Sponsor Slams Tours For Overscheduling

It's rare to read a major sponsor in golf criticizing the tours, but as Bernie McGuire reports, Omega's Stephen Urquhart makes it clear he didn't care for the World Cup's value proposition.

"The big problem with golf at present is a calendar issue and we've told all the Tours that they have to stop being so greedy," Urquhart told reporters. "There are too many tournaments and they are adding tournaments all the time.

"And to treat Asia as the stopgap as they do with this week's World Cup is not right. It's wrong and the Tours are not going to win if they keep treating Asia as a stopgap. They need to show Asia more respect.

"Why can't there be a big event like the World Cup here in Asia in June. What's the difference in taking a flight from London to Beijing or London to Los Angeles?

"This is the mentality of the Tours and it is not right."

I'm not entirely sure what his beef is, since many of the added events take place in Asia and there are some who would like to see a little more care given to existing, longtime events in established markets before rushing to faraway spots. Also, it's ultimately the sponsors who have to say no if they don't care to go to places like Mission Hills, which the story goes on to explain, Urquhart is no fan of.

Incidentally, Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar won the event in impressive fashion. The first U.S. win since Tiger Woods and David Duval teed up 11 years ago.