Ranking the Next Four

[billyspan]

@J-Blade while we have hit that topic before, good discussion can be generated.  My apologies if my comment was dumb.  Nobody likes their thread getting bombed.

 

I am interested in what your "Next Four" events after the current established modern majors are in professional golf.  I'll go:

 

THE PLAYERS

Los Angeles Open

British PGA Championship

Canadian Open 

 

The 4th one was tough for me.  Would have probably been the TOUR Championship when it was still top 30 and rotated courses.  I know @Ferguson has THE Qatar Masters up in this echelon...

 

[TLUBulldogGolf]

Players

Wentworth

Memorial

Riviera

 

[rukahs]

Gotta throw Scottish Open in the mix also. 

[TLUBulldogGolf]

1 minute ago, rukahs said:

Gotta throw Scottish Open in the mix also. 

I was borderline here, it’s definitely moving that direction with how the schedule plays out.

[TiScape]

Jus the ones I look most forward to.

 

The Players

The Genesis

Pebble

Memorial/API

 

 

Edited May 15, 2024 by TiScape

[tiderider]

Players 

any big tournament on the euro tour that's played in the UK/Ireland somewhere

[Dutch1008]

Players

Riv

Scottish Open *

Australian Open **

 

* We need more links golf, now that it is co-sanctioned, hopefully it will continue to attract a deeper field

** Sand belt golf is awesome, like Scotland had a baby w/ Florida. This will never happen w/o a mega increase in purse size but a boy can dream. The President's Cup at Royal Melbourne was fire. 

[Dutch1008]

36 minutes ago, TiScape said:

Jus the ones I look most forward to.

 

The Players

The Genesis

Pebble

Memorial/API

 

I've heard a few talking heads propose the idea of the new PGAT Enterprises buying Pebble Beach and moving the Tour Championship there. I think that would be brilliant. However, in doing that I'd also change the Fed Ex to the following...

 

Playoff 1 - Top 125 enter, top 100 advance

Playoff 2 - Top 100 enter, top 75 advance

Championship - Top 75 no staggered start!

 

Make those changes and a tour championship at Pebble could stand up to The Players. 

[Augie53]

The Players

The Memorial

Pebble Beach

API / Genesis - tied / pick one

 

In terms of the rest that are my favorites to watch - Waste Management, RBC Canada, Scottish Open

[Abh159]

14 minutes ago, Dutch1008 said:

 

I've heard a few talking heads propose the idea of the new PGAT Enterprises buying Pebble Beach and moving the Tour Championship there. I think that would be brilliant. However, in doing that I'd also change the Fed Ex to the following...

 

Playoff 1 - Top 125 enter, top 100 advance

Playoff 2 - Top 100 enter, top 75 advance

Championship - Top 75 no staggered start!

 

Make those changes and a tour championship at Pebble could stand up to The Players. 

 

It's a fun idea, but I think the chances of that happening are right around 0%. 

 

The PGA Tour purchasing Pebble would pretty much extinguish Pebble's spot in the US Open rotation, and the USGA already has 4 scheduled there over the next 20 years. No way you're having a major, and regular tour event, and a tour championship all at the same course in the same calendar year...

[Dutch1008]

6 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

It's a fun idea, but I think the chances of that happening are right around 0%. 

 

The PGA Tour purchasing Pebble would pretty much extinguish Pebble's spot in the US Open rotation, and the USGA already has 4 scheduled there over the next 20 years. No way you're having a major, and regular tour event, and a tour championship all at the same course in the same calendar year...

 

Kill the regular tour event. Its been dying a slow death for years as fewer and fewer players want to deal w/ the pro-am circus. It received a bump this year because it was elevated but in general has been an underwhelming event recently. Plus, the weather is garbage at Pebble in Feb. If the PGAT really wants a celebrity Pro-Am, reorganize the Amex. Plenty of history and tradition around a Palm Springs Celebrity event. 

 

Regarding a major being played there, I don't see the big deal. We visited Torry twice a couple years ago. Riv is hosting the '23 USO and the '28 Olympics. It can be done. 

 

Or, how about they handle it the same way they've handled Quail Hollow? On the years in which Pebble is a USO host, move the Tour Championship to Cypress! or Monterrey or even Spy Glass. And yes, I'm aware that Cypress and Monterrey are short. Who cares?! Its one event every 5 or so years. Steal their drivers, give them persimmons, or simply let them fire 59s. They're all playing the same course.  

 

 

[Abh159]

11 minutes ago, Dutch1008 said:

 

Kill the regular tour event. Its been dying a slow death for years as fewer and fewer players want to deal w/ the pro-am circus. It received a bump this year because it was elevated but in general has been an underwhelming event recently. Plus, the weather is garbage at Pebble in Feb. If the PGAT really wants a celebrity Pro-Am, reorganize the Amex. Plenty of history and tradition around a Palm Springs Celebrity event. 

 

Regarding a major being played there, I don't see the big deal. We visited Torry twice a couple years ago. Riv is hosting the '23 USO and the '28 Olympics. It can be done. 

 

Or, how about they handle it the same way they've handled Quail Hollow? On the years in which Pebble is a USO host, move the Tour Championship to Cypress! or Monterrey or even Spy Glass. And yes, I'm aware that Cypress and Monterrey are short. Who cares?! Its one event every 5 or so years. Steal their drivers, give them persimmons, or simply let them fire 59s. They're all playing the same course.  

 

 

 

Wasn't saying it CAN'T be done, just saying it WON'T be done. Even if it is fun to think about 😁.

 

Torrey has hosted twice, but isn't on the schedule again going forward. Riviera is a one off happening in 2031 and isn't on the schedule again after that. Pebble is a US Open stable (6 US Opens, 1 US Women's Open, and 4 more US Opens in the future). The PGA and USGA tend to stay in their own lane for the most part when it comes to sites. It's why we don't see PGA Championships at Pinehurst and US Opens at Kiawah. 

 

FWIW I agree with you about the staggered start thing at the Tour Championship. I haven't watched a second of that even since they went to that format. Doesn't interest me in the slightest.

[Hawkeye77]

Memorial 

Irish Open

Scottish Open

British Senior Open

[Dutch1008]

2 hours ago, Abh159 said:

Wasn't saying it CAN'T be done, just saying it WON'T be done. Even if it is fun to think about 😁.

 

[Mr.Cleeks]

Currently I’d say Sawgrass, Riv, Memorial, and Bay Hill. I’m not a huge fan of Bay Hill as a course and wish Colonial was a signature event instead but those 4 IMO are the top non-Major events 

[GDB67]

Players > PGA championship 

but that’s another debate. 

[J-Blade]

11 hours ago, billyspan said:

@J-Blade while we have hit that topic before, good discussion can be generated.  My apologies if my comment was dumb.  Nobody likes their thread getting bombed.

 

I am interested in what your "Next Four" events after the current established modern majors are in professional golf.  I'll go:

 

THE PLAYERS

Los Angeles Open

British PGA Championship

Canadian Open 

 

The 4th one was tough for me.  Would have probably been the TOUR Championship when it was still top 30 and rotated courses.  I know @Ferguson has THE Qatar Masters up in this echelon...

 

No offense taken..

 

I'd agree on Riviera, and add Pebble, as some others did. The context being classic courses with a lot of history. 

 

In regards to the L.A. Open and Pebble, the "West Coast Swing" has been the PGA stepchild for a long time now. Lot's of guys don't tee it up until the tour gets to Florida, which is a shame. Courses like those deserve better. Torrey too. 

[beluga99]

9 hours ago, tiderider said:

Players 

any big tournament on the euro tour that's played in the UK/Ireland somewhere

The latter part is also enhanced with British/European commentary, where we don't have to hear every players back story ad nauseum or indeed the college they played for.  Wentworth and Loch Lomond or Castle Stuart for the Scottish Open.  Not a fan of Renaissance.

[tiderider]

17 hours ago, tiderider said:

Players 

any big tournament on the euro tour that's played in the UK/Ireland somewhere

rerank after being reminded of my previous thoughts and seeing others ... 

 

players

rbc heritage

british sr open

irish open/scottish open (course dependent)

[mat562]

In my youth I'd have said the World Matchplay Championship, but since its sad demise it's now the PGA Championship (the Wentworth one), the Players, the Australian Open and the Irish Open.

 

[billyspan]

2 hours ago, mat562 said:

In my youth I'd have said the World Matchplay Championship, but since its sad demise it's now the PGA Championship (the Wentworth one), the Players, the Australian Open and the Irish Open.

 

I love the old World Matchplay Highlights.  Great fields...shame it is gone.

[billyspan]

Throwing in the Olympics here.  Ready to get crushed...LOL.

 

Scottish

British PGA

PLAYERS

Los Angeles

 

What I wish it was:

 

Scottish Open

Canadian Open

Irish Open

Australian Open

Japan Open

 

[cdnglf]

FedEx Cup

Players

Riviera

Memorial

 

One to watch: Scottish Open

[bcjim]

Just look at the owgr field ratings and pick your favorite 4 of the top 10 non majors. They're all about the same points wise... 

 

The Canadian open? Lol. It's not even top 25.

 

The Scottish does get a great field these days. 

 

I actually really like the first playoff event each year.  The next 2 are just too limited. 

[fowlerscousin]

Liv jcb

Liv adelaide 

Memorial

[TiScape]

[billyspan]

From the 2023 season, per Data Golf:

[billyspan]

2024 season to date:

[gvogel]

Riviera

Scottish Open (prefer not Renaissance)

Memorial

Quail Hollow

 

for some reason I don't like the Players.

[cdnglf]

18 hours ago, cdnglf said:

FedEx Cup

Players

Riviera

Memorial

 

One to watch: Scottish Open

 

Thinking about it a bit more, I'd argue the 3 most significant non-major accomplishments in golf are:

Fedex Cup, Players, and OWGR #1

 

Not sure about the fourth. PotY, maybe? 

Despite its limitations, perhaps at some point in the future it will be the Olympic gold.