Hey, Kobe! I'm open!
One of the many disappointments of Tiger Woods missing the next several tournaments is that we won't get to see a rematch of last year's Tiger Woods-Michael Jordan pairing that filled grandstands during the Wachovia pro-am as if it were a major and included gems like Jordan's mock fist-pump.
But really, is there any weirder event in pro sports than the pro-am?
I see the entertainment appeal of Bill Murray teeing it up with PGA Tour stars, and I get that pro-ams make a lot of money for the Tour, but Phil Mickelson playing with a couple of rich locals the Wednesday before a tournament is just bizarre. Imagine if Kobe Bryant had to play two-on-two with some fans before a Lakers game, or if the NFL asked Brett Favre to throw passes to a Green Bay bank president in a touch-football game at Lambeau Field.
Not that I'm against them—pro-ams are a good reminder that the pre-corporate Tour was more like a traveling carnival than the sober, solemn grind that plays out on my TV each weekend. But one thing is clear: a lot of pros don’t like playing in them. Watch the pros' faces as their amateur partners tee off: some of them could be extras in Day of the Living Dead.
So what do you think? Ban the pro-am and let players prepare for the main event, or save the pro-am as a vestige of a more laid-back (and maybe more fun) PGA Tour? Join the debate below.
(Photo: Chuck Burton/AP)
Posted by: JP | May 3, 2008 2:12:30 PM
Nearly everybody has to do something they don't like in order to keep their job. For some, it's keeping the books, for others it's data entry or some other kind of mind-numbing task. Apparently for some, the task they are forced to do is walk 18 holes with someone who not only has paid to keep them company, but also is providing revenue that keeps their salaries like they want them if they win. Pardon me while I place my tongue firmly in my cheek and say that I hope I never have to work a job where I have to play golf to guarantee me a chance at a several thousand dollar bonus on my paycheck at the end of the week!
Posted by: SF | May 2, 2008 2:34:12 PM
Being involved in a PGA TOUR event, it would be easy to eliminate the Pro-AM if the TOUR players agreed to a purse reduction of approximately $1,000,000. Otherwise, it would be difficult to capture that revenue elsewhere. Also, the Pro-Am(s) are what make the PGA TOUR unique among professional sports. The players may complain some. Then again, it gives them something to laugh about with their buddies.
Posted by: DWS | May 2, 2008 11:48:59 AM
The TOUR should just get rid of the Pro-Ams--quite clearly, the pros detest them. And I don't blame them. But the events help charity, so I think they should be done this way: Why not have the pros spend 1 1/2 hours on the range with three guys and hit balls, chip, and putt. To me, the small tips, shooting the breeze, and watching the pros up close would more than make up being embarrassed on the course--after all, it's just the range, right?
The pros would like to spend less time waiting for us scrappers to play, they would get some practice in, and overall, it would be a less painful experience for those involved.
Posted by: MSS | May 2, 2008 9:19:36 AM
Nobody wants to see 50 something guys making 6's & 7's, which is probably why they don't televise the Pro-Am, even on the Golf Channel. But, the Tour better be careful, if the ads for Viagra, Cialis and high-end automobiles on Saturday and Sunday telecasts are any indication of the TV audience, then the only people watching the tour on weekends are probably guys in their 50's and higher, who make 6's & 7's.
Posted by: ray | May 1, 2008 8:53:54 PM
Want to put smiles on the Pro's face during a pro-am? Hand them a check at the end of Wednesday's match. Line their pockets some more. Here Phil, here's a check for $5000....not bad for spending a few hours with some hackers.
Posted by: Paul | May 1, 2008 10:15:28 AM
I would like the pro-ams if they were more open. I know they are a way to make money and no pro really wants to play with a 25 handicap beginner. My problem is what is fun about a bunch of guys rich enough to play anywhere they want paying to play with pros? Cut it to a few tournaments a year and generate interest in the game by having play-in tournaments. Local qualifiers for the pro-am would draw a lot of people and a small entry fee would make up some lost revenue. It would also put better golfers in the pro-ams. I'm also all for rotating who plays so that the pros don't get burned out on them.
Posted by: DJ | Apr 30, 2008 2:50:51 PM
Look, I have no pity for pampered, wealthy TOUR players but I get where they are coming from. I say cut the Pro-Ams down to maybe half of the Tour events, while keeping the Bob Hope and Pebble Beach events as they are. Make up the money by charging more to participate in them. If fewer local fat cats decide to play because of the increased fee, then maybe that's a few less Tour players that have to play that particular week. The Tour can rotate the Pros so that throughout the season all of them play as close to equally as possible. Plus, nobody goes to the Tour event on Wednesday to see some fat, bald 50 year old guy shoot 6's and 7's on every single hole. C'mon...