Walk-Up Music And Presidents Cup Testing Grounds Are Not Enough: Zurich Classic Format Needs Tweaking
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While I certainly agree with my colleague Dan Kilbridge’s view that the two-man team format for the Zurich Classic remains a welcomed addition to the schedule and must be protected, the alternate-shot golf is pretty deadly stuff. Particularly on a Sunday when fans want excitement.
He writes:
Watching the teammate dominos fall is a huge part of the Zurich Classic’s appeal in the days and weeks leading up. Dissecting the pairings and eventually their chosen walk-up music might be more intriguing than the actual golf.
International Presidents Cup team captain Ernie Els even introduced the idea of treating it as a chance to prep for the December matches at Royal Melbourne, with international players staying at the same hotel and bonding after-hours. Jason Day and Adam Scott played together for the first time, but that experiment ended early in a missed cut.
When you need excruciatingly painful exercises like walk-up music—executed better this year, slightly—and December Presidents Cup testing grounds, something is amiss.
I’d start by making the foursomes play modified, with each player hitting a tee shot. Or, if the purity is just that important to someone, then back to Thursday-Saturday rounds. To finish on a Sunday with a format that is about making the fewest mistakes instead of what is the most fun to watch, once again announces to fans that the PGA Tour was not thinking of you. Or if they were, they believed you like watching hard-earned pars being made.
And this…
