The PGA Tour of the USA announced this week that it had acquired the Canadian PGA Tour and would now list it as PGA Tour Canada on November 1st, beginning play as such in 2013. Not only does it meant that the web address cantourdotcom will soon be up for grabs, but also that the USA PGA Tour has positioned itself (hated expression #1) to match any challenge that other combined tours might offer in the future.
If you weren’t aware, the USA PGA Tour also acquired the Tour de las Americas and rebranded it (hated expression #2) as PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2012. Why the hemespheric game of RISK? Take a look around the world and learn exactly how golf tours operate. The European PGA Tour includes co-sponsored events with Africa and Asia. The Asian tours (there are two, Asian and OneAsia) cooperate with the PGA Tour of Australia. What we are seeing is the end of the age of awareness and the beginning of an era of oligarchs.
Is it far-fetched to imagine that the European Tour might one day acquire the South African PGA Tour, creating a Eurafrican Tour? Not any more. Australasia PGA Tour? Certainly. The JGTO of Japan continues to operate independently and the jury is way out on the roll that China will play in this 21st century of international golf tours.
For now, the USA PGA Tour seems to have gone as far as it can go in this power play. The hemisphere belongs to Ponte Vedra, Florida. A year-round schedule for both top- and second-tier professional golfers is ensured. Now Tim Finchem and his advisers will wait and watch the play of the next hand from this deck of cards.
