The PGA Tour’s elevated events have been seen as a huge benefit for many golfers – but not everyone. Recently, a major winner threw his opinion in the ring – and made some waves in doing so.
welcome back to golf extra the PGA
tour’s elevated events have been seen as
a huge benefit for many golfers but not
everyone recently a major winner threw
his opinion in the ring and made some
waves in doing so don’t forget to hit
that like button and subscribe for more
videos just like this one now let’s get
right into Stuart sink’s thoughts on the
PGA tour elevated events with the eyes
of the golf world trained on the PGA
live conflict and the resulting changes
coming to the world of professional golf
the PGA Tour has reacted by creating
several elevated events with smaller
star-laden fields and higher purses
while this strategy has been lauded by
many of the top players there remains a
bit of a lack of consensus among the
lower ranking players about its merits
count among those detractors Stuart sink
a major winner in PGA Tour veteran in
recent comments he expressed his
displeasure with the elevated events
saying if I was in the top 50 I would
really like it but I’m not so I don’t
like it unfortunately I do think it’s
probably the right thing to do for golf
fans if all the players play in those
and we get great Fields playing for a
lot of money then it’s great it’s just I
don’t think it serves everybody and PGA
Tour kind of has been about doing the
best for everybody for all the pros and
members he continued to me it’s a little
bit out of balance I understand where it
all came from we had to do something
because we had a competing venture out
there trying to swallow our players up
we had to give our players a reason to
stay so I get it it’s not easy but where
I’m sitting I don’t really love it sink
raises a valid question are elevated
Fields really good for the competitive
Spirit of the game he continued to honor
good finishes with the chance to move up
into these Signature Events I think it’s
good one thing that personally I’m not
for is I played in the first year of the
elevated tournaments there were mostly
full field tournaments with cuts and all
the top players played I thought they
were just absolutely brilliant it’s hard
to convince me and a lot of the players
that aren’t in those fields why being a
small field matters that’s where I stand
on it sink finished his comments by
saying I’m just not convinced why an 80
man field is more Elite than a 156 man
field I don’t get it while there are
certainly golfers against the changes
there are also some for it take Max hom
who is now a star on tour but who was
once relatively unknown he gave his
extended thoughts on the elevated events
in a press conference last spring saying
I love the new changes the product is
important I think it’s easy to frame
these changes as a way to put more money
in the top players Pockets but it has
been made to make it easier and more fun
for the fans he touched on sink’s
criticisms saying I know it’s loow
hanging fruit to jump on oh this is just
a money grab this is to make it better
for the fans it’s a guarantee on who
will be at the vents and leading more on
the more there it is more opportunity
for the top players to battle it out
late on Sunday when you look back at
times of Phil and tiger the two best
players growing up for me watching and
they had like maybe two real battles so
we’re going to have more of that H also
made a good point that this change
affects the non-elevated events and
making them potentially easier to win
the non-designated events are the same
purses with on paper weaker Fields
there’s a lot of room for growth
throughout that you can play your way
into the designated events the part
that’s frustrating and maybe just simply
misunderstood is that if we made these
fields very large in these designated
events it would ruin non-designated
events it would ruin them no one would
play in half of them because it would no
longer fit your schedule hom finished
his comments by saying I think that the
tour’s done a great job of looking into
it seeing that 70 to 80 would be a great
number to cut to make sure that we still
have competitive events that are non-
designated maybe not the top 50 big
names but big names will be keeping the
sponsors and the fans happy with the
parody James Han a fellow PGA Pro
answered homa’s comments in short order
with a very different opinion saying I
mean I hate the changes is I’m going to
say exactly what 99.99% of fans said
about players leaving for the live tour
if our players just said we’re doing
this for the money I would have a lot
more respect for them but how they’re
covering up what they’re doing and
trying to make it a thing about sponsors
and fans and saving opposite field
events I think it’s all Bs Han continued
all the big names that are talking about
this new product if you just came out
and said hey we’re doing this for the
money they want more guaranteed money
this is another way to funnel more money
to the top players in the world World
I’d have a lot more respect for them
right now they’re just covering their
ass and saying everything that the PGA
Tour basically has trained them to say
having taught them to say and try to
make it not about the money when
everyone knows 100% it’s about more
guaranteed money being funneled to the
top players in the world we’ve been
talking about money for the last 2 years
and for them not to say that that’s not
the number one reason while they’re
making these changes it’s very very
hypocritical out of these golfers though
none of them could actually affect
change on the PGA tour advisor board one
that could was Peter Mady melady had
previously made this opposition to the
elevated events known but he eventually
changed his tune in allowing them to go
forward in explaining his decision he
said it was the only way to protect the
little guys if I fought for 120 man
Fields we’re going to end up with eight2
million events on tour and however many
you know 262 million doll events on tour
it just wasn’t good when I saw the
numbers you couldn’t ignore it like you
couldn’t just ignore what the regular
event Fields were going to look like if
designated events had 120 again we don’t
even need to have that good of an
imagination all we need to do is look at
Honda this year and see it obviously got
screwed with the schedule given his
previous stance malau was asked what
kind of reaction he got from his
constituents and fellow PGA Pros to
which he replied probably similar to
what you might see on Twitter but it’s
amazing how quickly like I got guys that
I really thought would firmly hate this
and be like oh oh I get it it’s actually
going to be okay I thought there were
going to be more designated events this
is hard to digest because it’s a big
departure and it seems on the surface
like it’s only good for the big guys and
I just think having given it a week to
sink in this helps not just the big guys
this is going to make this tour stronger
from top to bottom I know people aren’t
going to believe that at first but it
took a lot to change my mind melady
continued I bet guys there might be a
little bit more freaking out because
just on the surface of it you know
taking events that we’ve always played
at 120 or bigger like Travelers and
making them 70 mid 70ish fields on the
surface it can only be taking playing
opportunities away but I think having
been exposed now to the data and seeing
what playing these eight events as small
Fields what that does to the rest of the
events on tour the events that have been
the bread and butter for the middle
third and bottom thirds of the
membership it strengthens and allows
them to thrive in finishing his comments
melady said a couple things that we bet
the whole PGA Tour could get on board
with meaning of course he wanted more
money for everyone about money malau
said I want more of the members to be
able to play 20 million purses like
that’s the whole point of the PGA Tour
to provide opportunities for the
membership to earn the financial rewards
of playing out here so I’m like that’s
our mission why are we even going to
tell 50 guys you don’t get to play in
these $20 million purse events but it
became really clear to me because if we
make those events 120 man Fields they
become the only events they have a
chance to grow on tour will elevated
events in smaller Fields be good or bad
for the PGA Tour will they prevent the
loss of players to live golf it’s an
interesting question but for now all we
can say is time will tell comment with
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