Golf rankings characterised by much horse trading

In recent years, several golf associations have been involved in making decisions at major tournaments that have led to serious rules gaffes and dysfunctional course set-up “choices”.

This is unfortunate when golf is viewed as a bastion of correctness in the maelstrom of professional sport. It is even more perplexing when golf’s decision-makers are not under the snap decision-making pressures of football, for example, where referees’ decisions lead to howls of dismay every weekend in stadiums around the world.

In a broader strategic decision-making context, the resumption of the OWGR (official world golf rankings) is interesting. As background, the OWGR is owned by the federation of professional golf tours and is endorsed by the four Major championships.

Was this another gaffe by one of golf’s decision-making bodies, a balanced decision and one made in the interest of all the players, or rather a question of the “money talking”, which gave the green light as the PGA Tour restarted?

Undoubtedly the timing of the resumption was propitious for those plying their trade on the PGA Tour, as it came into effect as soon as this tour started rolling down the fairways again.

The decision immediately prompted remarks such as: “What the PGA Tour wants the PGA Tour gets”.

The reaction from the European Tour, which voted against the resumption, was predictable, with CEO Keith Pelley voicing his disappointment at the outcome and a number of this tour’s players evidently furious with the decision.

For those of us hoping for a brave new world after Covid-19 — its predecessor being characterised by fudged national elections, morally bankrupt politicians and corporations against a backdrop of arcane decisions made in dimly-lit back rooms — it is likely to be just “the same old”.

As is nearly always the case, in this matter one just needs to follow the money and be under no illusion — the tours are big business in every sense. If you can see that, then you will realise that the PGA Tour could not hope to resume effectively without its events carrying ranking points.

Running a tour event with no spectators or patrons’ facilities is tough enough, but without ranking points at stake, the tour would risk losing partner relationships that have often taken years to nurture.

However, one can also surmise that plenty of back room lobbying and horse trading must have gone on to get to this point, and we wonder who benefited.

Grant Wilson, the Sunshine Tour’s COO, who was involved throughout in the technical think-tank set up to deal with the impact of the pandemic on the OWGR, told me he was not aware of any undue pressure from anyone in reaching the decision to reopen the rankings.

You should never shoot the messenger, but the OWGR’s board chair Peter Dawson expressing concern about the “integrity of the rankings” being compromised by remaining closed, with the PGA Tour restarted, would not have endeared him to many non-PGA Tour players more worried about the integrity of their careers.

The furore might also just be a case of the European Tour being selfish — it was the only “no” vote — unless by voting yes the other Tours won for themselves some as yet undeclared advantage.

On the fairways, there is no problem at the top of the rankings, as many of these players are on the PGA Tour full-time. However, what is the likely impact lower down, especially in the rankings between 50 and 100?

The concerns expressed by some players are easy to understand. With only a cursory glance it is easy to see the playing opportunities these ranking positions can offer, with automatic entry to tournaments such as The Masters, Open Championship, and the Players Championship.

The US Open uses the top 60 as its benchmark, while the US PGA Championship references the OWGR when inviting players not qualified through the official criteria used for this event.

Excluding other benefits that might accrue, a player’s position on the OWGR is therefore a big deal for every player.

It still seems odd that our Sunshine Tour would vote contrary to a “partner” tour with which it hosts a number of cosanctioned events, but the tours own the OWGR and voted democratically to reopen the rankings.

Freezing rankings spots for players forced to remain inactive might bring the hoped for levelling effect, if the delays in starting the other tours are not protracted.

Let’s hope the rankings’ damage will be as “limited” as the tours believe and all the professionals are back on the fairways as soon as possible. This happy concurrence will, if nothing else, signal a weakening of the pandemic’s grip on life as we used to know it.