European Tour - Inferiority complex

First topic message reminder :

I remember George O'Grady at Wentworth 2011 posing for photos with anyone with a camera beside the 4 current major winners - McDowell, Oosthuizen, Kaymer & Schwartzel and thinking - why do this? There were numerous dinners and all these players followed the likes of Shaun Micheel & Todd Hamilton as European tour "Life" members.

It's not as if any of the 4 named above were playing more than half their yearly events on theET anyway, and their Major victories would only ensure they joined the PGA Tour Full time. It's as if O'Grady was trying to tell the world that the European Tour was producing all the world's best golfers- maybe he was trying to convince himself that the ET was close to challenging the PGA Tour??

One thing's for sure, you won't see Tim Finchem posing with Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Phil Mick & Jason Duffner later this year saying "Look,we have all 4 majors".

Current Ryder Cup Captain McGinley perfectly manifests this inferiority complex with this Ryder Cup obsession of his. The man is a walking sound bite, rattling on already about the "pride" "courage" etc etc. The Ryder Cup really tells us Nothing about which is the stronger/better tour...that will be the PGA Tour (probably) always. Seeing McGinley & Watson at the "one year to go" event yesterday was nauseating, McGinley once again rabbiting on about Ian Poulter "giving us a pulse" at Medinah and comparing the comeback to AC Milan Liverpool in 2005.

Looking at McGinley & Watson - it kind of typified the 2 tours - you had a true great of the game in Watson on one side and a guy with a mediocre career on the other side, someone who would probably never have made the team if today's qualification criteria were in place - holing "the winning putt at a Ryder cup" as he loves telling us, while sounding like a massive achievement to the ill informed does not enhance anyone's CV in my opinion. You holed an 8 footer for Par to halve a singles match with Jim Furyk, that's what it was.

The European obsession with the Ryder Cup, when,in my opinion, there are many greater events held during the year has soured the event for me - it should be a celebration of 2 golfing continents - none of the Major prizes in golf are at stake - go out and play your best,but don't pretend this is the pinnacle of your careers.......................................

Some good and valid points JC but a bit ranty too to be fair. As far as McGinley goes, I can see why he gets on your nerves. But I think he deserves his shot at RC captain. It seems to have been a goal of his for a long time and personnally I like the way went about things to get there. He effectively served an apprenticeship like no other RC captain has before(and I mean guys like Torrance, James, even Gallacher who were never top players imo). He captained Seve Trophies, Asia Trophies even when there was very little interest from Europe's best. He served as RC vice-captain twice and by all accounts didn't just pose for the cameras in a golf cart with a cigar and a walkie-talkie. And I disagree about him not qualifying for teams as a player under today's criteria. He fought tooth and nail and qualified for 3 RCs under the same rules as everyone else at the time. BUT I do find him a bit annoying in interviews in that he just seems a bit too media savvy and slick.

Mclaren maybe there's something up with your illegal internet sky sports stream? McGinley is a lot of things but he's certainly not an idiot.

JAS's point was that it already DOES hold events on classic courses, all it's missing is the prize money to encourage more top players to play it.

These guys play golf to make the best living possible, not to tick off their Doak Course book.

As for it being boring viewing, have you watched a PGA transmission lately? It's intolerable, even though the golf quality is generally good.

super, you can endure the lousy PGAT coverage because it's the best players. But yeah, ET coverage is far superior.

One thing is prize money on the ET, another equally important factor is the tax system in most of NW Europe.

I would really like to see more classic courses on any tour. Having been involved (to a minor degree to be sure) in helping execute a PGA event at our course (classic design) there's some massive logistical issues that not all classic courses (owned by private club members) would ever agree to. That said, surely with all the fantastic courses around London (where significant crowds are assured) there must be some eager candidates. I'll suggest St. George's Hill for starters!

And, as Mac alludes to, who cares about the number they post? The USGA took one of the finest courses in the world (Merion) and amped it up (took away 8 acres of fairway and moved tee boxes to some ridiculous positions) so they could "protect" par. Don't think that needed to be done.

(BTW in NO way suggesting Rose wasn't a very worthy winner at that event ... he was clinical and really something to watch that final day.)

Interesting post that I agree with to a degree. The RC is a great event and while I love watching it just because McGinley holed a putt for a half does not put him anywhere near the realms of players who have won a major or WGC.

But one big thing is that it is very important to remind the world that the ET tour exists and produces some good golfers.

As said repeatedly above money is the issue but put yourself in the shoes of a top pro. The US offers more money, more ranking points to get you into the big events, less travel, somewhere warm to live and practice and a low tax system to boot.

Given the choice I would rather hop around Europe if the money was similar and buy a place in Southern Spain for winter practice but the reality is that you are jetting halfway round the world which presumable costs more and you see you family less because of it.

Until Europe comes out of the downturn and the sponsors step up I cannot see this changing but hopefully it will at some stage and offer a realistic alternative.

Aruglia wrote:Mclaren maybe there's something up with your illegal internet sky sports stream? McGinley is a lot of things but he's certainly not an idiot.

Having personally met the guy on a couple of occasions, he certainly has a very high opinion of himself, you'd think y was a 5 time major winner. I think it's fair to say he's made the most out of his career. And strangely enough he seemed a really nice guy, until a certain putt changed all of that.

I have always thought Mcginley seemed like a nice guy, its hard to tell just from TV though. He doesnt seem to be in the David Howell nice guy range though. He comes across as the nicest guy in golf.

Thought GOld was talking about Mac for a moment.

Ha no super, actually I reckon mac would be great to have a few drinks with.

goldwolf wrote:Having personally met the guy on a couple of occasions, he certainly has a very high opinion of himself, you'd think y was a 5 time major winner. I think it's fair to say he's made the most out of his career. And strangely enough he seemed a really nice guy, until a certain putt changed all of that.

I never said he wasn't a d***.  I don't doubt you for second. Though I'd say most tour pros are similar in that respect. Except of course David Howell. I really, really hope he is as nice as he seems.  Not enough lads like that around.  

I think you're right, maybe you have to have that trait to make it in pro sport, Howell the exception. I was a bit harsh earlier, but I've seen the before and after fame version, and the before was much more grounded and likeable, for me at least.