"If this plan does go through...there will be some interesting fallout."
/Bob Harig notes the pros and cons of the PGA Tour going to a virtual year-round schedule and highlights the irony of top players wanting a shorter season, yet now face a longer one in the name of growth.
If the plan that was presented to the players last week in San Diego is ratified by the PGA Tour's policy board, the 2014 season would actually begin just a few weeks after the 2013 Tour Championship. The Frys.com Open in California would likely be the launching point, with the current Fall Series events becoming part of the start to the new year as opposed to the end of the old one.
That doesn't exactly solve the football dilemma, does it? The Fall Series events are broadcast on cable, meaning the purses are less and the television fees are smaller. They have mostly been viewed as a place to provide playing opportunities for those still trying to keep their tour cards or improve their position on the money list or world rankings. The big names, typically, stay away.
Going forward, these tournaments would offer FedEx Cup points.
I wonder how much players and sponsors have thought about the ramifications of a year-round PGA Tour schedule?
The West Coast swing is almost assuredly going to be diminished as players have to take a break at some point (and why not do it in January and February when the weather's less kind?).
And there's the question of PGA Tour golf never going off the radar. Every other sport goes away for a period of time and allows everyone involved--players, sponsors, coaches, fans--to get refreshed for a new season. It's hard to see how pushing the FedExCup and the PGA Tour year-round will get more people watching, especially as a longer schedule could mean even fewer events when top players get together.