Avery Brundage, the former president and CEO of the International Olympic Committee, believed that sport should be amateur and that professional sports were entertainment. It was one of Brundage’s less hateful views, but support has dissipated over the years, not just in the Olympic movement. Even though the idea that a sport can be sullied if it is played for money doesn’t have much support in the USGA or R&A, there is still a debate within the golf community about the gray zone that separates worthy competition from trivial entertainment.
Golf is tilting towards the latter this week, at least in the United States. For example, the QBE Shootout was once associated with Brundage’s disregard for human suffering under his stewardship. This year’s field will feature Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda, continuing a tradition of women competing alongside men at the team event. The 2024 Shootout will have more mixed teams. This is a nod towards the J.C. Penney Classic, and not its roots as a marketing tool for Greg Norman’s machismo.
The Match is another event created for TV. It takes place on the weekend of the Shootout. The spectacle of Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods playing 12 holes under the lights against Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth is also a lighthearted affair. However, Phil Mickelson might not be amused.
The Match and the Shootout provide a relaxed respite from professional golf’s most stressful week. They also offer sustenance for fans who don’t care a whit about the World Cup away or the Texans’ woes at home. We’ve seen something different this week, and will see again at the PNC Championship. It is very different from the norm in every way. This is a light dessert that doesn’t leave a lasting impression, but it makes a nice ending to a substantial meal. This time of the year is known as the “silly season” because it’s a celebration of such events.
The ability to distinguish silly from serious is relevant when it comes to LIV Golf, which as a tour aggressively markets itself as entertainment-forward. LIV Golf is not for everyone. However, LIV has a few fans who enjoy the spectacle of swaggering jocks and teams of near-arthritic nerds. In the name of entertainment, the performative vulgarities can be excused. However, this does not excuse the money or its sportswashing intentions. It is not the pretending to be serious golfers who are engaged in serious competition.
What they play for is legacy or laughter. That’s what makes athletes and entertainers different. This is why you won’t find many children wearing basketball shirts with the names of Hi-Rise Hinton, Dragon Taylor or any other Harlem Globetrotters player.
The PGA Tour was suspicious of The Match’s potential diluted product. This was akin in some ways to a Michelin-starred chef opposing a Dunkin Donuts being opened down the street. Over the years, the Tour has lost its grip and is now open to entertaining its fans beyond the confines of its tournaments.
Like the new Netflix series on Tour life. Insiders claim that the show has a significant change from Ponte Vedra’s heavy-handed image control. TGL, a stadium-based idea that McIlroy and Woods are spearheading, will launch in 2024 and promises to end the winter’s gloom. TGL could be a game changer in golf’s perception that it is a sport that exists only from Thursday through Sunday.
There are many other things that the Tour can do to help achieve this end. Plenty of events would benefit from adding entertainment-oriented components early in the week before action gets underway, especially in the era of elevated stops that leave poorer relations looking for any marketing leverage they can muster. The next dispensation should see Tuesdays on Tour become experimental nights and days.
The Match and various acronymic ventures (QBE/PNC/TGL) show in different ways that golf entertainment can transcend traditional norms regarding formats and time slots. This allows for meaningful competition to continue without compromising on quality. Importantly, entertainment can be provided independent of terrorist regimes or their aides.
