Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler, Managing Director of ISM was on the Golf Channel yesterday morning and I enjoyed his insight. His down home midlands accent and turn of phrase is very engaging, charming I believe Gary Williams said, but it belies a very sharp business acumen that has made his ISM company (International Sports Management) one of best in the business of taking care of pro's daily and long term affairs to let them concentrate on their sport performance.
He has 45 golfers in his stable, highest profilers include Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel, Lous Oosthuizen, Darren Clark and until recently Rory McIlroy who has decided to leave to get more attention with Horizon Sports.
When asked what he would do to improve the PGA Tour he said " play less events". He went on to expound that we are propping tournaments up, constantly struggling to find new sponsors and having to pay appearance fees to bring in star players to make the event a success.
His theory was to end the PGA season after the Fed Ex playoffs, eliminate the Fall Series to let the US players get out and travel the world and gain all that valuable experience and let the fans around the world see them.
As you may know the European, Asian and Australasian tours are just getting in full swing when the Fed Ex Cup wraps up in late September. The far East now has a WGC event in China as well as the World Cup which Kuchar and Woodland won this year worth $1.25M each and there are big tournaments in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore not to mention the middle east with the Race to Dubai finale.
Australia is calling with their Open, PGA and Masters and they are waiting with open chequebooks for PGA tour members to come and play.
The balance of power is now on the European Tour and around the world, and part of the reason that Schwartzel, McIlroy and Clarke did not show up for the TOC last week in Maui is because they were playing right up until Christmas in Dubai and won't be starting until the Abu Dhabi HSBC in UAE on January 26th.
Underlying Chubby's comments is the widely held opinion that US players have been in general a spoiled lot, playing in great weather on immaculately groomed courses, feted by sponsors and agents, playing just a short flight from home, everyone speaks English and food and currency are no challenge, unlike the rest of the world's golfers who have all these hurdles to jump, thus the popularity of Chubby and his staff at ISM and arguably the reason why the top ranked US pro is now Steve Stricker at #5 and only 3 (Johnson and Simpson) in the top 10, and also why the US is constantly drawing the short straw at the Ryder Cup..
Chubby also endorsed payment of appearance fees, long considered taboo on the PGA tour, and his insight here may have been unsettling for Tim Finchem and his staff . " Appearance fees have always been paid, all those guys aren't going to Abu Dhabi for no reason, even though Tiger is getting most of the money, and they are paid here in America as well"
He went on to describe what hits home here at our Canadian Open, the practice of big companies like Zurich and Canon and insert RBC who go out and sign up a stable of ambassadors to ensure those guys show up at the RBC events... So Freddie Couples, Ernie Els, Anthony Kim, Jim Furyk, will all be on the plane from Royal Lytham and St Annes to play at Hamilton the next week for the Canadian Open.
Ambassadors is a more PGA tour palatable way of saying appearance fees.
This week the European Tour is up on the high veld of Jo'Burg before coming down to the links at Fancourt next, while David Hearn and Graham Delaet join the PGA tours' first full field at the Sony on Oahu in Hawaii.
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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