Running 2020 PGA Tour thread

Random question from someone who has a pretty loose following of golf.

Since they are both just shameless ways to make money, why do people give a shit about the Ryder Cup but no one seems to care about the President's Cup?

People decry a bad Ryder's Cup performance like it actually means something in the story of someone's career (it doesn't unless they haven't done another fucking thing in the sport, which likely they have because they would have made the team otherwise), but a bad President's Cup performance is treated like the non-story is it.

 

This is pretty much spot-on.

 

The Ryder Cup was pretty much irrelevant well into the 80s until Seve and the Euros started winning and it became an even fight. When Jack conceded that putt to Jacklin, the US had already dominated for 50+ yrs, not a big deal. Do it in 2020? Now then it’s a huge deal.

Spot on, Presidents Cup means zilch because no history. It’s like “since Bobby gets a bike, Mikey (rest of world) should get one too “.

 

No one cared any more about the Ryder Cup before the 1980s than they do about the Presidents Cup now, because the U.S. dominated. Then they let continental Europe in the mix, which brought in Seve and the rest of the Spanish Armada (Olazabal, Sergio), Langer and various Swedes.
As is the case with American fans, they don't care about something until they're getting their asses whipped (see Ryder Cup, 1972 Olympic basketball, America's Cup).
I've talked to old-school PGA Tour stars and they said they hung out with the Great Britain/Ireland Ryder Cup players the week of the event more than their their teammates. TV networks had to be begged to give them two hours on Saturday and Sunday.
The Presidents Cup probably would have gained quicker acceptance if the early stars such as Norman, Price, Vijay and Ernie had been followed with a young crop of stars who were just as good from those countries. Except for Adam Scott, Jason Day (who's always hurt or ill) and maybe Oosthuizen, there's been a bit of talent gap, with no true superstar coming out of those areas to form a strong Prez Cup team.

 

The Tour has every right to promote the Players as it sees fit. Since there is no governing body of golf that has ever decreed that the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA and Open Championship are the accepted majors (it's been players and the traditional golf media that has carried that banner), who's to say? When Bobby Jones was in his prime, it was the U.S. and Open, and the U.S. and Open Amateurs.
Are you trying to tell me Augusta National doesn't promote the Masters (ESPN starts running commercials during bowl season, and that has to be with the blessing of the club)? That the USGA doesn't promote the U.S. Open (they got the fat FOX contract)?
This is America. If you make a product or provide a service, you're allowed to market it and let it rise or fall based on demand. The Players has usually had the richest purse in golf (the US Open has been competing with them in recent years), with the best top-to-bottom field (no amateurs, no local and sectional qualifiers, no lifetime champions (they get five years), attendance has been up for years and NBC/Golf Channel does everything it can to hold onto it.
The only reason it isn't a major is that Tiger hasn't said so.

 

I think among rank-and-file golfers, who let's face it are what golf fans all are, the Players status is as the most important tournament after the majors and has been for some time. Which is not chopped liver by any means. The Ryder Cup was a pure afterthought until Europe started winning its share. That's what it would take for the Presidents Cup to matter to anyone as well.

 

Didn’t The Players announce it was going to have video of every shot from every player next year?

 

A service The Players also has.