Time for Reform: Changing the Majors
I'm not a golf purist. I'm a hack on the course. But I know what's a good idea when I see one. And I think it will soon be time to change the 4 Majors in men's golf. Why? With the world competitors from Europe, South Africa, Asia, and Australia, there will no way that the U.S. can justify having a monopoly on 3 of the 4 Majors. In tennis, the U.S. Open is the only major in the U.S., with the French, Wimbledon, and Australian Opens. For golf, I don't think we have to go that far, but I think the U.S. should only have 2 Majors. Here's what I propose.
1. Masters - permanent Major
2. U.S. Open and PGA Championship - combined Major or rotating Majors
3. British Open
4. International Open - rotating among other countries that bid the most money and with the best golf courses
7 Comments:
I don't know who decides whether a tournament is a "Major," but I think there's no way the USGA and the PGA are ever going to agree to combining or rotating their tournaments.
Recently, though, the PGA Championship has blurred into a US Open style tournament, so your suggestion is not so crazy.
The Japanese would love this. Eventually, there will be a bigger golf market in Asia than in the U.S.
You are so high I can't even imagine which drugs you're taking!
Rotate the U.S. Open and the PGA CHampionship? Which governing body -- the United States Golf Association or the PGA of America -- will acquiesce first?
As for the International Open -- hello, there already is one! David Howell won it in Germany back in August.
Maybe we should wait until an Asian player actually wins an existing major before we start assigning a new one to them!
The points about the US Open and PGA not wanting to go along with this are well taken. I expected that. But mulligan makes an excellent point. There's so much overlap between the 2 tournaments today.
My point is what is better for the promotion of golf around the world. I have absolutely no doubt that if there were a Major tournament in Asia that it would attract more TV viewers than the US. Just get on a plane and visit Asia. That anonymous comment is right on target.
The Majors already are international championships. But you're right that there are too many Majors, and the first to go should be the snoozefest known as the PGA Championship. It's totally redundant of the US Open which, because it takes place at the height of the golf season, is about 5 times more exciting. The Players Championship or Pebble Beach have more prestige than the PGA, so someone ought to take the PGA Champ out back and shoot it.
I like your idea. Is there a way to bring the Canadian Open into play?
Just found thiw site on the way to something else. This topic caught my eye and this is one sleeping dog I cannot let lie. Simply put, there is nothing to reform. The term "Major" is jsut that, a term. The media and the players deem these 4 to be the biggest events in golf. When Bobby Jones won the Grand Slam, they were the US & British Amateur & Open. That changed as the Masters and PGA grew in prominence. The British and US Amateur remain to this day, and both Tiger and Jack Nicklaus consider their US victories to be "majors" and I am not inclined to argue with either man. So you find whatever set of 4, 6 or 13 tournaments you think are the coolest and call them majors. It will have no bearing whatever on the money or Ryder Cup points awarded.
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