Finchem, O'Grady and their bottom lines (Ooops!)

I know, that title sounds a bit funny, but I couldn't think of anything else...

In order to save the integrity of the poor Italian Open thread, I decided to start a new one dedicated to this emerging topic.
I thought I'd have a look at how the European Tour and the PGA Tour have performed over the past two years from a pure business point of view.
So, I've been crunching some numbers over the past hour or so using the financial details publicly available on the two official websites and I have to say, the results are quite fascinating... Some pointers first:
- I looked basically at the total prize funds accumulated by the two tours in 2011 and 2012
- for the reminder of 2012 I used the projected figures given on the two tour websites
- for the reminder of 2012, to convert some of the prize funds on European Tour from $ into €, I used a €/$ exchange rate of 1.28
- I included all the tournaments on the two official schedules, except the 4 majors and the 3/4 WGCs which are the same for both tours

So here are the main results:

PGA Tour (CEO: Tim Finchem)

- Total prize fund in 2011: $231,500,000
- Total prize fund in 2012: $232,500,000
- Prize fund increase (2012-2011): $1,000,000
- Prize fund increase in %: +0.43%

European Tour (CEO: George O'Grady)

- Total prize fund in 2011: €87,614,154
- Total prize fund in 2012: €88,345,528
- Prize fund increase (2012-2011): €731,374 (or $936,159 at the current €/$ rate)
- Prize fund increase in %: +0.83%

So, the bottom line, of their bottom lines, is that O'Grady's 2012 result is twice as good as Finchem's!!! Surprised?!
Obviously the fat purse Asian events added this year are more than covering the losses from losing those few European tournaments we've been talking about.

Interesting also to note that if Valderama would've survived, O'Grady's 'total fund increase' would've been 4.26%, or 10x bigger than Finchem's, so no surprize to hear O'Grady sounding so frustrated today...

This is by no means an attempt to save O'Grady's face, as his 'contribution' to the future of the European Tour remains questionable from many other points of view, but if I was just a shareholder in EuropeanTour Co., I probably wouldn't necessarily rush to kick him out just yet...

Interesting question and comparison.

Is there some kind of profitability analysis of the tours publicly available and is cash the appropriate measure of success for a collection of sporting events (I can't offer anything better though).

I would guess the ET could be argued to have performed better as it has expanded on the OP methodology despite ostensibly having a (perceived) contracting of the talent pool with "top" ET players declaring allegiance to the PGA on (at least) a dual membership.

This is no doubt a pretty basic and imperfect way to compare the profitability of their businesses, but as you say, can't think of anything better as these are the only figures publicly available.

There are obviously many variables in all this (many of them would probably work in Finchem's favour):
- additional income from ticket sales (PGAT has much larger crowds than ET)
- running costs (I'd imagine the logistics and cost of running a tour spread on 4 continents would be much higher than running it in one country, albeit a pretty big one like the US)
- tax differences
- exchange rate fluctuations
- etc...

EDIT: Forgot to add CEO's salary to that list of variables (don't think that would work in Finchem's advantage though)...

Copied from the Italian open thread;

McLaren wrote:Thanks for the responses kwini and pedro.

The crazy thing is that marketing is probably the only perceptible difference between the PGAT and European tours. Yes the top ten in the world probably play some more spectacular golf and they play the PGAT more often, but after that for the viewer things pretty much look the same in terms of quality of golf being played. it is the feeling you get watching it that differs.

If you could somehow remove the inherent PGAT OWGR points bias - which is nothing more than a feeling I have - the stats which measure golfing skill would probably be very similar for your average PGAT and European tour events.

I accept the PGAT has the advantage of being able to award more ranking points and therefore an easier sell that you are watching the very best. But maybe the euro tour needs to do more in order to convince the viewer they are watching something special. After all, what is the PGAT slogan: "these guys are good".

There are more events on the PGAT where I feel like I am watching an "occasion", whereas with european tour you feel like you are watching the equivalent of model aeroplane building.

Thanks for putting this up prince, some interesting numbers from you as always.


I guess one way you could look at it if you were a euro tour shareholder would be to say "why is the total prize fund of the PGAT more than two times that of the EuroT?"

Although I have often wondered about the business model for pro golf an never really been able to work it out.

At an event level is there any profit to be made? Or are the all loss making and put down as marketing expense by someone?

Who organizes a tournament in the first place? I doubt it is the clubs so who is it. Would it be the sponsor who approach the PGAT or are the PGAT constantly badgering companies to cough up in order to hold events?

You could change your moniker to "Airfix" Mac . . . . . . .

Very superficially, I think one thing the PGA Tour offers that golfers like is great courses (OK, not all of them) and superior conditioning (almost always). Plus $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Would imagine that most of O'Grady's cash advances come from third-party markets rather than Europe.

I guess if we compare prize money vs. owgr points offered, the difference btw the ET and PGAT might not look so big, or?

Anyone fancy working out each tours $'s per OWGR point offered?

I have that one almost covered, but will post the results tomorrow...

Good stuff PD.

Thanks pd.

And for the sake of the discussion, it could be interesting to see the numbers cleansed/corrected of the minimum points subsidy (24) so heavily used on the ET. In that way you would have a more accurate measure of how "easy" it would be to earn one € or $ on the respective tour. (but not sure if that can be figured out easily, as I guess you'd have to go through each field).

As of Sept 12, 2012, all of the OWGR top 20 are members of the PGAT. Seven of the top 20 are members of the EuroT.

The highest ranked player non PGAT member only is #23 Peter Hanson, and I believe he is joining the US Tour in 2013. I think Martin Kaymer is planning to join the PGATour as well.

The Strength of Fields for Euro Tournaments are trending downwards and IMO, will continue to fall.

Oi!, Prince.

Where is the promised stats we are waiting on?

Forgot about it... So the numbers promissed yesterday:

The $/owgr point ratio for the winners on the two tours in 2011:
(2012 is not complete yet)

PGA Tour: ~21000
European Tour: ~ 13400 (similar to a major)

So, to keep it simple, you can remember the following:

- ET/PGAT total prize fund ratio is approx. 1:2
- ET/PGAT dollar/owgr point ratio is approx. 2:3

Thanks pd.
Assuming the points and money breakdown are similar on the two tours, it's about 33% easier to earn one $ on the PgaTour than on the ET. And taxes are lower.

These are very interesting figures, thanks for sharing.

I would be curious to see what the past 20 year growth numbers have been for both tours.

Regardless of % increases, here's the bottom line: The top golfers from around the globe are supporting the PGAT over all other tours, combined. This gives the US tour a huge advantage to attract advertisers (the foundation upon which ALL this built) and garnish some long term commitments.

As I've mentioned before (and if you speak to any journeyman pro I suspect you'll get the same thought) ... chasing a little white ball for a living is HARD. Of course, the player will gravitate towards the highest potential reward with the least amount of hassle. Competing on the US tour is hard, but the trappings are first class, you traverse time zones, not continents.

As reported in Global Golf Post a few weeks ago, Paul Casey said the membership is desperate for a road map. " What we need is a 5 year plan and a 10 year plan." Keith Walters (International Director of Operations) was quoted as saying "The trouble is that all the international companies are telling us they have budgets for the emerging markets, but not for Europe."

The more homogeneous US market delivers eager advertisers, whereas the Euro advertisers don't have the comparable need.

It was interesting to listen to Paul Azinger's weekly podcast with Jaime Diaz talking about course set-up for Medinah.
One of the comments that Zinger made is that European players are more multi-dimensional golfers than US golfers; there are some good examples obviously, links vs target for one.
But this was in regard to setting up the green complexes, Zinger encouraging Davis to grow thick, juicy rough around Medinah's greens.

So, "homogenous" can describe the quality of the golfers as well as the cultural environment but so long as there's next-to-no initiative to redistribute WGC's etc, the playing field will always be tilted westwards tho' clearly that won't bother those Tour pros who won't dust off their passport for anything other than six-figure appearance fees.

Paul Casey needs a five-year plan for Paul Casey - diminishing returns these past 24 months.

I think the European Tour possibly needs to get weaker before it rebounds, but I'm sure it WILL rebound, and top golfers returning from PGA Tour soirees will be one of the reasons; Casey and Karlsson for instance among the top golfers in the world two years ago, potentially with little or no PGA Tour standing unless they're successful via Q-School.
There have obviously been others whose experiences have been miserable but are top players by any standard, Jeev Milkha and Anders Hansen among the more recent to have to use their return ticket.
Grass-is-greener Europeans will find the PGA Tour unforgiving as well as homogenous . . . . . . !

Silly Paul.

Boy, that old "US pros don't get the ground game" is a baseless argument.

The best golfers -- regardless of their "home" tour -- pretty much flush the ball and have all the shots.

When the likes of Hamilton and Curtis, who didn't sniff the blue coated privilege that Monty and all his supposed Order of Merit "Links Skill" had have both hoisted the Claret Jug -- and Monty has as many Open Championships as I do ... well, that's good enough for me.

Quality of golfers, multi-dimensional - spare me. It's not like Simon Dyson is showing the US tour journeyman how to play the shots.

Here's what I would suggest the Euro tour do: Increase their purses and play in Europe.

Azinger's observation, not mine, and the change in the introduction of rough to Augusta National often cited, by American pundits, as a prime reason for lack of recent success by Europeans in The Masters.
Though Rory, for one, will offer a counter-argument sooner rather than later.

Doesn't this mean a better chance of a decent living for the journeyman pro in Europe if all the European superstars are playing on the PGA tour?

SR, I believe that most golfers do have the shots, but I think Europeans are better golfers in inclement weather. Look how often Woods has pretty much thrown in the towel at the first sign of wind. His Open wins have come in perfect weather on easy courses, but he's been distinctly average at other times when the wind blows.
I don't remember any American's winning recently when the weather was bad for more than 1 round.

Kwin - I don't think it's the change in rough to Augusta National that stopped the Europeans. Plenty of rough laden courses on the US tour (in majors and otherwise) and lots of Euro victories.

Super - I have no idea or even point on view on that. I will, however, state with anecdotal but very direct experience that this American (and my traveling buddies) had plenty of difficulty in the wind and rain on Irish and UK courses. (Some long evenings the night before didn't help I'm sure.)

Sr,
I'm talking in this case about fairway rough, and punditry trying to explain why Europeans won eleven Masters in a 20-year period at a time:
~When they won precisely zero US Open or PGA Championship titles.
~Before the so-called Tiger-proofing of Augusta National began.

Again, I'm talking about the conclusions of American journos not mine though, Westwood apart, Europeans haven't had much of a sniff at The Masters since 1999.

PS: Hamilton American by birth, but not by experience, Curtis a good player but as lucky a Major Champion as we've seen in recent history (Cink and Ogilvy run him close).

And I do concur with super_ that "target" golfers tend to go awol in bad weather . . . . . .

A mate of mine went from playing links golf and Scottish weather to playing American college target golf. From shooting level par to 5 or 6 under in two weeks. Golfers have similar ability at that level, but conditions and course set up really determine what you are able to consistently shoot. I doubt a similarly skilled American kid would be able to come the other way and play as well in such difficult conditions that we have.

I meet a lot of yanks at st.Andrews and watch them pull out a wedge for 130 yard shots. No matter how often you tell them they just don't get the ball doesn't travel like in America and very little concept of shipping low or putting from off the green.

Kwin -

But, again, if Azinger is so convinced about the one-dimensional US professionals, the success of the US players at the most non target of all majors (the Open Championship) flies in the face of that.

I assume the 11 wins in 20 years you are referring to was from 1980 to 2000. In that same period, the Open Championship was won by 10 Americans, 6 Europeans, 4 other.

Odd that the Europeans didn't dominate there like they did at Augusta.

Super - Great golfers adjust - it doesn't matter where a player is from. Once the experience in course and conditions are similar, you'll see similar results. If your mate is indeed a +5 on US courses, a US based +5 would, I'm sure, match him on links and related courses in short order.

SR, that's what kwini is saying I think. Most of the time when the weather is fair links golf isn't remotely difficult, hence lots of American winners, but get the wind up a bit and then you get Lawrie, Harrington and Clarke winning because they are better than their colonial underlings in poor conditions.

Super -

Not a conclusion I would draw.

Over the course of the long run, Mssrs Clarke, Harrington and Lawrie have had plenty of chances to flex their muscles in more bad weather tournaments than the Opens they've won, but have hardly been dominant.

And what of super OoM star Monty? He's cut from the same imperial cloth, but where's his dominance in that same tournament? Plenty of starts, plenty of inclement weather. Did he only lose to Europeans then?

I love it when an American-originated stereotype is disputed - by Americans!

For the record, Zinger also said that he'd advise Love to make the fairways as wide open as possible, presumably because he felt (as in 2008 at Valhalla with JB Holmes and Perry) that grip it and rip it was the path to victory.

Not sure he's seen Colsaerts play of course. And Rory seems to be trumping any preconception led by Bubba and Dustin.

Montgomerie's game was never suited to links golf, much more of an American game, ironically, hence his better Major performances at the US Open and PGA.

And no-one would deny Watson's prowess . . . . there will be exceptions to every stereotype!

SR, I'm not making am argument out of it, just an observation. From what I've seen American Golfers aren't as used to bad weather demonstrated in their most celebrated golfer being hopeless in wind on tough courses (hilarious for me though) and it seldom is bad at the Open.
As for Monty, he's about as Scottish as bonnie prince charlie, I.e not at all.

What I have see though is that a scratch European golfer would be about +2 or +3 in north America.

I tend to agree with sr. Lately, PGA at Kiawah also illustrated that.

Kwin - Maybe some better finishes in majors for Monty stateside, but no wins here in all those starts? Yet, so many wins in Europe? I could not state his game is built better for "American" golf. (Although I'll admit the more I play in the US, the less I can pinpoint an American golf style.)

Monty not at all Scottish? What is he then, a world citizen?

More bad news for the European Tour. Andalucia Masters cancelled. But, as the ET bottoms out, I'm certain it will rise again.

Well, Monty didn't play many run-of-the-mill events - almost all his starts were in Majors where even the harshest critic should admit he fared rather well, WGC's which started a bit late for his prime and Florida's Bermuda greens.
Growing up in Yorkshire, college in Texas with a hybrid accent. Scottish by birth, heritage and residence but not in much of his formative golfing development.

Anyway, agree that, although things may get worse before they get better, they WILL get better for the ET, and - as suggested elsewhere - quite possibly with the help of Europeans disaffected by their PGA Tour experiences.

Kiwini

I think Monty’s dad was captain of Troon or some other high ranking position. Monty certainly played a lot of golf at Troon as a young man.

Not sure post war results in the open point to the British or the Europeans being better able to handle links conditions, whatever the weather conditions.



Back to the European tour, the only option I see is to accept it is by far a second rate tour and to get on with the implications of that realisation.

Maybe a tour with smaller prize funds but contested on some more interesting courses would be the way forward? I really don’t see why it would ever try and compete with PGAT through silly endeavours like the race to Dubai? Where I believe the winner now receives a £25 American golf voucher. A little less than the original $10million pot.

Monty's father was club secretary at Royal Troon. I'm sure he had some nice access privileges to that championship course.

Until the ET figures out how to get significant advertisers to fund their events, their growth strategy may be limited to European players fed up (read unsuccessful) with the US Tour. That simple.

they need to get barry hearn involved! fireworks when someone gets an eagle & every player walks on to the first tee to his own song!

Mac,
Monty's Dad was a business executive in Yorkshire way before he decamped to Troon - that's where he grew up (Leeds or Ilkley, not sure exactly), manufactured his accent, fell in love with himself and was the birthplace of his verbal incontinence. Was hardly hitting 140-yard three irons into a howling gale.

No problems with the R2D, though O'Grady should have realised that, whereas oil might be subjected to supply and demand forces, Coca-Cola never will be! Bad timing more than bad judgement I would say.

hend0,
Think Pablo Larazabal would embrace your Barry Hearn idea . . . . . . .

i didnt see much of the italian open yesterday but i did see a bit of Pablo. telling the crowd to stop talking about his bad shot was hillarious and then when hacking out of the trees he hit a few practise swings 10 yards away from ball and then walked up to it and hit it so fast it was as if he didnt even stop- ala happy gilmore!

Kwini

I have heard Monty talk about playing troon when he was in his teens, how often I am not sure. Not that it matters as I don’t think the conditions you play in growing up have any bearing on whether you can win the open.

Mental strength for example is a lot more important, and cannot be learned in the same way playing in the wind can be. Especially when you are already a great ball striker.

I don’t really have that much of an issue with the R2d2 other than it now looks like a failed attempt to copy what finchem has done with the fedex. When your flagship idea starts to falter I don’t suppose it instils huge amounts of confidence in potential investors/sponsors. Which again comes back to one of my original points, the European tour is missing that little bit of a special feeling which would attract more money and viewers.

I also want to know who bothers to watch European tour golf on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon when many other sports are on TV or you could be out having some fun? At least the PGAT is on at a time where it does not interfere with your other activities or interests.

McLaren wrote:Kwini

I also want to know who bothers to watch European tour golf on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon when many other sports are on TV or you could be out having some fun? At least the PGAT is on at a time where it does not interfere with your other activities or interests.

Mac they both finish at roughly the same "local time" when events are on in mainland europe. not sure what your point is?

hend

As in, there is no way I am watching golf on sunday before 8pm, which is around the time the PGAT starts (or at least when the leaders get going). It would feel like a real waste of a weekend to be watching some event with about 2 players from the top 100 play some dreadfully boring course.

yeah the way it turns out it is hard to justify giving up your sat or sun afternoon.
im always more likely to watch the desert swing events when they finish mid morning or lunch time when im back in from my 7am teetime.

Mac, what difference is there watching a European tour event to staying in and watching f1 or football.
You're as guilty of being an armchair sports fan and not getting out and playing as anyone.

Shotrock wrote:Monty's father was club secretary at Royal Troon.

Booked a group from work onto Troon, the day of Charlie & Di's wedding.

I went in to see the Secretary, to check out everything & the first thing he said to me was :

"If I had known it was a public holiday, I wouldn't allowed you on"

No welcome, just abuse.

Now I know where Monty got his smooth patter from.

Luckily the staff at Troon Golf club were not like the Secretary, so we had a great day in the sun.

SetUp,
Sounds like the difference we encountered between the respective Pro shops at Royal St.Georges (looked at us as if we'd just farted) and Princes (couldn't have been more welcoming).