Thinking the world of the PGA Championship



Love him or hate him, without Tiger Woods the PGA tour just doesn’t have the same sizzle. In fact, in the lead up to last week's PGA Championship, Woods’ former caddy carried much higher name recognition than the kid, Keegan Bradley, who actually won the final major of the year.

Anyways, feel good story for Bradley, feel bad story for CBS and the PGA Tour. Ratings were down 14%. He is the first American to win a major since Phil Mickelson at the 2010 Masters, and the latest in a series of no-name, probably one-hit wonders (What’s a Charl Schwartzel again?).
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There’s a poetic construction of golf’s major tournaments. With the use of soft music, Jim Nantz’s voice and pictures of flowers and green grass, the Masters ushers it spring. It also is the tournament with the most tradition, and since the course does not change year-to-year, provides an interesting set to watch the game evolve. The US Open epitomizes the ideal of the United States. It is played at our most beautiful courses from sea to shining sea, it is the most competitive, both with its brutal rough and pool table greens, and its deep field that any American who swings the wrenches can hope to join. It is free-market capitalism over 72 holes. The British Open ties back to the roots of golf in Great Britian. Terrible weather, links-style courses, the Claret jug. And then the PGA Championship comes, and is last.

Being the last Major can draw significant interest if a player is going for the Grand Slam. But with the parity we’re witnessing now, the PGA is just US Open Lite that comes right before the NFL kicks off.
Can’t we do more with the last major than just having it last?

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The answer is in the winners of the last few majors. Before Bradley, an unknown from New England, the previous three winners of the PGA were Martin Kaymer, Germany, Y.E. Yang, South Korea, and Padraig Harrington, Ireland. Professional golf is an international sport more than ever, just look to the Ryder Cup results for proof, but there is hardly any recognition of this in the sport’s highest honors, except for the President’s cup.

Why don’t we make the PGA Championship the world’s major, and rotate it through Europe, Africa, Asia and South America – bringing the game to the world, but more importantly, making the event must-see and memorable? Instead of saying: did you see that kid Bradley win the PGA, the question would become: “Did you see that kid from Boston beat Angel Cabrera in Argentina?!” Now that would be compelling.

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There’s obvious problems with this: the PGA is the Professional Golfers Association of America, and I know they would be unwilling to give up the crown jewel of their organization, but there is an opportunity to realize the influence the world is having on professional golf and have the Majors reflect it. Golf tournaments already happen around the world, this is golf's ability to give an Olympic, or World Cup, feel to its sport, and truly round out the yearly circuit. It's what Bill Belichick would do.

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