GAUGUSTA, GA — This year’s Masters is feeling different. It’s serene. Easy going. more content than the previous year.
Compared to the first Masters of the LIV Golf Era, the second Masters is noticeably less angsty. The continuous split between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has hardly been discussed. (With all due respect to the DP World Tour, the third actor in this arrangement.) Maybe that’s because there are rumors that talks are still going on, or at least that the concept of negotiations is. That’s the term. ongoing. The course is in mint condition, the flowers are in bloom, and the sun is high in the sky, so this week should have a different vibe. additionally in the future. and ideally indefinitely.
There will be some latent angst among pros until the 2020s golf wars are resolved. Whether it is voiced or not is entirely up to them. Let’s introduce Sergio Garcia. Garcia got up on one of the interview pedestals outside the Augusta National clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon to have a quick conversation with the media. This week, dozens upon dozens of players have accomplished it. He responded to questions for seven minutes in Spanish and then for six minutes in English, spending most of the latter part of the exchange in a one-on-one interview with Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir.
Garcia pointed directly at a media member when asked if he thought the elite players in the game needed to come together and called it a divide.primarily an invention of the media.
Garcia stated, “I believe the game is in a perfect spot.” Perhaps the professional game is a little more secluded, primarily due to the media rather than the players themselves. However, I believe that the game is in a fantastic place.
“I think it’s fantastic that we are the ones playing the game the most, but people need to understand that we are not the game’s future. The game’s future does not belong to us. No, not me or Rory. Not the future is in us. We are the game’s present.
As of right now, Garcia will face Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy just once this year. Sure, this week, but after that, who knows? Although he may define perfection differently, the outcome of a split at the top of the sport does not put it in a “great spot.” On the one hand, this week’s competition is just an invitational group of players. However, it’s also the best marketing tool available to the sport.
Weir put pressure on Garcia to think about the implications of a polarized niche sport. Could it be that golf isn’t widely enough to be competitive at the highest levels?
Garcia stated, “It goes without saying that everyone benefits from greater togetherness.” “That is beyond dispute. There is space for everyone, though. That is not at all problematic, in my opinion.
In the same way that I enjoy watching La Liga and Real Madrid, you enjoy watching your team in the [English] Premiership. Anyone can support whoever they have, and there are many people who are willing to do so.
Garcia must have been thinking about the Champions League. Real Madrid, his favorite team, is a La Liga team and was just hours away from taking on Manchester City, the Premier League’s reigning team. These are two of the world’s top three football teams. Although they don’t play each other frequently, they both frequently participate in the Champions League, whose 2023 championship match attracted an absurd 450 million viewers across all platforms.
As Garcia points out, the reason La Liga and the English Premier League are able to maintain such independent viewerships is due to a combination of factors including regionalized fandom and the sizeable global TV audience. If golf had 450 million viewers worldwide, it could also break up into smaller markets and the industry wouldn’t have to worry about the value of upcoming TV deals that support the competitions in which players like Garcia participate. Viewership is high on the list of problems facing the sport because of concerning reports from the start of the PGA Tour season. Ask Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters.
During his yearly press conference, Ridley stated, “If you look at the data this year, golf viewers are down on linear television while other sports, some other sports are up.” In order for you to make your own judgments. It is undoubtedly not beneficial that the world’s top players are not getting together very frequently. I’m not sure whether there is a direct causal effect. However, I believe that more frequent time spent together would be very beneficial.
When it comes to conclusions, Garcia obviously has his own. To his credit, he shared them with grace and good humor. He exuded confidence and resolve. He has the right to hold the views he does, and they are his. But not all comparisons are as straightforward as he believes.
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