event in five years.
Just having Tiger in the field is a boost for the US$9-million Northern Trust, the first of four playoffs, especially during a summer in which the former world No. 1 and winner of 14 majors helped create TV ratings spikes — the best in nine years — at both the British Open and PGA Championship.
The added intrigue surrounding Tiger at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. is whether he plays well enough to gain a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall.
The Northern Trust and FedEx Cup playoffs are also fuelling some of the hype around “The Match,” the $9-million Thanksgiving weekend challenge that will bring Tiger and Phil Mickelson to Shadow Creek in Las Vegas — and to pay-per-view TV — on Nov. 23.
It’s another layer to a bullish week for golf in a bullish summer for the industry, especially for TV networks such as CBS and NBC south of the border and Global TV in Canada, along with apparel manufacturers like Nike.
And although Tiger’s resurgence has been a boon, it’s not the only reason for the added value that’s been generated this summer for the sport.
The PGA Tour is well-positioned to gain fan engagement — from both hardcore golf enthusiasts and casual sports fans — on the strength of its new 2019 tournament calendar. The changes will see the PGA Championship move from its traditional August dates to May.
That will create the most orderly flow of major events the tour has ever had: The Masters in April, PGA in May, U.S. Open in June and British Open in July, followed by the FedEx Cup playoff series in August. The season will be signed, sealed and delivered before the NFL kickoff the Thursday after Labour Day.
The positioning of the events will also help expand the opportunity available to the sport every four years during the Olympics.
It’s not only a smart move by the PGA Tour as far as the majors, the Olympics and the long-standing NFL conflict are concerned; the new schedule will also be great for the RBC Canadian Open, which will now shift to much-improved dates the week before the U.S. Open.
BEARS OF THE WEEK
Not a lot more needs to be said about the foul odour emanating from Ohio State University this week, except to say the home of the Buckeyes is proving to be even more tone-deaf than Penn State was almost a decade ago during the Jerry Sandusky debacle.
It’s been another bearish week for the reputational stock of Buckeyes’ head coach Urban Meyer and, of course, his assistant Zach Smith.
Yet Ohio State’s handling of the allegations of domestic violence by Smith’s former wife has been almost as jarring as Meyer’s lying and Smith’s transgressions. It has clearly put football ahead of ethics and integrity.
Simply put: Ohio State has been lame and leaderless. The result: A lasting taint to one of the most successful football programs in NCAA history and significant harm to the Ohio State brand.