Trying not to sound like a broken record, but we are (still) in an unknown time of world golf.
There seems to be constant ongoing meetings between PIF, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour who are supposedly coming to some sort of an agreement. But no one knows anything more about what that will look like.
It seems like looking in, that the players who are already doing well for themselves want to have a fixed global tour that only the elite top players will be allowed to play in, leaving the rest of the professionals at the wayside.
While adding to it all, players are trying to make sense of the fractured Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points system with no real fair balance between tours and how many points are received.
Dubai resident and DP World Tour member, Ewen Ferguson had his say on the situation.
“It’s sad that everyone’s not playing against each other,” said Ferguson. “The golf I’ve always liked to watch is always the best players playing against each other.
“But what has actually made me really happy is the fact that the DP World Tour guys that earned their PGA Tour cards are doing so well over there.
Matthieu Pavon winner of the Farmers Insurance Open – Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
“Look at Matthieu Pavon, Sami Välimäki, Bob (MacIntyre) and Victor Perez, these guys are finishing top ten and top five each week on the PGA Tour. It just goes to show you how good we are here on the DP World Tour. That’s why I think there needs to be more points out here.
“But something needs to come together and that’s the part that saddens you.
“I’m a massive Rory fan, but some of the stuff he was saying the other week about trying to make some kind of a super league out of golf, it’s just never going to be the way forward.
“You wouldn’t have heard about Jake Knapp six months ago, and now he’s a superstar and I’m a fan of him. Wyndham Clark was outside the top 100 in the world 12 months ago and now he wants to line his own pockets.
Wyndham Clark – 2023 U.S. Open winner – Richard Heathcote
Ferguson is currently the second highest professional golfer from Scotland in 124th on the OWGR. 50 spots behind his countryman Bob MacIntyre who, as he said is currently making a name for himself stateside.
“You need to remember, there is a guy right there waiting and ready to come through, but they just don’t have the opportunity.
“We need to have all these doors open so then it keeps guys like me or the next guy practicing beside me, knowing that there are ways we can do it.
“That way you can then get Monday Qualifier guys going on to win tournaments like Corey Conners. Or some guys not even win tournaments, but finishing in 30th place and they’ll make like $50k and change their family’s life for little bit.
“There’s so much more to golf than the superstars, and in actual fact I think you’ll find yes everyone does care about the superstars, but a hell of a lot of people actually care about the underdog guys as well. Which is why quite a lot of people watch golf, isn’t it? Everyone loves that Matteo Manassero won again after 10 years the other week.
“Having doors open and having pathways is a key thing and you can’t lose that. That’s just what’s so good about our game. Let’s just hope it all works itself out in the end.”
Main Image: Andrew Redington
