Golf's Power Shifting From U.S. to Europe; PGA Tour Feeling the Heat

The Europeans' recent domination of men's professional golf in 2010 is going be an ongoing topic heading into next season.

You know the reasons. England's Lee Westwood is the world's new No. 1. The Europeans have seven of the world's top 11 players compared to four Americans. Europe won the Ryder Cup. Young stars Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Martin Kaymer of Germany are declining to play full time in the U.S. next year, committing to the European Tour.

More and more Americans are making appearances overseas -- at the expense of PGA Tour events.

"The golf courses and the tournaments and the players on the European Tour are definitely catching up to us," admitted PGA Tour veteran Billy Mayfair.

In golf's big picture, could that be a good thing?

Hall of Famer Greg Norman, who has proven to know a lot about business success, believes it.

"I think it's great for golf, to tell you the truth," Norman said. "When I was overseas and all this was taking place with the change in the No. 1 player in the world and the Europeans winning the Ryder Cup, I thought, you know, this is just the shot in the arm that the game of golf needs."

Golf has seen similar shifts before. The Americans owned the world game with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino. Europe followed with Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam, to hold an upper hand in the 1980s and early '90s. Then the American regained control.

"Now it's swinging back again," Norman said.

What's interesting, however, is how many of the young Americans see the power shift.

Or, actually, how they do not see it.

"I can't speak for anybody else, but for me personally, I see them as people," Bubba Watson said. "I don't see them as Europeans or from other countries. I just see them as golfers.

"Some guys beat me, who cares where they're from. I'm from Baghad, Fla,. Nobody is around going, 'You're from a weird place,' you know. So I just see it as some great golfers beat me no matter where they come from."

If Norman's predictions are true, Watson might be wise to pay just a bit more attention.

While visiting China recently, Norman was asked to address the Tourism and Golf Forum.

"They want 30 million golfers in China in the next years, and there's three million now," Norman said. "When you think there's 24, 25 million golfers in the United States and it's been that number for decades and decades, imagine when China comes online in 20 years down the line.

"And then when China comes online, you've already got the Koreans doing extremely well. The development of the game of golf in Malaysia and Indonesia and Vietnam and Cambodia, to a degree, is just starting to skyrocket. And then you bring in India.

"So you got pretty much 50 percent of the world's population just starting to get into the game of golf. So when you start looking out into the future, it's extremely healthy. "

TOUR TELEVISION

The PGA Tour's television contracts expire after the 2011 season, meaning negotiations will be ongoing throughout much of this year.

The networks are eager to find creative ways to enhance golf on television. Among the ideas are adding on-course interviews or even asking different players to wear a live microphone.

"I don't think it's at all a function of the quality of the telecast. I think candidly, all three of our partners have done a much better job as the years have gone by, and I think they have got it down. I think if you want to watch golf, they do a great job."
-- PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem on golf telecasts But PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem seems to believe golf on TV is just fine the way it is.

"Well, I think that it is appealing on television," he said. "I think that the challenges we have are promoting what we have effectively.

"I don't think it's at all a function of the quality of the telecast. I think candidly, all three of our partners have done a much better job as the years have gone by, and I think they have got it down. I think if you want to watch golf, they do a great job."

Finchem blamed last year's Winter Olympics and the continued television growth of the NFL for taking away some potential TV viewers, but sees no problem with how the game is delivered.

"We particularly like the technological aspect, the high-tech aspects that have been added the last three or four years," he said. "We like the way virtually all of our partners are trying to get the story lines out about players.

"Tougher to do when Tiger is playing really well, because he does eat up a lot of the interest and time. But in this last year when he didn't play early in the year and then in '08, it opened up the opportunity to get some of these other stories told, which is important to our future."

WIE'S WAIT CONTINUES

What is it now, about 42 years that Michelle Wie has been playing golf?

No, actually she only turned 21 several months ago, but golf has been waiting so long for her to live up to self-proclaimed expectations that it only seems like she's ready for retirement.

But the wait continues.

Wie did win her first LPGA event this year, but it didn't open the floodgates. She ended this season tied for fifth in the Dubai Ladies Masters in the United Arab Emirates.

After a history of wrist problems, Wie was nursing a sore back, making you wonder if her career will always be a struggle.

"I just didn't feel as healthy as I wanted to this year," she said. "I feel like I've been struggling with a lot of injuries this year, so one of my main goals for next year is to be healthy and to be strong and to be able to try and show my best ability."

WATSON, FOWLER IN THE SPIRIT

A tip of the golf visor to Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler.

During last week's Shark Shootout in Naples, Fla., the players dressed up in Santa outfits and tossed out loads of candy canes to the crowd.

Watson had the idea to don the suits. The two warmed up on the driving range Sunday morning in the full Santa gear, then, after completing their round of competition, came out of the scoring area again in costume, tossing out more than 200 candy canes.

Watson said they toyed with the idea of playing an entire hole in the Santa suits.

"We didn't want to embarrass ourselves," Watson said. "We were already embarrassed because we were dead last, so we were trying to play a little better."

POINT/COUNTER-POINT

FACT:

One year after finishing outside the top 125 for the first time since his rookie season in 1996, Australia's Stuart Appleby was named 2010 PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. Appleby earned the award via a vote by his fellow competitors following a season that included a historic final-round 59 en route to victory at the Greenbrier Classic.

OBSERVATION:

Appleby fought his way back from a year of simply playing lousy. Shouldn't Comeback Player of the Years have to overcome something besides themselves?

WESTWOOD SOARS

There's a good story making the rounds on Lee Westwood, definitely the most unassuming world No. 1 in, well, at least 281 weeks.

It seems Westwood was on a flight from Shanghai to England when a flight attendant, who knew nothing about golf, inquired about his tan.

"Playing a bit of golf," he said.

The woman then asked, "Are you any good?"

It seems Westwood wasn't sure what to say, but eventually offered a smile and responded, "Yes, I'm the best in the world."

DRY HUMOR

The Europeans are still getting a good laugh over the U.S. Ryder Cup team's ill-fated rain suits that didn't repel water during competition in Wales this fall.

Euro team captain Colin Montgomerie recently weighed in with another opinion on what went wrong.

Monty thinks the problem started when U.S. captain Corey Pavin put names across the back of each player's jacket.

"It was a shame for them and a pity -- I'm still glad it happened! -- but by the time you have done that you have put a lot of holes in them," Monty said. "That made them non-waterproof. The guarantee went flying out of the window. We were prepared, but they came to Wales ill-prepared. It did help us, no question, and it did hinder them."