ORLANDO, Fla. — The Arnold Palmer Invitational may have fewer commercials and extra emphasis on knowledge and player-caddie interactions as a part of a pilot program a key sponsor has endorsed.
As an alternative of Mastercard — the presenting sponsor — having a 30-second business, it’ll get model visibility by varied graphics on the published that present something from the leaderboard to participant factoids and statistics.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan mentioned the transfer is one other response to a “Fan Ahead” survey of some 50,000 individuals who indicated what improvements they wished to see on the published and on the golf course.
That already has led to extra participant interviews in the course of the competitors — referred to as the “stroll and discuss” down the golf green — and displaying fewer pictures with no actual penalties.
The tour mentioned listening to extra conversations between gamers and caddies was one of many high responses within the survey of informal and core followers, together with being introduced extra knowledge over sure pictures.
“We have heard from followers that they need to see extra player-caddie interplay, they need to see extra knowledge, they need to perceive extra knowledge,” he mentioned. “Properly, they are going to get that uninterrupted, they are going to get it unfiltered, and it will give them type of an inside look or inside scoop as to what’s occurring in actual time.
“It is an actual credit score to Mastercard to be fascinated with the presence that they’ve within the broadcast, their business load, and adjusting and doing one thing that offers our followers one thing they are going to actually take pleasure in.”
Monahan mentioned the tour has not but reached out to different event sponsors however that “it may result in extra” relying on the way it goes.
Among the many adjustments this yr, notably within the broadcast, is constructing tales round making the reduce on Friday. Final week within the Cognizant Traditional turned out to be a superb instance when Joe Highsmith made a 5-foot par putt on his remaining gap to make the reduce.
He adopted with a 64-64 weekend to turn out to be the primary participant in 9 years to make the reduce on the quantity and go on to win.
Bay Hill is without doubt one of the three signature occasions with 72-man fields which have a 36-hole reduce. Monahan mentioned there was no dialogue to including a 36-hole reduce to the opposite 5 signature occasions, although he didn’t rule it out.
As for different improvements, Monahan mentioned the Participant Advisory Council (PAC) was to satisfy Tuesday afternoon to debate potential adjustments to the FedEx Cup finale on the Tour Championship.
The tour is a format that features some type of brackets, even when that does not embrace match play. Additionally into account is restoring the Tour Championship as a trophy separate from who wins the FedEx Cup.
It was unclear if the PAC — and in the end the total PGA Tour board — may agree on a change earlier than the Tour Championship the final week in August.
“I can not say if it is completely going to occur, nevertheless it’s a purpose,” Monahan mentioned. “We will make it possible for the strikes that we’re making reply to followers, that the gamers themselves imagine in and have advocated for, earlier than we make any change. That is why that is in all probability an extended course of than you’d have imagined it being.”
He supplied no replace on the negotiations with the Public Funding Fund of Saudi Arabia, the backer of rival LIV Golf. Monahan, Tiger Woods and Adam Scott met with President Donald Trump and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor, final month with a watch towards unifying the most effective gamers in golf.
Monahan mentioned within the “Fan Ahead” survey, 70% mentioned they need to see golf unified achieve and that 32% solely wished to see PIF put money into PGA Tour Enterprises.
The PGA Tour phases the Gamers Championship subsequent week at TPC Sawgrass, whereas LIV Golf resumes its schedule this week in Hong Kong and subsequent week in Singapore. It’s more and more unlikely for any motion on a deal by the Masters.
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