Build A J.W. Marriott, And They Will Come

Richard Elliott analyzes the Tour's relationship with San Antonio, including prospects of the Texas Open moving to the spring when the 36-hole TPC facility is complete. As always, the Tour's priorities have little to do with the quality of the courses...

In January, when he announced the makeover of the tour landscape, Finchem assured officials with the historic tournament and its sponsor that the completion of the TPC at San Antonio would be the catalyst for a likely move from the tour's lesser-regarded Fall Series to a prime position in the spring launch of the annual FedEx Cup.

Even this week, PGA officials have spoken with confidence of the bright future of San Antonio, thanks to a Tournament Players Club that, unlike models opened in recent years near Dallas and New Orleans, is projected to become a focal point for the tour activity west of the Mississippi.

The tour views the San Antonio project as similar to those in Scottsdale and Sawgrass, built for championship golf but complemented by luxury hotel accommodations.

"Most other courses," one tour official said Thursday, "don't have a J.W. Marriott sitting next to them."