Any Respect Left In The Crowd

Any Respect Left In The Crowd

Post by Greg Rodger » Mon, 24 Jun 1996 04:00:00


Quote:


>Agreed. In fact, I read somewhere that this is what they do at
>the Masters: you act stupid and they remove you from the grounds,
>no excuses, no second chances. Can anyone who has actually attended
>confirm or deny this?

I can't document this but my experience and knowledge of Augusta would suggest
that this is indeed a fact.  This also raises one of the issues that may be a
factor in recent crowd problems at Professional tournaments (especially in North
America).  As everyone knows the Masters limits the size of the galleries; so
much so that it is the hardest ticket in all of sports to obtain.  With smaller
galleries, crowd control is much easier for tournament officials.

Unfortunately the same can't be said for the regular weekly stops on tour.  With
the increase of  both stadium courses and the over-all costs involved in staging
tournaments, gallery numbers have increased dramatically.  Most of the courses
these tournaments are played on have the areas around the greens designed so
that huge numbers of people can surround them and everyone able to see
adequately.  Most of the eigh***th greens are designed with a "bowl effect that
will accommodate the same number of people as a major outdoor sports stadium
(not to mention the permanent bleachers and luxury boxes that have been
constructed at many venues.

Increased numbers, newer and less knowledgeable fans, & beer make for a bad
combination for the pro and their concentration.

The most disgraceful display of these problems occurred at the Phoenix Open.
Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard went into a playoff.  The last round was held
on the Saturday to accommodate the Superbowl (played in Phoenix) and it seemed
more like a football crowd than a golf crowd.  The majority of the gallery where
rooting for Phil because of his Arizona connection.  The cheered wildly for Phil
and would yell wildly right at the moment of impact on his tee shots.  The 3 or
4 sudden death holes that were played were obviously un-nerving for Justin and
every second shot of Phil's was a recovery shot.  It was a disgrace to the
sport.
(Sorry to any Phoenix residents: but it was a disgrace)

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Any Respect Left In The Crowd

Post by Dwight Williamso » Tue, 25 Jun 1996 04:00:00


00

Quote:
> The most disgraceful display of these problems occurred at the Phoenix Open.
> Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard went into a playoff.  The last round was hel
d
> on the Saturday to accommodate the Superbowl (played in Phoenix) and it seemed
> more like a football crowd than a golf crowd.  The majority of the gallery whe
re
> rooting for Phil because of his Arizona connection.  The cheered wildly for Ph
il
> and would yell wildly right at the moment of impact on his tee shots.  The 3 o
r
> 4 sudden death holes that were played were obviously un-nerving for Justin and
> every second shot of Phil's was a recovery shot.  It was a disgrace to the
> sport.
> (Sorry to any Phoenix residents: but it was a disgrace)

I couldn't agree more. In addition to the people cheering wildly for Phil, there
were what seemed to be a rather substantial number that were yelling at Justin
prior to his swing. Such nice things as "Miss it, Miss it" while he was attempti
ng
to putt. This stands out to me as, by far, the worst crowd at a PGA tournament t
hat
I have seen.

Quote:
> Rev. Greg Rodgers

************************************
Any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic
************************************

 
 
 

Any Respect Left In The Crowd

Post by Dave Weav » Tue, 25 Jun 1996 04:00:00

Quote:

> I couldn't agree more. In addition to the people cheering wildly for Phil,
> there were what seemed to be a rather substantial number that were yelling
> at Justin prior to his swing. Such nice things as "Miss it, Miss it" while
> he was attempting to putt. This stands out to me as, by far, the worst
> crowd at a PGA tournament that I have seen.

I was out there at the Scottsdale TPC that Saturday (along with around
130,000 other people). A large part of the problem is that the tournament
organizers create what is very much a party atmosphere. Corporate tents
abound, providing invited guests with loads of food and drink. There is
a big "restaurant row" complex for the rest of us, where beverages flow.
The "Crow's Nest", just outside the tournament entrance, is a very large
tent complex which is set up as a nightclub of sorts, with live music and
kegs-a-plenty, keeping the party going into the night, all week long.
Also, complimentary passes and/or discount tickets are easy to come by
(one person on our shuttle bus from the parking lot had a free pass he
wanted to give away, but everybody else onboard already had their own
passes). The practical result is lots of semi-drunk spectators, many of
whom aren't particularly fans of golf. By the afternoon on Sunday, the
beer quaffing, cigar puffing loudmouthes were congregated (with the rest
of us) on the final few holes, with predictable results. Add to the mix
that Mickelson was contending, a local favorite who led ASU to multiple
NCAA golf titles, and the fire is fueled. The organizers (despite the
good work they do for charity) really need to re-evaluate the situation.

By the way, I was camped out on 16, which might have been the loudest
hole. I heard no pre-swing jeering directed at Leonard, but sad to say
there was cheering when his tee shot wouldn't hold the green. (And an
incredibly loud roar as Phil almost aced his.) On the plus side, if
there is one, should Justin make the Ryder Cup team in '97, he will
have experience dealing with a large noisy crowd in which everybody
is cheering for the other guy. (And Justin did display a lot of nerve,
playing as well as he did down the stretch, and in the playoff.)

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