It has been a turbulent start to the PGA Tour season, with a multitude of issues impacting golf’s traditional circuit.
Whether it was slow play at The American Express, an uncompetitive course at The Sentry or broadcasting issues during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, there is a lot for Jay Monahan to consider.
Thankfully, during last week’s Signature Event on the Monterey Peninsula, Rory McIlroy’s impressive two-shot victory demonstrated that the PGA Tour is still an engaging product.
In the midst of the January criticism, two-time major winner Justin Thomas sent a letter to his peers, asking them to be more open to conducting media duties whilst on the course and post-round.
Justin Thomas shares reaction to his PGA Tour letter
Many suggested Thomas‘ plea failed to tackle the prominent issues on the Tour. However, the Louisville-born star believes his letter has been well received by most of his colleagues.
“It’s been good, at least I think. I’ve heard some good things from peers and others,” Thomas said before the first round of the WM Phoenix Open.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I feel like it’s gone well, at least on my end, and hopefully, it’ll kind of start — obviously, this isn’t something that changes overnight, and you see something completely different.
“It’s a big-picture, broad-scale, down-the-road type thing of what we want to see golf look like in five, ten, 15 years, and I think all of us hope it’s in the best place possible and thriving. Who knows, maybe some of those things will do so.”
Do golf fans want to hear more mid-round interviews?
Of course, listening to Thomas, Scheffler, and McIlroy discuss their mid-round performances would be engaging and certainly improve the product.
However, it’s difficult to put Thomas’ plea above the other long-standing problems that need addressing.
First and foremost, Monahan and the PGA Tour hierarchy must address the issue of pace of play. Once golf fans know that a round will last around four hours, more will tune in. The days of six-hour rounds must end.
Furthermore, the PGA Tour must find a way to improve its TV broadcast, particularly in the United States. At times, fans miss out on iconic stretches of golf while commercials take centre stage.
Without addressing these significant issues, viewership for mid-round interviews will be extremely low.
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