It's Christmas Eve and it's tough to mention we have had some thing akin to an off season in the golfing world but. Although some players have not played lots inside the previous couple of weeks -- or months, in a few instances -- this week is the closest factor to an off season we're going to see this 12 months. The PGA Tour resumes subsequent week with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions (2014 January 3).
Like so among the adjustments we have seen this year, it's difficult to predict what effect this may in the long run have on the excursions. Sunday I posted about how globehopping is already affecting the tours. In that publish I mentioned a publish the Constructivist had published. Since then he's published approximately how Momoko Ueda has decided to go away the LPGA and cognizance at the JLPGA and, in a incredibly associated post, about how Lydia Ko is leaving the best trainer she's ever had because of distance concerns.
But since the golf tours never really stop anymore, how are players going to deal with it? Think about what the GC commentators said about the former "Fall Series" events becoming the first official events of the new season: More of the good players will have to play them to keep from falling behind in FedExCup points. For the best players -- Tiger, Phil, Adam, etc. -- this isn't a real concern because they play at such a high level at the big events that they'll get plenty of points. Just look at what "semi-retired" Steve Stricker did in the 2013 season if you need proof.
But for the other less-consistent players on the tours, they'll have to play more... or at least feel like they have to.
And you will also do not forget that some of the brand new card participants -- the gamers who used to play these fall occasions -- could not even get into the fields this time. Their fame wasn't high sufficient to u.S. The ones "senior" excursion gamers who wanted to get that head start on the FedExCup. That's a troubling state of affairs that already exists in just the primary year of this new wraparound season.
But once you create a international tour that bounces back and forth throughout the globe, then stretch it out so there is no time to relaxation, players are going to take time to relaxation whether the tours adore it or now not.
I have speculated in past posts that we're going to end up with a de facto world tour, whether it's officially sanctioned or not. This could be what finally creates it -- what actually creates two tours, in fact, whether the official tours like it or not. The big names will play a select few monster events -- majors, WGCs, TPC, and a few invitationals -- while the rest of the rank and file players fill the fields at the "lesser" events. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out in the coming years.
But, at least for the time being, everybody can take this one week off. I wonder how long that will last?
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