The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Golf Sixes worth a try – Tee to green
One thing we’ve learned about Keith Pelley in his first full year as European Tour chief executive is that he’s a persistent sort. The diminutive and flamboyant tour boss is absolutely determined that he can find a reduced format of golf that will chime with people who currently are walking away from the game to cheaper, less time consuming and more aerobic pastimes like cycling.
The latest attempt will be Golf Sixes, a new two-day tournament to be held in May with two-man national teams competing in greensomes over six holes.
It’s a mix of the formats examined by the Tour so far, the World Super 6 event being held in Perth in Australia this week, and the knockabout novelty event they held prior to the British Masters last autumn.
The pyrotechnics, loud music featured and “stadium seating” there are to be replicated in this event, it seems. The national element adds a bit of spice and perhaps is aimed at the many people who seem wistful for the old Dunhill Cup.
More tut-tutting from the “purists” is assured. Personally if this kind of format can stand comfortably alongside the full version of the game, like cricket’s 20-20 does with test and county cricket, then what is there to be lost?
Pelley is unashamedly targeting what he calls “the millennial demographic”, and unquestionably the game here needs to get those people involved in some sort of golf.
“We are in the entertainment content business with golf as our platform and GolfSixes is the perfect illustration of that,” he added, in full marketing-speak.
I’m not going to decry any form of attempting to get people back to golf but perhaps the key elements of this new format are timing and prize money.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence the Tour waited until now, the end of the Desert Swing and the Maybank Challenge, to unveil Golf Sixes.
The Tour’s about to enter a spell of events with severely reduced prize funds lasting all the way up until the BMW PGA Championship, the first of the new Rolex Series.
The Tour’s main men are going to be missing at this time. And to be honest, despite the entry format for Golf Sixes indicating that the top ranked player from each country will choose his partner, I don’t see many of the top stars being prepared to turn out for a total prize fund of just £850,000.
It’s the week after the new WGC in Mexico, and just a couple of weeks before the Arnold Palmer Invitational – which is going to be an emotional stop this year – and then the WGC Match Play event in Austin. Hard to imagine a top-ranked field with prize money less than £1 million. But hopefully the variety of the format will attract crowds and maybe a title sponsor that will carry it forward.
Star quality at last
First Sergio in Dubai, then Jordan at Pebble Beach. Our hearfelt longing for star quality in this fledgling season has been rewarded.
Spieth cantered to victory in the historic old PGA Tour event where the course is set up for pro-am players, so like with the Dunhill Links you can’t really project a full tournament performance out of it.
Sure enough, it seems Jordan’s putting stats were actually a little down on his norm, it was his relentless tee to green game that made the event such a cakewalk. If he can do that most weeks, his ability on the greens makes him potentially every bit as effective as he was in 2015.
But it seems the major change is mental. In 2016 Jordan looked agitated on the course, something I have no doubt contributed to his infamous Masters meltdown. Following up 2015 was a huge part of that. The pressure is now gone and he looks refreshed, and rededicated.
And it was great last week to see him taking a stand against the racket of adult autograph hunters on tour.
These lowlifes crowd signing areas, pushing kids out of the way in order to get signed merchandise to sell on ebay. Jordan castigated them in person, did it again in interviews and now won’t sign for anyone but kids. Good for him. Too many golfers just won’t get involved in issues that require them to take a stand.
Is Tiger at the endgame?
Tiger Woods’ decision to pull out of the two remaining events of his comeback – and set no date for a return from his back spasm trouble – really puts him back to square one.
In one respect we should be cautious; he probably tried to do too much off the re-start gun.
But the “interview” released last week with former R&A CEO Peter Dawson (which was really an advert for golf in Dubai) did have him admitting that he doesn’t feels 100% and apparently reckons he never will.
Even at two months distance, he’s struggling for Augusta now. And if he doesn’t go there, why bother anywhere else?
He hosts the Genesis Open in Los Angeles this week and may give us some more subtle clues about his future.
It’s no coincidence the Tour waited until now to unveil Golf Sixes