LAST WEEKEND WAS was a bit of a limbo week from a golfing point of view.
The week after a big event, particularly a WGC event or a Major, is rarely one to get the juices flowing. Add to that the fact that there is another WGC event this coming week and it’s fairly understandable if you weren’t overly enthused by the Honda Classic.
That said, the field was still pretty strong and there were some interesting storylines worth following. Lee Westwood had the chance to move back to World No 1 if he finished third or better.
From an Irish point of view, we had Graeme McDowell to follow. And in case any of you doubted the overall prestige of the event, a quick look at the past winners sees names like Camillo Villegas, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, YE Yang and Luke Donald, and that’s just since 2005.
Press gang
This column spoke to a leading golf journalist on Saturday, a man who has been going to all the big events in Ireland, Europe and America for a significant number of years. He said that at the US Masters in April there could be 500–600 journalists. Writers who are sent well in advance to provide preview fodder, build-up and hype, and that’s before the event even starts.
On the flip side, I was told, a run-of-the-mill PGA Tour event might only see eight or nine dedicated hacks in the press room over the course of an entire four days of play.
The Honda Classic probably lies somewhere in between. Not only was the field reasonably strong, there was a meaty $5.7million prize pool on offer. Golf’s viewing figures, as well all know, have always relied heavily on Tiger Woods’ presence at the event and the statistics in that regard are staggering.
But this season has already seen a notable improvement in average viewer ratings and since Tiger’s fall from grace almost 18 months ago, a number of others have taken over the mantle in terms of bringing the crowds and viewers. The likes of Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Dustin Jonson, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler have suddenly become the ones people want to watch and read about.
The Wall Street Journal reported recently that “Ratings for mostly early-round PGA Tour coverage on the newly-designated ‘Golf Channel Powered by NBC Sports’ are up 59% this year, even without much help from Tiger Woods. Weekend ratings for NBC’s first Tour event of 2011, last week’s Accenture Match Play Championship, were up 71% over 2010”
Supply and demand
The truth is, we are getting to a point where events like the Honda Classic are well worth watching in their own right, even if they are bookended by two significantly bigger events. Fields have greater strength in depth and the narratives no longer focus around one person. The public is voting with their eyes, as the figures show.
Unfortunately, it’s more likely to be newspaper economics that will decide whether those press rooms begin to fill up again outside of the Majors, but if the demand increases then doesn’t the supply have to as well?
