JT, Las Vegas And The Tour

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I pen a Golf World Monday item on what appears to be the flatlining relationship between Justin Timberlake and the PGA Tour stop in Las Vegas. 

"JT" is understandably losing interest in trying to prop up one of the worst dates on the Tour schedule, which arrives in early fall because, as you may recall, certain big names wanted the PGA Tour season to end earlier so they could make huge money in Asia recharge their batteries.

The primary side effect of giving a select few what they wanted has been a playoff system competing against the early weeks of the NFL and college seasons, U.S. Open tennis and baseball's playoff drive. That the BMW Championship draws a paltry 1.0 and the current scheduling structure is deemed a success seems a tad frightening.

In all the hoopla over the new TV deal, no one has discussed that a PGA Tour schedule extended just two or three more weeks stands a better chance of drawing improved ratings and more attention. Such a tweak would also force the tour to take better advantage of what should be a premier stop on their schedule: Las Vegas.

"The Hill" is one of thethe PGA Tour's more impressive hospitality and party spots.Not all agree, as the Las Vegas Journal-Reviews' Ed Graney slammed Timberlake while suggesting the 29-year-old tournament director is a more important asset to the event.

For all his star power, Timberlake has done little to paint the big picture of what this event means. He puts on an annual concert during tournament week that benefits the hospitals, always a great thing, but his involvement beyond that has been minimal at best.

We like to poke fun at Timberlake being late for the few minutes he actually addresses the media each year and for the predictable enablers who cater to his every whim and shoo away legitimate photographers not interested in taking his picture in the first place, but such facts speak to Timberlake's lack of outward passion about being here.

He isn't fooling anyone. He's not that good an actor.

In Timberlake's four years here, you can make the argument that the most-followed celebrity at a midweek pro-am was Amanda Beard in 2008, and not for her golfing skills. Timberlake has not come close to drawing on his fame in a way the Shriners had hoped. The truth? It would be best if the sides parted ways now, because this event doesn't need Timberlake to land in the spring as part of the FedEx series.

While Graney is correct to highlight the tournament operations (it's another event PGA Tour Championship Management could learn from), to cast aside one of the world's most popular and hip celebrities would be a colossal mistake.