Golf’s governing bodies have faced some major decisions regarding their marquee events over the past few months. The PGA of America seems to be under the current spotlight with the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup looming.
After a Monday report from the San Francisco Chronicle indicated the PGA Championship would be played at its original venue, TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, on its new date of Aug. 6-9 but without fans in attendance, focus turns to the Ryder Cup.
One barometer for the event’s fate could be the cancellation of the Warrens Cranberry Festival, annually held in Warrens, Wisconsin, the last weekend in September. As reported by the Associated Press on Wednesday, organizers decided to nix an event that would bring together as many as 45,000 people and 1,300 vendors. (For those wondering, Wisconsin is the No. 1 producer of cranberries in America as well as the No. 1 producer of cheese.)
The Ryder Cup is slated for Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straights in Kohler, Wisconsin. Deeming it a no-fan event is not so easy. Without the fans, players and even captains have asked, can it really be the Ryder Cup? Unfortunately, postponing the Ryder Cup isn’t any easier.
Earlier this month, U.S. captain Steve Stricker said on a Madison, Wisconsin-based radio show that he hoped the event wouldn’t happen without fans, noting “it almost would be a yawner of an event,” if so. He indicated a decision was likely within two to three weeks.
Many factors will go into the decision, from qualifying opportunities for players (the PGA of America announced last week that Stricker would get six captain’s picks this year instead of four) to the financial impact for the PGA of America and PGA Tour (the latter of which reportedly is out millions after propping up some of its canceled tournaments to keep them from going under) to the potential impact on the 2021 Presidents Cup.
The Associated Press reported that top players were surveyed about possible options last week at Colonial. They were asked to prioritize these scenarios: a Ryder Cup this year with no fans, a Ryder Cup with half the fans or a Ryder Cup in 2022. Interestingly, one of the options wasn’t to delay until 2021 and push the Presidents Cup back to ’22, which is what happened the last time the Ryder Cup was postponed due to 9/11.
Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, Nos. 1 and 4 in the world, respectively, are among those who have vocalized the importance of fans.
At this week’s Tour stop at Harbour Town, Webb Simpson, who has appeared on three Ryder Cup teams, also underscored the importance of a Ryder Cup fan presence.
“I feel like fans make the Ryder Cup,” he said. “Now, I would go play, obviously. I would be happy to be on the team, but I think they really do. Unlike any other event, fans make the Ryder Cup.”
Jim Furyk weighed in as a past player and past captain, acknowledging that there were several layers to any question of holding the Ryder Cup without fans.
As Furyk said, it’s strange to play a PGA Tour event with empty galleries and “it would be really strange – I mean, just exponentially at a Ryder Cup,” noting that the atmosphere is what players love about the event.
Furyk also pointed out how many organizations have a stake in the event, and that that must be considered.
“I would need to know more about what it means to the organizations – to the PGA Tour, to the PGA of America, to the European Tour for that matter and European PGA,” he said. “What’s the financial ramifications if we do and we don’t play?”
It seems that is the million-dollar question.
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