WEBVTT - Joy Chakravarty 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:08.560 It's the Son of a Butcher podcast we come to 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:12.280 every Wednesday. I'm your host, Claude Harmon. This week's guest 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:14.560 probably not a household name for a lot of you, 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:18.080 but one of my favorite golf writers, Joy Chakravarti. I've 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:20.279 known Joy for a long time from my time in Dubai. 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:24.080 I think he's one of the best writers around. I 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:29.920 like his view. I've always liked his worldview on world golf, 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:33.920 on the DP World Tour, on Asia, on what's going 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:36.080 on all around the world. And I think he brings 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:40.760 a unique perspective because he has seen golf kind of 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:43.800 on a global scale. He's seen all of the tours 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:46.559 around the world, a lot of these tours from the 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:51.680 developing nations, and listen, the holy grail has always been 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:53.880 to get to the PGA Tour. That's where you knew 0:00:53.920 --> 0:00:55.480 that if you were a great player, you were not 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:57.640 only going to play against the best players in the world, 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:02.040 but that was where the money was. And you know, 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:03.800 we talk a lot about that. We talk a lot 0:01:03.840 --> 0:01:07.440 about all the different things going on. We talk about, 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:09.720 you know, what's going on with the PGA Tour, what's 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:11.840 going on with liv But I got to catch up 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:13.720 with him in Mical last week. I was there for 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:18.160 the International series, and you know, he has a unique 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:22.640 perspective on how we grow the game on a global scale, 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:26.360 and I think that's what I hope is going to 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:28.360 happen in the future, is that we are going to 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:32.600 see golf become more global. We're going to see the 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:37.040 greatest players in the game playing around the world, and 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:40.080 that the fans around the world will get to see 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:43.760 the best players in the world. So wanted to get 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:47.720 Joy on and get his perspective. Like I said, he's 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:49.960 one of my favorite writers, and I think everyone's going 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.960 to enjoy listening to him if you haven't heard from 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:55.960 him before. He has some really good takes on what 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:58.720 is going on in the game. So sit back and 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:05.880 enjoy a really good interview. Joy. You and I have 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:09.120 known each other a long time, and I certainly think 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:11.760 you're one of the best golf journalists out there because 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:14.639 you have such so much more of a worldview, and 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:17.000 that's the reason why I kind of wanted to get 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:19.720 you to come on and talk. You wrote a really 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:25.960 interesting article last week about Obviously Live kind of pulling 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:28.120 out of their bid to get world rankings, but you 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:33.480 made an interesting argument that other tours should kind of 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:37.320 follow suit, and maybe the world rankings in twenty twenty four. 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:40.800 I don't know if they're dead, but it just doesn't 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:45.239 seem like they are a very accurate way of looking 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:48.760 at the tour or looking at the world of golf, 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:52.919 unless you're specifically looking at the PGA Tour, because more 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:57.040 and more it seems like it's almost they're the PGA 0:02:57.120 --> 0:02:59.760 Tour rankings as opposed to the world rankings. 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:03.440 You know, Claude, first of all, thank you for having 0:03:03.480 --> 0:03:07.760 me with you on the podcast. I really, uh enjoy 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:11.800 it a lot whatever you do, apart from doctoring the 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:16.040 golf swing of so many people. But you know, Claude, 0:03:16.080 --> 0:03:22.200 before I start, I must say I've had a great 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:25.600 appreciation for what you have done, and I think that 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:29.799 has only grown in the last three weeks because I 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.760 saw you doubling up in pain and sitting in the 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:36.600 hotel room in Jeddah and you told me that you 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:39.120 have to go through an MRI scan for your back, 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:43.200 and yet you were there every day out on the 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:47.360 course walking around. I'm in man, that takes I'm doing. 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:51.640 It's part of it's for the job. I appreciate you 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:52.360 saying that. 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:56.400 But but but you, honestly, I mean that takes a 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.720 lot of commitment and dedication, you know, to to your players, 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:04.080 to all, and so I really honestly appreciate that. 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:07.200 I appreciate you saying that. But further to my point, 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:10.240 you've been a part of global golf right and there 0:04:10.280 --> 0:04:13.240 are a lot of people listening that I think they 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:17.679 are guilty at times that just seeing the PGA Tour 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:21.080 and golf in America, and from a professional standpoint, as 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:25.560 that is somewhat the end all be all, and part 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:28.320 of I think what has made the fabric of professional 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:31.960 golf over the last twenty five to thirty years. Who 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:36.280 has been the wider world If you look at all 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:38.480 of the great players that came out of the European 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.000 Tour back in the day that started winning all of 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:46.080 these majors, the fabric of professional golf is filled with 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:49.480 players that just aren't from the US and play on 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:53.000 the PGA Tour. But yet to a lot of people, 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:57.680 it seems like everything in professional golf is at the 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:02.160 moment revolving specific around the PGA Tour. 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:06.680 So that's the thing. Claude and that's where the article 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:10.880 came from. You know, the thing is that I can 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.480 understand p Die too, being one of the biggest does 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:14.039 in the world. 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:17.360 Listen, the PGA Tour is the benchmark. They always have been. 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:19.760 If you talk to anybody in the last thirty years, 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:23.880 the goal has been if you're not playing in America, 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.440 the goal was always top fifty because you knew if 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:28.680 you got inside the top fifty in the official World 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:30.720 of Golf rankings, you were going to get into all 0:05:30.720 --> 0:05:33.279 the majors. Then you were going to be eligible for 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:37.080 the big invites. From the likes of Bayhill, from the 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:41.000 likes of Memorial, from the likes of the old Honda, 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:42.120 you could get in there. 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:42.400 Yea. 0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:48.039 And it seems like right now, the way the world 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:50.400 rankings are set up, the only way you can move 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:53.520 up the world rankings right now is to basically play 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:56.680 full time on the PGA Tour. 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:57.080 Yeah. 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:02.479 So that Ludwig Aberg I mean a fantastic talent, like 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:07.599 an amazing, brilliant young talent. He's top ten in the world. 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:09.719 He's never played in a major, he's only been a 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:12.440 pro for less than a year, and he's won one 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:16.520 golf tournament in the wrap around in at the RSM 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:19.560 at the end of the year where there aren't the 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:22.360 best players play. Now, that's not to take away from 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:25.680 I think he is a future global superstar. I mean, 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:27.640 I think the kid is a stud, right. I think 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:30.240 he has big time game. I think we are going 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.279 to see his name for the next ten to fifteen years. 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:35.400 I think we're going to see his name on leader 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:39.039 boards on Sundays, on the back nine in major championships. 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.000 That's how good of a player he is. But when 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.840 you have guys that are major champions in the you 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:48.800 know you got to go. I mean, Ludwig is higher 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:52.279 rank than Brooks Keepka and Brooks has won four or 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:55.000 five tournaments in the last two years. One of them 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:56.480 is a major championship. 0:06:56.920 --> 0:07:01.320 Yeah, so Ludwig is a great example of what the 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:04.960 world golf has to offer. You know, if he's doing 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:09.560 so well and vowing the fans on the pediatur, let's 0:07:09.600 --> 0:07:12.720 not forget his roots. He's not from the US and 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:16.520 there are so many other players like Tom Kim. Tom Kim, I. 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:18.520 Had Chouman sat on my podcast a couple of years 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:21.040 ago and we were talking about the rise of Tom 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:23.480 and what a great story, right, I mean, he is 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:27.480 such a talent, He's got a smile that's incredibly infected. 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:30.000 I mean, I just I love being around him. But 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:34.080 we won't see his story happen again. We won't see 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:37.360 a kid be able to come from where he came from, 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:42.120 go to the Asian Tour, play some Korean PGA stuff, 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:46.880 then get to the DP World and then somehow managed 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:48.800 to get to the If you're. 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:49.720 Not that's not happening. 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:51.920 That's not happening anymore. And that's what I don't think 0:07:51.960 --> 0:07:55.000 a lot of people realize is stories like Tom Kim. 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:56.840 I think Tom's been one of the great stories in 0:07:56.840 --> 0:07:59.520 the last two or three years. Yeah, but that won't 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:02.960 happen again. You won't see a player come from where 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:06.400 he came from and rise the way he has risen. 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:08.440 Just won't see it. 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:12.560 Yeah, so uh, Claude, just just from from where I 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:15.000 come from India. I mean, if I have to give 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:18.480 you an example, look at Jeeve Milka saying, you know, 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:22.560 when he won all those events in Asia on the 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:25.360 DP World Tour or European Tour as it used to be, 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:28.640 he got into the top fifty of the rankings and 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:31.120 he went into the majors, and there was so much 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:34.280 buzz about golf in the country. I remember in two 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:37.240 thousand and six to two thousand and eight there were 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:42.199 you know, performances of Jief which would upstage cricket from 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:44.800 the back page of the newspaper, which which is a 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:48.480 huge thing in India. And you know, I mean there 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:52.040 are so many stories like Jeef floating around. And look 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:56.079 at that young kid den with Boribun sub of Thailand 0:08:56.440 --> 0:08:59.559 winning three tournaments just nineteen years of age. He is 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:02.560 another dunkin and the making. But really get to the 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:06.240 pdiador now, really get to the majors. I have serious 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:09.840 doubts because even if he wins five tournaments this year, 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:13.080 he will not get into the top fifty. The way 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:16.440 the world rankings are functioning right now. 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:20.280 Why do you think there has been a reluction of 0:09:20.320 --> 0:09:24.040 reluctance from the governing bodies in the world rankings. With 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:28.679 the world rankings, because you've got the one side, You've 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:30.480 got the people saying listen, the people that signed up 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:32.720 that went to live, they knew what they were getting into. 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:34.800 They knew they weren't going to get any world ranking points. 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.800 They only play fifty four holes. There's no cuts. For 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:43.240 all the reasons why everyone is against the World Rankings 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:48.480 making a change, but the charter of the World Rankings 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:51.600 is to rank the best players in the world. Absolutely, 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:54.320 And I think there is an argument on the other side. 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:57.640 Everybody says, listen, the guys that went to Live they 0:09:57.720 --> 0:09:59.320 knew they weren't going to get World Rankings, so they 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:01.840 can't complain in the took the money. But I also 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:05.960 think there is another argument to where it's the official 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:09.760 World Golf Rankings job and in their charter to rank 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:12.800 the best players. And what I can't figure out, Joys, 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:17.319 We've got this, We've got this unbelievable talent. Ludwig Augberg, right, 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:21.160 gets on the PGA Tour, gets on the Ryder Cup, 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:25.240 has his breakout. Right, he came out of a system, 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:29.360 the college system, right, which is fifty four holes. There's 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:33.640 no cut. The coach basically picks the team every week. 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:36.959 You can't call John Fields at the University of Texas 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.760 or Conray Conrad Ray at Stanford and say, listen, I'm 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:42.960 a junior golfer. I want to qualify for the Stanford 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:45.160 golf team. He would say, well, no, we would have 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:49.640 to recruit you to come play for Stanford, and then 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.040 if you're really one of the best players amateurs in 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:54.600 the world, they basically give you a four year full 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:58.480 scholarship and pay for your entire education. So by the 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:01.960 time you get done going to Stanford for four years, 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:05.960 that's upwards of over two hundred to three hundred thousand 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:10.440 dollars they're paying you to go there. So somehow, some way, 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:13.520 the PGA Tour figured out a way to have someone 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.720 that is basically only playing fifty four holes events with 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:21.680 no cut they're limited fields. The coach kind of picks 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:25.360 the team. There's no pathway on or off. Somehow we 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:27.360 figured out a way to make sure that the best 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:30.840 person to come out of the US college system get safe. 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.280 And every week on the US college system there's an 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:36.720 individual winner. Yeah, there's a team winner every single week. 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:39.200 So they figured out a way to make sure the 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:42.679 best players coming out of that system could get immediately 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:46.280 onto the PGA too. Somehow they figured that out. But 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.560 nobody can figure out a way to get lib guys 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:54.839 or change the world rankings to reflect where the game 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.320 is today. And I thought John Rahm's comments last week, 0:11:57.559 --> 0:12:01.200 and I was blown away by Billy Horschel's comments this 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:04.720 week about the eye test that you can tell who 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.120 the best players in the world are. So if you 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:10.360 have guys like Billy Horschel saying you can tell who 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:13.160 the best players in the world are, and maybe the 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:18.120 Players Championship should start letting in players that they're not 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:20.920 letting in. You've got John rom saying, listen, everybody knows 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:23.559 who the best players in the world are. Is it 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:27.320 an incumbent upon the official World Golf ranks and say, okay, 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:30.960 it's our job to rank the best players in the 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:33.800 world in the game of golf, or is it just 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:37.040 our job to rank the best players that are going 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:40.199 to be playing on the biggest tour, on the PGA Tour, 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:44.000 And listen, the PGA Tour is the show. Nobody's arguing that, right, 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:47.720 that is everybody's goal. That has always been everyone's goal. 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:53.280 But everything in life changes, and you still remember that 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.920 in the eighties, the official World Golf Rankings were set 0:12:56.960 --> 0:13:03.240 up by a management company basically, and once Nick Faldo, 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:08.360 Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard, once these players started winning 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:12.719 majors and started being global superstars, they had to come 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.080 up with a way to try and incorporate all of 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:20.079 this should that be happening now, regardless of what side 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:21.960 you're on. And this is the other thing joy that 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:25.160 don't I don't get why do you have to choose? 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:29.640 I think jame Onahan the one thing that and I 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:31.760 would say this to him if I saw him, that 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:34.320 I think he's guilty of. Is he was the one 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:36.600 that saying no, no, you have to choose between the PGA 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:39.360 to or or live or everything else. You have to 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:42.079 make a stance and choose. Why do you have to 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:44.040 choose that? I mean, you don't have to choose. You 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:46.840 will watch golf. And I've been saying this. There's golf 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:51.200 in Asia, there's golf in Europe, there's golf, and all 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:53.600 over the world. Now you can choose to watch golf 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:56.559 wherever you want to watch it at. 0:13:56.800 --> 0:14:01.160 You know what the argument about the w U, the 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:04.720 charter with which they set up the world ranking system, 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:07.800 I think if you just look at that and the 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:11.120 way things are moving right now, you actually have a 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:14.640 case of saying that something which is equally important to golf, 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:19.680 which is the World Amateur Golf ranking is actually based 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:23.080 on UH is not valid. You know, I mean, if 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:24.840 you just if you just look at what the wo 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.440 WGR is saying. As as you rightly pointed out, these 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:31.120 are based mostly on team events which have got an 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:35.520 individual you know, title to be one, and the World 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:41.760 Amateur Golf Ranking is the benchmark for the best amateurs 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:42.960 in the world from where. 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:46.400 If you want to play college golf, the Official World 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:50.400 Golf Rankings for juniors and amateurs is a way that 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:55.400 college golf coaches are going to differentiate. You rank you 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:58.560 figure out which ones you're going to come so everybody 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:00.800 wagger is is the way they do that. But that 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:05.120 is closely aligned with the way that the Official World 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:08.360 Golf Rankings are. I guess the obvious question, Joy is 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:10.720 is there a solution? And if there is, what do 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:16.240 you feel like is a real equitable solution, Because as 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:21.880 soon as there doesn't seem to be any wiggle room, 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:26.880 you're either PGA Tour or you think there's a place 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:30.480 for lift. And I just don't get why it has 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:31.080 to be like that. 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:34.840 See, I can't understand why lif can't be given the 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:37.880 ranking points. Are you trying to say that the fifty 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:40.840 four players who are among the best in the world 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:44.280 are cheats? That they are going to you know, take 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:47.560 take into consideration things like, oh, my team has to win, 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:51.160 so maybe I should he's going to win the title. 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:53.720 I'm not going to make up, but these things are 0:15:53.800 --> 0:15:56.760 not happening. And you have been around all these tournaments. 0:15:56.840 --> 0:16:00.120 I've been to about fifteen tournaments in the last three 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:04.320 I see each and every player fighting for that individual 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.240 title as well and the great joy that the team 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:11.200 championship brings at the end of it. Either you are 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:14.480 saying that these fifty four guys are liars, they don't 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:19.560 have the integrity, which is not correct at all. And 0:16:20.320 --> 0:16:24.240 you know, so the way forward I think Claude is 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:29.000 that Live should be given ranking points as my belief, 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:32.080 whether it is seventy five percon because they play a 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:36.120 three day tournament of the actual field rating size. That's 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:39.400 that's one way to go forward. Live has proved that 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.840 it is. It is financially stable, it has been going 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:45.800 on for two and a half years now. It has 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.960 it has got it has done everything that a golf 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:51.880 tour needs to do. It has a promotions event, it 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:56.840 has got telecast. I know how a smaller tour applies 0:16:56.960 --> 0:17:00.480 for you know, owg are recognition, and some of the 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.240 things that the wou WGR looks at is are they 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:08.000 financially stable? Are they doing enough? You know, is there 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:11.280 a Q school. I was part of Miner Tour when 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:15.119 it had applied for you know, the World Golf ranking, 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:17.840 And these were some of the things that were asked 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:19.840 by the WOULD back in the. 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:20.720 Yeah, for sure. 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:25.399 And so why why should those criterias changed? You know? 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:30.000 So I think would lift should be given a ranking facility. 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:33.560 Whether it is from retrospective effect or not, that's that's 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:38.040 another matter altogether. That's up for argument with them. I 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.399 think they should be given with the retrospective effect, but 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:47.160 also their needs. They've given this bonus points to the 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:50.840 to the multiple winners of different tours, if they win 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.440 multi you know, three or four tournaments in a year. 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:57.800 I think it should be including the top five players, 0:17:57.800 --> 0:17:59.840 not to that extent that you know, you give for 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:04.240 points more, but the fifth place player should be given 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:06.720 a little bit more extra point because at the moment 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:10.760 it is like zero point zero seven three points for 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:16.439 somebody who went, say comes forth on an Indian pediator event. 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:20.160 What difference does it make? Don't give them the points? 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:24.280 And that is the reason why because if any of 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:27.840 these smaller tour players they have any aspirations to go 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:30.359 and play on a bigger tour or to go to 0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:34.160 the pediator, to go to the majors, owdr is the 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:35.720 only way out right now. 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:42.000 A lot of the players that went to Live you know, 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.600 are coming from the PGA Tour system, right and so 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.320 I think a lot of people look and they say, 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:51.320 you know, money, money, money, money, but you live, You're 0:18:51.320 --> 0:18:55.720 from India, you have championed and reported on all of 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:58.520 the various tours around the world. The only way any 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:03.720 of those new entity survive is money. The only way 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:07.919 that golf grows. We're here in Macau this week. The 0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:11.360 only way golf grows in Asia is money. That's why 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:14.959 the PGA Tour wanted to partner and did the PGA 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:19.120 Tour China to try and the influx of money through 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:23.880 the International Series and through the Asian Tours partnership would live. 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:28.600 They have gotten an influx of of money to help 0:19:28.800 --> 0:19:33.080 try and promote the game in regions that are very, 0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:36.880 very different than Piga. You know, this tournament this week 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:39.600 in Macau, I wish some of the guys from you know, 0:19:39.720 --> 0:19:42.320 no laying up and the barstool guys that are so 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:46.119 so pro PGA Tour and anti lip I wish they 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:50.119 would come to tournaments like this and see that this 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:53.080 is where golf is growing, right, I mean, how many 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:55.840 different nationalities do you think are playing this week here 0:19:56.400 --> 0:19:59.920 in Macau? It's got to be thirty eight thirty eight different. 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:05.480 And so when everybody talks about growing the game, we're 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:07.959 not going to grow the game at Memorial. We're not 0:20:08.000 --> 0:20:13.080 going to grow the game at Riviera. The game gets 0:20:13.080 --> 0:20:17.399 grown by giving players from thirty eight different nationalities and 0:20:17.520 --> 0:20:20.320 opportunity to play. And you know, I mean, what's first 0:20:20.400 --> 0:20:23.480 prize here this week? Less than four hundred thousand? Yeah, 0:20:23.520 --> 0:20:26.040 I mean, you finish top ten this week and you 0:20:26.119 --> 0:20:29.879 finish tied, You're you're not taking home a lot of money. 0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:34.040 There's no free dry cleaning and courtesy cars like there 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:37.399 are here. And the reason why the PGA Tour is 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:41.159 the juggernaut that it is is money. Yeah, is the 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:45.399 investment from the sponsors. That's That's what I don't get 0:20:45.960 --> 0:20:49.880 about this whole argument where everybody's talking about money this 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:51.800 and money that. I mean, Joey, you and I have 0:20:51.880 --> 0:20:56.800 known and it's funny since the advent of Live. For 0:20:56.880 --> 0:20:58.960 those of us that have been around international golf in 0:20:59.000 --> 0:21:02.320 europeon were like, you guys, do realize the dirty secret? 0:21:02.680 --> 0:21:06.320 The European is based European Tour for years and Asia 0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:09.359 was basically where you went if you were a major 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:14.000 champion to cash out, you went to the Middle East. 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:17.440 You went to Asia because you know they would pay 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:21.439 you massive appearance fees. I remember that year Jordan Speith 0:21:21.480 --> 0:21:23.639 had that breakout year. Where do you go, all of 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:26.200 a sudden he's playing in Singapore, then the following week 0:21:26.240 --> 0:21:28.680 he's playing in Abadhabi. Is he doing that out of 0:21:28.720 --> 0:21:32.400 the goodness of his oh's heart? Hell no, He's doing 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:35.399 that because they paid And I know you don't have 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:37.800 a problem with that. I don't have a problem with that. 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:41.440 When Justin Thomas won a major, where was he Abadabi? 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:45.199 Why because they paid him? And I think as a 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:47.960 professional golfer and a professional athlete, if you're one of 0:21:48.000 --> 0:21:50.800 the best players in the world, if you're winning majors, 0:21:51.359 --> 0:21:56.360 that is the perk. I mean, yes, the tournament in Germany. Porsche, 0:21:56.800 --> 0:21:59.400 why are they getting American players to come there? Because 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:01.800 they're letting them design their own Porsches and ship them 0:22:01.800 --> 0:22:04.120 back to the United States. They're not going over there 0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:06.600 for any other reason. They're not going because they want 0:22:06.600 --> 0:22:09.480 to play golf in Germany the week after the US Open. 0:22:10.000 --> 0:22:15.719 They're going because a corporation gets a jet flies it 0:22:15.760 --> 0:22:17.600 to wherever they're playing at the US Open. And then 0:22:17.640 --> 0:22:19.159 all the guys that are going to go play this 0:22:19.240 --> 0:22:21.520 tournament in Europe and they're all getting paid to go there, 0:22:21.680 --> 0:22:24.320 they all get on the corporate jet. Now, you and 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:26.520 I have watched how long has been going on? Twenty years, 0:22:26.920 --> 0:22:28.080 twenty five years. 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:30.520 More than that. More than that, I think Sevy was 0:22:30.560 --> 0:22:34.520 the first one who really demanded that. See, the thing is, 0:22:34.560 --> 0:22:37.280 if you're good at something, you need to be paid. 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:41.680 I mean, if I am a good writer, and if 0:22:41.720 --> 0:22:44.600 you ask me to just do it for free, is 0:22:44.880 --> 0:22:48.679 it proper? Is that fair? It is not. I've worked 0:22:48.680 --> 0:22:52.720 hard for my craft and these players have bugged their 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:53.680