Capelle On Golf

You’ve no doubt heard the expression “follow the money.” In the case of TV, it’s “follow the ratings.” The networks primary goal over the first two days is to maximize viewership on Friday afternoon to build interest going into the weekend. The next priority is to bolster ratings on Thursday afternoon. TV accomplishes these goals by somehow influencing the pairings.

There are four combinations of pairings over the first two days as shown below. I ranked them according to the network’s priority. A is top billing, D is lowest in importance.

TV’s Order of Preference – The Star System
A Thursday 10 tee am – Friday 1 tee pm
B Thursday 1 tee pm – Friday 10 tee am
C Thursday 1 tee am – Friday 10 tee pm
D Thursday 10 tee pm – Friday 1 tee am

I assigned a letter to each of the top 36 players in the field using the World Golf Rankings based on their tee times. This is the top 25% of the 144 player field. I then broke the categories into three groups as shown by the table below. Ten of the top 12 players were in the top two groups, A and B. The As from the top 12 included Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Geoff Ogilvy, and Rory Sabbatini. First round leader Sergio Garcia is also a member of the A group.

Players in the B group were supposed to carry the day on Thursday afternoon. They included Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, K.J. Choi, Justin Rose, and Stewart Cink. Only Cink broke par with a 71 while the other five averaged 75.6. Luckily for TV the course, the commentary, and the exploits of lesser known players combined for a pleasurable afternoon of golf.

A–B–C–D
4—6—2—0—Top 12
3—1—2—6—Second 12
2—5—3—2—Third 12

For more on how TV and pairings effect a tournament, please see this post.