Opinion & Analysis
5 Tour Stops the PGA Tour is Missing
Over the course of one season, the PGA Tour and World Golf Championships host 40 events across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. Of those 40 events, 32 happen within 21 states during the span of 12 months. See the map below for reference (click to zoom):
As you can see, the majority of Tour events take place in major golf markets located in states with warmer climates (the West Coast and the South). There are a few cities across the country that the PGA Tour may want to consider when scheduling future events, however. Here’s my list of these five cities, which includes three courses in each city within a 100-mile radius of a major media market that could make sense for a Tour event.
Seattle
As golf fans saw last season, the city of Seattle loves the game of golf. The 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay provided the golfing world with a glimpse into golf in the Pacific Northwest, and local fans sold out the event months before in anticipation. Seattle houses the 12th largest TV market in the country, and is home to players such as Fred Couples and Ryan Moore.
Top Courses in Seattle Area
- Sahalee CC (Host of 1998 PGA Championship, 2010 U.S. Senior Open, 2016 Women’s PGA Championship)
- Chambers Bay (Host of 2015 U.S. Open)
- Aldarra Golf Club (Fazio Design, Ranked No. 3 in Washington by Golf Digest)
Detroit
From 1958 to 2009, Detroit hosted the Buick Open as an annual Tour stop. Winners of the event ranged from Billy Casper and Hale Irwin to Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods. For long-time golf fans, this was the home to a wonderful tournament atmosphere and one of the rowdiest holes in golf (known as the 2nd largest cocktail party outside of the Florida-Georgia football game). Home to the 11th largest TV market, Detroit would make a GREAT Tour stop during the summer months of the schedule.
Top Courses in Detroit
- Oakland Hills CC (Hosted 6 U.S. Opens, 3 PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup)
- Warwick Hills CC (Former Home of the Buick Open)
- Barton Hills CC (Donald Ross Design, Hosted U.S. Women’s Amateur)
Chicago
While the Windy City has hosted some recent majors and an occasional FedExCup Playoffs event, Chicago really does deserve to have a yearly Tour stop once again. The 3rd largest TV market in the U.S. hosted the Western Open from 1899 to 2006 (the 3rd longest active Tour event behind the British Open, and the U.S. Open), and has also hosted 14 U.S. Opens, 6 PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup. While the playoffs are a nice visit now and then, Chicago is certainly worthy of a yearly event.
Top Courses in Chicago
- Medinah No. 3 (Hosted 3 U.S. Opens, 2 PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup)
- Butler National GC (Host of Western Open from 1974-1990, Ranked in the Top-25 nationally)
- Kemper Lakes GC (Host of 1989 PGA Championship, Grand Slam of Golf)
Denver
Another city that has seen an occasional FedExCup Playoffs event, Denver hosts the 17th largest TV market in the U.S. “The International” was held in the Denver area from 1986-2006, and was the only stableford event hosted on Tour during that time. Denver has also seen 3 U.S. Opens and 3 PGA Championships come through town, so it certainly has the history to back its bid for a potential event location.
Top Courses in Denver
- Castle Pines GC (Former Home of “The International” event)
- Cherry Hills CC (Hosted 3 U.S. Opens and 2 PGA Championships)
- Colorado GC (Host of 2010 Senior PGA Championship & 2013 Solheim Cup)
Tulsa/Oklahoma City
Combined, Tulsa and Oklahoma City create the 21st largest TV market. It’s not just the TV market that makes these cities an attractive stop for the PGA Tour, however; it’s the quality of golf in the area. The golf teams at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University have developed more than 50 PGA Tour players, and continue to field nationally-ranked teams year after year. Add in some major championship history, and you’re looking at a solid site for a yearly Tour stop.
Top Courses in Tulsa/Oklahoma City
- Southern Hills CC (Host of 4 PGA Championships and 3 U.S. Opens)
- Oak Tree National (Host of the 1988 PGA Championship and 2014 US Senior Open)
- The Patriot Golf Club (Folds of Honor Home Course, Host of Patriot Cup Invitational)
Where do you think the PGA Tour should consider adding a stop? Let us know in the comment section below.
Opinion & Analysis
Brandel Chamblee PGA Championship Q&A: Rose’s huge McLaren risk, distracted LIV pros and why Aronimink suits the bombers
PGA Championship week is here, and Brandel Chamblee did not hold back in our latest discussion ahead of the season’s second major.
In our 2026 PGA Championship Q&A, golf’s leading analyst made the case that PIF pulling LIV’s funding has left its players competing in a state of confusion, called Justin Rose’s mid-season equipment switch a huge risk at 45, and explained why Aronimink will be a bombers’ delight this week.
Check out the full Q&A below.
Gianni: With the PIF confirming that they’re pulling funding from LIV at the end of the season, what impact do you expect that to have on the LIV players competing at the PGA Championship?
Brandel: I would imagine that they have all been thrown into a state of confusion, and will be distracted, not knowing where they are going to play next year and not knowing exactly their road back to either the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. Or in Rahm’s case, being tied to a sinking ship for the next few years, likely playing for pennies on the dollar in events that no one cares about or watches.
I doubt this would put him in the best frame of mind to compete at his highest level. Keeping in mind, however, that majors are the only time that LIV disciples get to play in events that matter, so never disregard the motivation they have to prove to the world they are still relevant.
Gianni: Justin Rose switched to McLaren Golf equipment mid-season while playing some of the best golf of his career. What do you make of the change?
Brandel: I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment. It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.
Having said that, at best, it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame. At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.
Gianni: Aronimink has only hosted a handful of professional events since it hosted the 1962 PGA Championship. What kind of test does it present, and does a course with less recent major championship history tend to level the playing field?
Brandel: Even though Aronimink has only hosted a handful of meaningful professional events, it has been fairly discerning in who can win there. When Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship on the Donald Ross masterpiece in 2018, he was the 2nd best iron player on tour coming into that week. When Nick Watney won the AT&T at Aronimink in 2011, he was 2nd in strokes gained total coming into the week.
In 2020, Aronimink hosted the KPMG Championship, and Sei Young Kim won. On the LPGA that year, she was first in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation, and scoring average on the way to being the LPGA player of the year. And then there is the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, who eventually became just one of a few players to win the career grand slam on the way to winning 9 majors. It is a formidable test, and if it’s not softened by rain, it will bring out the best in the upper echelons of the game.
Gianni: Is there a specific hole at Aronimink that you think will do the most to decide the winner?
Brandel: The hardest hole at Aronimink in each of the three tour events that have been played there since 2010 has been the long par-3 8th hole, with the par-4 10th being the second hardest, so most of the carnage will happen around the turn, but with the par-5 16th offering opportunities for bold plays and the tough closing holes at 17 and 18, the finish is likely to be frenetic.
Gianni: The PGA Championship has always sat in the shadow of the other majors. What does the ideal PGA Championship look like in your eyes, and what would it take for it to carve out its own identity?
Brandel: The PGA Championship, to whatever degree it suffers from the comparison to the other three majors, is still counted just as much when adding them up at the end of one’s career. Almost 1/3 of Nicklaus’ major wins were the five PGA Championships he won. Walter Hagen won 11 majors, five of which were PGA Championships.
Tiger Woods twice in his career won back-to-back PGA Championships, and those four majors count just as much as the other 11 he won. The PGA may not have the prestige of the other three, but it carries the same weight. Having said that, I preferred the identity that it had as the last major of the year.
Gianni: You nailed your Masters picks. Rory won, Scottie finished solo second, and Morikawa surged to a tie for seventh. Who are your top 3 picks for the PGA Championship and why?
Brandel: I am not a huge fan of majors played on golf courses that have been shorn of most of the trees, although I understand some of the agronomic reasons for doing so and of course the ease with which it allows members to play after errant drives. However, at the highest level, it all but eliminates any strategy off the tee and turns professional golf into an even bigger slugfest. That means that it will likely be a bomber’s delight this week, but fortunately, Scottie Scheffler is long enough to play that game and straight enough to play it better than anyone else.
The major championships give us very few surprises anymore, going back to the beginning of 2012, so the last 57 majors played, the average world rank of the winners has been better than 15th in the world. So look at the highest ranked and longest drivers who are on form coming into the PGA Championship who also have great short games as the surrounds at Aronimink are very challenging. That’s Scottie Scheffler by a mile and then McIlroy and Cameron Young with a far bigger nod towards DeChambeau than I gave him at the Masters.
In this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, we dive into one of the most interesting flatstick releases of the year with a full review of the new TaylorMade SYSTM 2 putters. After spending time on the greens, I break down what makes this design stand out, where it performs, and why it has me completely torn between loving it and fighting it. If you are into feel, alignment, and consistency, this is one you will want to hear about.
We also take a look at some of the putters in play on the PGA Tour last week. From familiar favorites to a few surprising setups, there is always something to learn from what the best players in the world are rolling with under pressure.
To wrap things up, I walk through the process of building a set of JP Golf Prime irons paired with Baddazz Gold Series shafts. From component selection to performance goals, this is a deep dive into what goes into creating a unique custom set and why this combo has been so intriguing.
This year my 50th birthday. Gosh, where has the time gone?
As a teenager in rural Missouri, some of my junior high and high school years felt interminable. Graduation seemed light years away. But the older I get, the faster life seems to fly by.
I’m also increasingly aware of my mortality. My dad died recently. Earlier this year, a friend and fellow PGA of America professional and I were texting about our next catch-up. The next message I received was news of his unexpected passing at 48. Shortly after, a woman I dated in college succumbed to cancer at 51.
Certainly, one can share perspective at any age. Seniors help freshmen, veterans guide rookies. But reaching this milestone feels like as good a time as any to do one of those “what would I tell my younger self?” articles.
I’ve had a uniquely varied career in golf. I started as a 27-year-old, average-length-hitting, 14-handicap computer engineer and somehow managed to turn pro before running out of money, constantly bootstrapping my way forward. I’ve won qualifiers and set venue records in the World Long Drive Championships, finished fifth at the Speedgolf World Championships, coached all skill levels as a PGA of America professional, built industry-leading swing speed training programs for Swing Man Golf, helped advance the single-length iron market with Sterling Irons®, caddied on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, and played about 300 courses across 32 countries.
It’s been a ride, and I’ve gone both deep and wide.
So while I can consult and advise from a lot of angles, let me keep it to a few things I’d tell the average golfer who wants to improve.
1. Think About What You Want
Everyone has their own reason for picking up a golf club.
Oddly, as a professional athlete, I’m not internally driven by competition. That can be challenging, as the industry currently prioritizes and incentivizes competition over the love of the game.
For me, I love walking and being outdoors. Nature helps balance my energy. I prefer courses that are integrated into the natural beauty of their surroundings. I’m comfortable practicing alone. I’m a deep thinker, and I genuinely enjoy investigating the game, using data and intuition to unearth unique, often innovative insights. I’m fortunate to be strong and athletic, so I appreciate the chance to engage with my abilities. Traveling feels adventurous. I could go on.
You don’t have to overthink it like I do. For you, it might be as simple as hitting balls to escape work, hanging out with friends, and playing loosely with the rules and the score.
The point is to give yourself permission to play for your own reasons, and let that be enough.
But if improvement is your goal, thinking about your destination—and when you want to get there—is important, because it dictates the steps you need to take. When I set out to go from a 14-handicap to the PGA TOUR as quickly as possible, the steps I needed were very different from those of a working golfer trying to break 90 in six months. That’s also different from someone who just wants a few peaceful hours outside each week, away from work or family.
None of these goals are better than the others, but each requires a different plan that you can work backward from.
2. There Are Lots of Things That Can Work
One of the challenges of golf is that, although there are rules for playing, there aren’t clear, industry-wide standards for how to best play the game. There’s a lot of gray area.
You might hear a top coach or trainer insist that a certain move is the best way to swing or train. Then you dig a bit deeper and, much to your confusion and frustration, another respected coach or trainer says something completely different. I don’t think anyone is trying to confuse you—at least I hope not. It’s just where the industry is right now.
You have to be careful with advice from tournament pros, too. They might be great at scoring, but they’re also human and sometimes just as susceptible as amateurs to believing things that don’t really move the needle. Tour players might describe what they feel, but that’s not always what they’re actually doing when assessed with technology.
I recently ran a test on my YouTube channel (which connects to my GolfWRX article “How to use your hands in the golf swing for power and accuracy”), and, interestingly, two of the most commonly taught hand actions produced the worst results in the test.
Coaches can certainly help. If you find someone you connect with to help navigate, that’s great. But there are many ways to get the ball in the hole. In the current landscape, you may need to seek multiple opinions, think critically, and use your own intuition to discern what seems true and whose advice resonates with you.
I’d recommend seeking someone who is open-minded and always learning, because things constantly change. Absolutes like “correct” or “proper” should raise a red flag. AI can be useful, but it tends to confidently repeat popular advice, so proceed with caution.
3. Get Custom Fit
If you’re serious about becoming a better player, getting custom fit is hugely important. There’s no sense fighting your equipment if you don’t have to. Most better players get fit these days and, if they don’t, they’re usually skilled enough to work around clubs that aren’t ideal.
If you plan to play for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more upfront to get something that truly fits you and your game, rather than continually buying and discarding equipment.
Equipment rules haven’t really changed significantly since the early 2000s. To stay in business, manufacturers keep pushing those limits. If you pull a bunch of clubs and balls off the rack and test them, you’ll find differences. I’ve tested two new drivers and seen a 30-yard total distance gap. Usually, the issue isn’t bad equipment; it’s that the combination of components simply isn’t the best fit.
It’s like wearing a new pair of floppy clown shoes. Sure, they’re shoes—but you won’t sprint your best in them compared to track shoes that fit perfectly.
Be wary of what’s called custom fitting, too. Sometimes the term is used as a marketing strategy rather than an actual fitting. In some retail settings, fitters may be incentivized to steer you toward higher-priced components. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s not the best fit, but you should be aware of potential biases.
I learned a version of this lesson outside of golf. Years ago, I bought a tennis racquet at a big box store from a seemingly knowledgeable employee who thought it would suit me best. The racquet gave me tennis elbow, and I spent months recovering with rest and acupuncture. The next season, I invested more time and money to find what actually fit me, and I walked away with something amazing that I still play with years later.
So if you’re going to get fit, be smart about it.
Find someone you believe has deep knowledge—possibly with certifications, but not necessarily. Make sure there’s a wide inventory across many brands. Check recent reviews for the individual fitter if possible. Make sure you trust that the fitter has your best interests at heart. If they’re wearing a hat or shirt with a specific brand’s logo, proceed with caution. Unless you specifically want a certain brand or look, be wary of upsells, especially if two options perform nearly the same.
Also, while golf is called a sport of integrity, there’s a thread of manipulation in the industry. I once drafted an equipment article for an industry magazine, structured just like one of their previous popular stories, with matching word count and great photos. The assistant editor loved it; it was useful to readers and required little work on his part. But the editor-in-chief nixed the story. When I asked why, I was told it was because I wasn’t an advertiser. It turned out the article I’d modeled mine after was a paid ad cleverly disguised as editorial content.
I really dislike games, clickbait, and fear-based manipulation. I hope this changes, but golfers deserve to know it exists.
4. Distance and Strategy Matter
There’s a real relationship between how far you hit the ball and your scoring average, even at the PGA TOUR level.
I experienced this early in my pro career. I started as a power hitter, swinging in the high 120s and breaking 200 mph ball speed with a stock driver.
Back then, some instructors advised swinging at 80%, so I tried slowing down for more accuracy. That worked fine on shorter, tighter courses. But on longer setups, I was coming into greens with too much club, and par 5s stopped being
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laremy tunsil
May 6, 2016 at 7:08 pm
Colorado Oregon Washington
Richard Trickle
May 6, 2016 at 7:05 pm
I think a minimum of 3 events in West Virginia would be great. You could call it the West Virginia Swing and have a points race with free lifetime supply of skoal for the winner.
Loki Smizzle
May 3, 2016 at 5:16 pm
The tour has to dodge where a high percentage of minoritys live. Decent people won’t support anything after they take it over. I know everyone will hate this comment but just think about the last restaurant you was in that was minority heavy: it was terrible, wasn’t it?
Atty
May 4, 2016 at 7:59 am
You’re an a$$.
farmer
May 3, 2016 at 3:07 pm
Surprising the hole in the NW. Microsoft could sponsor an event, commercial free telecast, free food, and have a blip on their quarterly earnings report. All they need is a date, and for Bill Gates to stop carelessly trying to make life better for folks in underdeveloped countries.
Steven
May 3, 2016 at 2:00 pm
Since I live in OKC, I would love this. I do think the Tour would have to look past Southern Hills and Oak Tree National because both those courses want to host majors. However, we have 1-2 others (like Patriot Club) that could definitely host an event. Gaillardia Country Club hosted the Senior Tour Championship a few times, and our golf season is longer than most.
MP-4
May 3, 2016 at 12:04 pm
You would think that Microsoft or Amazon could sponsor an event in the Seattle area.
Don’t forget: TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, Salish Cliffs, White Horse, Gold Mountain, Suncadia, and Gamble Sands!
Brad
May 3, 2016 at 2:52 pm
Was in Seattle last summer and stopped by the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge clubhouse for a scorecard and a Boeing Classic polo…beautiful part of the country!
prime21
May 3, 2016 at 7:23 am
Gotta vote for Philly w/ Aronimink being the venue. While there are many great golf courses in the general vicinity, Aronomink is not only the best test of golf in the area, it also is a great layout for spectators. The array of local universities makes transportation easier to accommodate and I’m sure Pat’s & Gino’s would make it one of the favorite stops for food on tour (outside of New Orleans of course). Saucon Valley would also be great, but being a good 45 minutes outside of Philly, I don’t think it can really be considered “within the city limits”.
Evan
May 2, 2016 at 9:51 pm
I’ve been thinking a bit about this. Seattle is inconvenient for the tour schedule even though it has some of the most predictable and best weather in the summer. But US Opens and PGA championships should be held much more frequently in the pacific northwest and upper midwest to really capture larger golf audiences. The US Open at Chambers was a very big deal around here.
I can’t think of a better market/weather for the PGA championship than Seattle/PNW.
Another thought, the weather has been amazing around here lately. Why doesn’t the zurich classic move to Seattle?
B Clizzle
May 2, 2016 at 7:06 pm
Seattle…terrible weather
Detroit and Chicago…full of thugs and criminals
Colorado…trying to do Matt Every a solid
Tulsa/OKC…even the ppl living there don’t wanna be there
Andrew Beck
May 3, 2016 at 11:44 am
I’m not sure you’ve been to Seattle. From the end of June until the end of September there’s almost zero chance of rain. The skies will be blue. And at worst the temps will be in the 90’s, but more likely in the high 70’s to low 80’s. You can’t really ask for better weather than that.
Scott
May 3, 2016 at 11:44 am
wow, what a worldly view. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Art Williams
May 2, 2016 at 4:06 pm
Philly should have a tour stop with all the great courses in the area and a population that loves and supports golf from Southern NJ to the Lehigh Valley and everywhere in between.
Mike Honcho
May 2, 2016 at 3:21 pm
Hands down, Chi-town. I don’t like the mid-West, mid-Westerners and Windy City sports team, the Blues Brothers can’t sing, could go on and on. But when it comes to golf courses, the town is not getting it’s deserved pro play.
Greg Moore
May 2, 2016 at 3:13 pm
LPGA is playing their Championship at Sahalee this year. Most of the issues with a new event is finding a sponsor who is willing to put up millions of dollars to host an event. The sponsors at established events are happy with where they are holding their tournaments. They’re not going to be happy if their tournament is moved.
reach4aheiney
May 2, 2016 at 3:11 pm
Wisconsin definitely needs to have a regular stop on the tour. Having a major every so often and the upcoming Ryder cup is nice but there are so many fans that I believe would agree. Whistling Straits could be reserved for majors and Ryder cups but the Irish course on the same complex could handle an event of that size without any issues and is a little easier to walk. Erin Hills, where the US Open is next year could host and event as well as The Bull, a Jack Nicklaus design, could also provide a challenging stop year after year. Having the Greater Milwaukee Open and then US Bank Championship was nice but the course that hosted it didn’t provide too much of a challenge and cannot be lengthened due to area restrictions.
Wa
May 2, 2016 at 1:47 pm
Weather has a lot to do with it, they’d rather go to places where it’s mostly predictable and good. Most of those other places are way too unpredictable and tremendously thundering when it does hit, season by season, and to try to fit it into the global golf calendar these days would be very difficult with the WGC getting in the way of bringing top names to smaller events.
Double Mocha Man
May 2, 2016 at 9:49 pm
Did you notice New Orleans this past week, weather wise?
GO
May 4, 2016 at 2:50 am
He said MOSTLY. Duh. Do you understand the English language?
Snowman9000
May 2, 2016 at 1:36 pm
All good candidates. Golf is big around Chicago. And certainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota too. The Quad Cities (John Deere) does give Iowa/Wisconsin/Minn/Illinois fans a tourney in the region. But it would be nice to have some kind of rotation involving the western great lake states.
Nick
May 2, 2016 at 12:24 pm
What about Philadelphia?
Merion
Aronimink
Pine Valley (though they would never host an event)
Philly Cricket Club
Lancaster Country Club
Huntingdon Valley
Saucon Valley
Brad
May 2, 2016 at 2:14 pm
Pennsylvania GENERALLY gets the US Open every year (although the west coast has been grabbing more and more bids). Personally, I associate Merion/Pine Valley/etc with the Open
Jim Reed
May 2, 2016 at 4:06 pm
GENERALLY???
8 times in 60 years…that is occasionally, not GENERALLY. The point that was being made is Philadelphia could use a tour stop and it could. There are significantly more world class courses in the region than on Nick’s list….and the largest metropolitan area to not host an event.
03 Blue 07
May 2, 2016 at 5:43 pm
Philly is the largest metro area to not host an event, you say? No, that would be the Chicagoland area, which is larger in population than the Philadelphia metro area by more than 33% (barely 6 million vs. over 9 million). Source: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
Tom
May 2, 2016 at 11:35 am
Too bad the PGA will never even consider Butler National for anything until they allow woman at the club.
ben
May 2, 2016 at 11:06 am
I just don’t see a regular event coming to Tulsa/Okc. Southern Hills would never host a regular tournament. I was kinda shocked when they hosted the Tour Championship in the mid 90’s. The Patriot is too easy for a tour stop. It reminds everyone of a resort style course. Oak Tree National would be great but it could be a challenge finding a sponsor with the state’s economy in the dump.
Matt
May 2, 2016 at 11:44 am
I doubt Oak Tree National would even want a regular tour stop. Something tells me they’d hold out for a major just like Souther Hills.
John
May 3, 2016 at 11:33 pm
Oak Tree hosted a senior event and everyone hated it. The course is all gimmicks and wind.
Lynn
May 3, 2016 at 11:02 pm
Agree with both comments here. Southern and oak tree won’t host anything but majors. More likely to have a web.com event, and plenty of good courses for that since logistics are easier with smaller crowds. Karsten Creek 45 min north of OKC (but Mike Holder, OSU athletic director wouldnt let this happen) Golf club of OK or Cedar ridge in Tulsa (Patriot is a nice course but wouldn’t hold up to web.com players) Gaillardia, Twin Hills or OKC g&cc in OKC. To extend that circle Prarie Dunes or Flint hills in Kansas would be great spots too.
Grant Janssen
May 2, 2016 at 11:05 am
St. Louis has a fantastic golf market and culture (we have one of only two Golf Galaxy superstores and a Club Champion for a reason), and with great courses like Bellerive CC (Senior PGA and PGA), Fox Run (LPGA, potential PGA stop if it gets in better shape), and others that could host an event for the Web.com Tour, the PGA tour is really missing out on a top market.
Chris
May 2, 2016 at 4:07 pm
St. Louis is a great place for golf. Spending four years in the city while playing collegiate golf I had the opportunity to play many courses. As stated above Fox Run could be a great test, it can tip out over 8000 yards. Only issue is its a bit far from downtown, otherwise great course. Dont forget about the like of Boone Valley, Old Warson, St Louis Country Club. Yes some may be easy as old school layouts, but hey who doesnt like seeing a birdie fest?
Lynn
May 3, 2016 at 11:06 pm
Fox Run is a BEAST! Caddied an open sectional qualifier there. From what I remember I enjoyed the course, a lot. And even in the qualifier we would get to a tee box and look back 80 yards and there would be another set of tees. All. Day. Long.
Mark
May 2, 2016 at 10:36 am
You think this is bad? Try living in England. The PGA Championship at Wentworth and one other event scheduled for The Grove, also out London. 2 million plus players, 42 million population and nothing north of the Greater London Area. The European Tour would much rather brown nose the middle east or China where the crowds, minus the guests, are negligible.
Brad
May 2, 2016 at 11:24 am
I really would LOVE to see a map of where all the European Tour events take place (similar to the one above). Would be interesting to see how many European Tour events take place in Europe.
Wa
May 2, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Why? That’s the same as asking the LPGA to show where they play in the WORLD. What point would it prove? They play where they want to play by mutual contractual and sponsorship agreements. They don’t have to play every event in Europe. Or the LPGA only in the US.
Brad
May 2, 2016 at 2:16 pm
No point to prove…just curious to see where every event is played.
I’d even take a Web.com/Champions/LPGA map
gmoney
May 2, 2016 at 11:06 pm
This would be great. Your next article??? It would be cool to see maps of European tour tour stops of the past 15 or so years to see how the events slowly move to asia
Double Mocha Man
May 2, 2016 at 10:24 am
Now that the Cubs are winning, Chicago doesn’t need any other sports. 🙂
And the photo looks like the City Park golf course in Denver, not one of the championship venues you listed.
QC
May 4, 2016 at 4:25 am
Lol Thats what I thought about the picture as well.
Nicholas Pursel
May 2, 2016 at 9:30 am
They really need a new tournament in Detroit. The city loves the game and is in desparate need of some fun activites to bring people downtown. There have been numerous attempts to get something going at Detroit Golf Club (my home course) and every single one fails for the same reasons, funding and finding a date. The tour needs to get back to Detroit, but I feel it won’t happen until someone shells out the money. Gilbert always acts like he does everything possible for the city but sponsers a tour event outside Detroit. They even backed out on a great event that would have featured Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Rory McIlroy and Ricky Fowler playing under the lights in an alternate shot match. Its just a shame
Denny Jones
May 2, 2016 at 9:12 am
The Buick Open was in Grand Blanc, about 45 minutes north of Detroit. It was a great event and enjoyed by all. It is greatly missed.
CT
May 2, 2016 at 9:15 pm
Was played at a good course
Mike
May 2, 2016 at 8:48 am
Chicago has an event there every year virtually. Outside of 2008 I cannot think of a year where they didn’t have either the Ryder Cup or the BMW there?
Josh from Chicago
May 2, 2016 at 10:44 am
BMW Championship is only in Chicago every other year. So two years ago, 2014, there was no Chicago tour stop. Plus, the Champions Tour event up in the North Shore lost its sponsor depriving me of my chance to see John Daly tear it up with the old guys.
Brad
May 2, 2016 at 11:26 am
On the flip side, we did get a Web.com tour event this season as well as the LPGA’s UL Crown. Still miss the Western Open in July though…