CBSSports.com staffers Steve Elling and Ross Devonport, who hail from both sides of the Atlantic, toss around insight and insults relating to the scattershot world of golf.
Aussie veteran Robert Allenby, a veteran of the U.S. and European tours, says the talent might be deeper on the European Tour these days. Do you buy it?
ELLING: I was all set this week to rag on Rob for his latest perceived slip of the tongue when it turned out that he might be dead right after all. Allenby, who caused a ruckus when he all but called Anthony Kim an undisciplined drunkard at the Presidents Cup, said last week at the Race to Dubai that the difference between the firepower on the U.S. and Euro tours is pretty darned slim. "Look at the Race to Dubai, these are flawless golfers," he said. "Europe's got just as good golfers as America, no doubt about it. Maybe better." Don't laugh out of pure instinct. This week, for the first time in the 23-year history of the official world rankings, six Europeans are ranked in the top 10. Granted, this stuff is ridiculously cyclical -- a slew of top Yanks stopped playing weeks ago and American players held six of the top 10 slots in August -- but it's a landmark week abroad nonetheless. The top three slots are still occupied by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker, however.
DEVONPORT: I don't know if the talent is necessarily deeper, but the European players certainly grow up playing tougher courses over there, where they actually let the rough grow a little and you're penalized for wayward shots. It just seems like most of the courses on this side of the pond -- except at the majors -- are just too forgiving. I know birdies are fun to watch, but I think young players, especially Americans, would be better off testing themselves on the varied courses of the European Tour instead of just plodding around the Nationwide Tour and the cookie cutter layouts they seem to play on a week-to-week basis. But back to Allenby's point. I think the European Tour's top 30 or so guys are a little better than the PGA Tour's, but I think the American circuit is more talented from top to bottom. The available facilities, weather and teaching over here certainly helps those marginal guys who might not have got the chance to be pros over in Europe.
With nine weeks left before the tournament is staged, it's looking increasingly likely that the former Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines will be staged without a title sponsor. What's it say when one of the top tournaments in the game can't find a company to slap its name on the marquee?
ELLING: Of all the financial water under the bridge, this development seems the most alarming. The list of attributes that the Torrey tourney has to offer is unbelievable. It's one of golf's most scenic locales, a former major-championship venue situated in the nation's most temperate city. Tiger Woods has won seven pro events at Torrey, including the U.S. Open last year. It's a Pacific Rim city, which should have appealed to the Asian sponsors that were wooed. Phil Mickelson usually plays his first event of the year at Torrey and he seems ready for a monster year. It generates solid TV ratings and draws a good field. Shoot, I'm stunned that a sponsor of an existing event hasn't demanded to switch, taking over at Torrey instead. More than anything, this demonstrates that the economic demand and the PGA Tour's asking price for sponsors are out of kilter. Wait until the network TV contracts are up for renewal and negotiation. Think the broadcast rights will command the same dollar figure the next time around?
DEVONPORT: I just wonder exactly how much the PGA Tour is asking for this sponsorship. Maybe they see all these positive things that you talk about, Steve, and think they can still get the world for Torrey Pines. I wouldn't be too worried yet though, as the folks in PVB will surely start bringing the price down once they start panicking in December. It's all about fair market value in the end. Yes, having your company's name on a golf tournament is a nice and prestigious thing, but in this day and age the price, just has to be right no matter what the sponsorship opportunity is. Maybe we can come up with a competitive bid, Steve? The Elling and Devonport Open? Or how about we just shorten it to the ED Open? I mean, you can never have enough ED sponsors on the PGA Tour, right? Maybe Lee Westwood can jump in after his big haul last week in Dubai? And surely there's still some Ponzi scheming fool out there who hasn't been caught yet ...
At long last, the Race to Dubai finale is being held this week on the European Tour. Has it validated the buzz it generated when it was first launched?
ELLING: There was plenty about it to enjoy, right down to the smallest details, like the caddies wearing Polo shirts with numbers on the sleeves denoting where their player stood on the money list entering the week. It was the richest week in E-Tour history, even with the 25 percent rollback because of the lagging economy. Four players had a shot at winning the overall bonus for topping the money list. The golf course wasn't great, but it was serviceable. And the right guy won -- English veteran Lee Westwood played the best golf of his considerable career and buried everybody with a record 64 in the final round. Unlike the FedEx Cup points race on the PGA Tour, it's hard to envision many tweaks in the format down the road. There's nothing hard about keeping track of the money list and giving a bonus at the end to the guys who finished with the most cash, is there? There's a subtle brilliance about it. About the only downsides are the state of affairs in Dubai, which is hardly the tour's fault, and the fact that fewer U.S. players than expected participated as E-tour members. It rated a solid B-plus grade in its first year.
DEVONPORT: I've been knee-deep in Fantasy Football and Fantasy Hockey over the last couple of months, so golf has taken a backseat of late, to be honest. But I did read a few clips about the 2009 debut of the race, and the feedback seemed to be pretty positive across the board. It's just a nice, simple system that featured a one-tournament finale in one of the world's richest places. The whole thing makes the drawn-out FedEx Cup process look like some kind of advanced calculus problem. While Dubai is cool and all, and the 'Race to England' doesn't quite have the same ring to it, I'd really like to see the last tournament played in Western Europe down the road at some point. I know the sponsorship deal dictates things at the moment, but it doesn't seem fair to take the excitement of the final event hours away from where the core of the tour's fans live.
