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Wednesday 11 March 2020
PGA Tour dealing with more attention off the course

By DOUG FERGUSON pace of play. So much of it the Premier Golf League, view on Monday when he said. Golf was far less com-
AP Golf Writer emanated from the rights though not entirely, be- was grilled on hypotheti- plicated just three months
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. deal, which gives the tour cause the proposed league cal situations involving the ago.
(AP) — Such is the clamor four major companies in with significant Saudi fund- coronavirus. He quickly The tour had reached
around the PGA Tour that CBS, NBC, ESPN (streaming) ing is geared toward guar- shifted back to the media broad agreements on a
Commissioner Jay Monah- big chunk of the media ne-
an spoke for 45 minutes gotiations.
Tuesday before anyone The Presidents Cup was
mentioned Tiger Woods. about to begin in Austra-
If it's not the proposed Pre- lia. Woods was the play-
mier Golf League, promis- ing captain, coming off a
ing riches to top players record-tying 82nd career
willing to leave the tour, PGA Tour victory, and he
then it's whether the Dell played great at Royal Mel-
Match Play in Texas will still bourne.
be played in two weeks Finally, a question about
because of the coronavirus Woods.
outbreak, and what that A large photo of him was
means for the rest of the on a wall to the right of
season. where Monahan spoke,
Patrick Reed can't seem and he was asked how de-
to make it through a tour- pendent the tour was on
nament without someone him playing.
heckling him over his sand- That was one of the easier
scraping incident in the Ba- questions.
hamas. "Not only does it make
Another player, Scott an impact on golf fans, it
Piercy, lost two contract reaches all tentacles of the
endorsements last week for sports marketplace world-
a social media post mock- Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the 15th green during the third wide," Monahan said.
ing Pete Buttiegieg's sexual round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament, Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. It was a big deal when
Associated Press
orientation. Woods said his back was
Those were among the top- and Discovery (direct-to- anteed money regardless rights deal and thanked not quite ready because
ics in a week that began consumer for international of how a player performs. the hosts for having him on. he has only played twice
with the tour announcing markets) and raises the rev- Even if the league doesn't The immediate future of this year, and Woods has
a new nine-year media enue from such a deal by get off the ground — and golf and the virus is com- been saying that he'll be
rights deal said to be worth some 70%. there doesn't appear to be plicated because the PGA playing less instead of
just over $7 billion and ends That eventually trickles much momentum — the Tour runs six circuits — three more. Monahan shared a
with the winner of The Play- down to the players. How chatter now is how the tour based in the U.S., one each story from Ben Crane, who
ers Championship getting much remains to be seen, can look after its stars. in Canada, Latin America once said Woods inspired
a record $2.7 million. though Monahan refer- Monahan said he was "en- and China — and thus it kids who were involved
As for Woods? He's not enced the $15 million purse couraged by the response becomes a "market-to- in other sports to switch
playing this week — the at The Players — the richest that our players have had market" situation. to golf. And now Woods
fourth straight week he is in golf history — and said, in our discussions." The China tour already has is effectively competing
sitting out — which raises "I see us getting to $25 mil- He was equally vague on postponed the start of its against the athletes he cre-
a mixture of mystery and lion, and I see that certainly the other seven questions season. ated. "So his presence is
concern over the status of through the term (of the related to the league, in- The World Golf Champi- here, literally, even if he's
his health. rights deal), if not earlier in cluding whether players onships event in Austin, not here playing the tour-
Monahan already has the term." who joined would no lon- Texas, is in two weeks. And nament," he said. "And the
enough on his plate. He also suggested the $70 ger be part of the PGA while the South by South- way I look at Tiger is that will
Perhaps it's no small won- million bonus structure — Tour. west film festival has been always be the case.
der he began his news $60 million from the FedEx "If we got to that point in canceled, the Dell Match His legacy is something that
conference by referencing Cup postseason, $10 mil- time, we would take mea- Play attendance is much will always be celebrated
his first year as commission- lion from the Wyndham sures to vigilantly protect smaller, spread out over an the next 30, 40, 50 years, or
er in 2017 and the questions Rewards for the regular this business model," he entire golf course and "we in perpetuity."And 50 years
he faced that ranged from season — could top $100 said. feel like we have support to from now, other problems
the next television deal to million. Monahan had a brusque continue to move forward will arise. Those will be some-
the lucrative FedEx Cup to That would seem to counter ending to a CNBC inter- with the event," Monahan one else's headaches.q
House asks comptroller general to study minor leagues

WASHINGTON (AP) — The The bill calls on the comp- Leagues, which governs not held at major league Idaho Republican.
House of Representatives troller general to "evaluate the minors, are negotiat- training complexes. MLB and the minors last
by voice vote approved the social, economic, and ing a Professional Baseball The current PBA guaran- met Feb. 20, and talks are
legislation Tuesday to have historic contributions that Agreement to replace the tees a minimum 160 affilia- expected to continue into
the comptroller general of minor league baseball has deal that expires after this tions. the summer. The majors al-
the U.S. study baseball's mi- made to American life and season. MLB's proposal "Baseball has a major eco- ready have unilaterally an-
nor leagues, which are try- culture." would drop the big league nomic and social impact nounced increases in the
ing to fend off a contrac- Major League Baseball affiliation of 42 minor in communities such as my pay of players with minor
tion proposal from major and the National Associa- league teams and elimi- hometown of Idaho Falls," league contracts starting in
league clubs. tion of Professional Baseball nate short-season leagues said Rep. Mike Simpson, an 2021.q