Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where we have our outfits scripted for this week just like the Presidents Cup teams.
Once again, we’re here to debate a series of statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.
The 15th edition of the Presidents Cup is this week in Royal Montreal, and the U.S. has only lost once. The American team has nine players in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking compared to just two for the Internationals, so the Cup will come right back to the U.S. on Sunday night.
Bob Harig: FACT. It’s hard to see another outcome, despite the fact that what occurs on paper is hardly an indicator of what will happen. See the Ryder Cup. Perhaps some off-form U.S. players coupled with some rusty ones will give the International side some hope and they have all the motivation in the world.
John Pluym: FACT. Why even play the event? It’s going to be a rout and nobody will watch. It’s time for the PGA Tour to make major changes to what should be a marquee event. And aren’t we saying that about a lot of golf events?
Jeff Ritter: FACT. There have been a few editions of this event that carried suspense deep into the weekend, but I don’t think this will be one of them. The U.S. roster is so much stronger top-to-bottom than the Internationals, it would be a surprise if this isn’t an easy work week for the U.S. team.
John Schwarb: FACT. Golf’s most lopsided team competition rolls on. Will the PGA Tour finally be motivated to make wholesale changes after another U.S. romp? Don’t hold your breath.
Two weeks ago the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship, its first “FedEx Fall” event, had 69,000 television viewers for its final round, down from 298,000 the year prior. The Tour should be given a pass considering a busy day around the world of golf (Solheim Cup Sunday, LIV Golf, an Irish Open with Rory McIlroy contending), plus the NFL.
Bob Harig: FACT. While the ratings were much higher last year, there is undoubtedly a huge segment of golf fans who are going to check out during football season. Throw in all the other golf being played and it’s a tough sell. It’s an age-old issue that caused the PGA Tour to actually end its regular season in August. If you are going to play this time of year, you have to understand the difficulty in getting an audience.
John Pluym: FICTION. Why not move the tournament up one day so the final round is on a Saturday and not a Sunday? That way you’re not going head-to-head to with so many big events, especially an NFL Sunday.
Jeff Ritter: FACT. Like Pluym mentions, NFL TV ratings seem to grow with each passing season, and it devours pro golf. Fall golf should be a time for experimenting with new formats (team events, match play, co-ed, etc.) and perhaps even a few Saturday finishes. What do they have to lose?
John Schwarb: FACT. These ratings became a punching bag on social media but what are people expecting? The Tour is now in the signature-event business and virtually all other star-less events—especially ones whose sole purpose are to sort the rank-and-file for next year—are going to fall woefully short. And, again, football season. These events are set up to fail with audiences so we shouldn’t be surprised when they do.
Tickets for 2025 Ryder Cup match days are $750, which include food and non-alcoholic beverages. Outside the perennially sold-out Masters, there is no golf tournament worth paying $750 for a ticket.
Bob Harig: FACT. The beauty of the Masters is it actually charges a more reasonable rate (approximately $100 a day) and makes money on volume, especially merchandise sales. While the Masters makes plenty of money and a Ryder Cup is a cash cow for the PGA of America—and the DP World Tour when it’s in Europe—the high price just hits wrong.
John Pluym: FICTION. It’s the Super Bowl of professional golf and a bargain at $750. You’re not just paying for great golf on the course; the atmosphere off the course is incredible as well. For the Ryder Cup, you’re paying for three days of amazing golf. And I think that’s better than paying $10,000 or more for a ticket for three hours of football on Super Sunday.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. There’s nothing golf like the first tee of a Ryder Cup opening session, and that includes Augusta. The scene at Bethpage might be closer to a football game than a golf match, and absolutely worth the price of admission.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fact or Fiction: American Domination Will Continue at the Presidents Cup .
