Australia’s voice and face of golf Luke Elvy has been asking me to take him through Google+ Hangouts ever since I’ve started doing them, but we kept missing each other because of the 16-hour time difference. Well, we finally connected on Thursday evening and decided to do a test run, which is basically in podcast-like form (the new podcast?). We talk all things golf, including the Day 1 redux of the WGC-Accenture Match Play. Duh.
Tag: World Golf Championships
WGC Goes to SA (for a Price)
With two of the major championships currently held by South Africans, the future is looking bright
Today’s big news is that South Africa has been chosen to host a new World Golf Championship event. Scheduled to take place for the first time in December of 2012, the Tournament of Hope will carry a prize fund of $10m, making it the richest week in world golf. (continue reading…)
Flashback to ’94: McIlroy Suggests a World Golf Tour (See: “Norman, Greg”)
Rory McIlroy tweeted on Thursday morning, “Anyone think a world tour like they have in tennis would be good for golf? I think it would be great for the game.” Which was probably partly prompted by an @reply he received from an ignorant follower, saying, “RT @Reeds19 @McIlroyRory Join the PGA Tour, then you can talk about the next generation. No one respects a European Tour player in the US.” Um, false, and don’t worry, Rory’s aware “a massive majority of people don’t think like that idiot.”
Woods and Chinese Fans: a Budding Love Story
Tiger Woods tips his cap to fans on the 9th hole in Round 2 of the HSBC Champions
SI‘s China correspondent reports from Shanghai that Tiger Woods’ interaction and demeanor toward the shutter-happy Chinese friends has totally changed this year. He’s smiling, acknowledging the crowd (even when he bogeys!) and signing lots of autographs.
PGA Tour Eligibility Changes for HSBC Champions: How Can an Event Count for an Official Win But Not Official Money?
The Tour has revamped some details to the perks of PGA Tour members playing in the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament, which caught my eye because one provision contradicts another.
From PGATour.com’s Round 1 Notebook:
–For 2010 and going forward, the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai will count as an official PGA TOUR victory and offer a three-year exemption on the PGA TOUR – provided it is won by a PGA TOUR member.
–The change is not retroactive, meaning that Phil Mickelson’s win in 2009 does not count toward his official victory total.
–If a non-PGA TOUR member wins the HSBC Champions, he would not receive a PGA TOUR exemption, but he would qualify for the SBS Championship Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
–Prize money from the $7 million purse does NOT, however, count toward the official PGA TOUR money list, even if a PGA TOUR member wins.
GM Already Recovered, Ready to Spend Millions on Tour Sponsorships Again
Tiger Woods' Cadillac Escalade post-Thanksgiving night and fire hydrant accident
There’s a good Tiger Woods joke somewhere in this story. According to Sports Business Journal, General Motors is reportedly in the final stages of negotiations with the PGA Tour to sponsor the World Golf Championship event at Doral and possibly other tournaments.
