Paul Azinger criticizes European Tour… and he has a point
Paul Azinger has caught some heat since making comments about Tommy Fleetwood and the European Tour.
During the final round of the Honda Classic, Paul Azinger made some comments about Tommy Fleetwood and the European Tour. He seemed to downplay the importance of winning anywhere other than the PGA Tour and added that it was likely making it a bit tougher for Fleetwood every time he was in contention.
"“These guys know, you can win all you want on the European Tour, the international game and all that, but you have to win on the PGA Tour… they all know that, and I think Tommy knows that. And it’s put a little pressure on Tommy, but this is where they want to be. They want to come here and prove they can make it at this level.”"
Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood were two of the larger names to take issue with what Paul Azinger said about Tommy Fleetwood and the European Tour. Both men took to Twitter to voice their displeasure and disagreement with what Azinger said.
I like @PaulAzinger a lot. And get on with him great. But Paul please do not condescend or disrespect the @EuropeanTour and our players like that. We have slapped your arse in Ryder Cup for so long 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆I know you captained a win but seriously that was embarrassing today.
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 2, 2020
Whereas Lee Westwood talked a bit about the possible two-faced nature that he saw from Zinger.
One minute Paul walks down the range wishing you good luck before you play the next he’s condescending to the tour you play on and disrespects the tournaments you’ve won around the world. I’ve won in 19 different countries over 4 decades. That is disrespecting a lot of people!
— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) March 2, 2020
Neither one of them were all that happy with Azinger. It makes sense for Westwood, who has over 40 career wins, but only two of which came on the PGA Tour. Which in a way, further cements the point that Azinger made.
The PGA Tour is the highest level of golf that there is, and that seems to be what Azinger was getting at. I wouldn’t make the comparison between the PGA Tour and the European Tour to that of MLB and Triple-A baseball, as it is probably closer to differing leagues in the world of soccer (one that I am not that familiar with, but it’s the only other pro sport that seems to have an apt comparison).
The European Tour is definitely still one that is quite important, and any accomplishments that are earned there are ones that you should be proud of. The ultimate goal is the PGA Tour though.
"“…professional golfers choke for two things: cash and prestige. And the PGA Tour has the most of both.”"
That’s what it comes down to. Money and prestige. Look at how much players earn on the European Tour for winning events compared to the PGA Tour, and you’ll notice a large difference. I know a good amount about golf, and I didn’t even realize the discrepancy in payouts for winning in each Tour.
More from Pro Golf Now
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament
Take the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for example. It comes in as above average in terms of winnings and points available. Not as high as the Abu Dhabi HSBC, but still an important event. The winner only gets around $550,000 US Dollars.
Winning on the PGA Tour gets you anywhere from 2-3 times that number. The amount available is more akin to winning a secondary event, like the Puerto Rico Open that Viktor Hovland won in which he received $540,000.
Even the aforementioned Abu Dhabi event only nets the winner $1.16 million. That’s less than any standard event on the PGA Tour.
Then comes the other part of what Paul Azinger brought up. Prestige. What do you hear whenever anyone talks about a golfer’s career. PGA wins and majors. Not golf wins. Not Euro wins. PGA wins. Yes, you can look a bit deeper to try and find total career wins, or you can go and try and add them together as you are keeping track and making lists. When it comes down to it, people want to know how many times you won on the PGA Tour.
That is what a golfer’s career ends up being judged on. Go back to Westwood. We all know that he is a good golfer. Most don’t realize how many times he has won in his career. 40+ wins make for an incredibly impressive career. Tell the average fan that he has only won twice on the PGA Tour though, and they will wonder if he was as good as he could’ve been.
dark. Next. Tommy Fleetwood still looking for elusive first PGA Tour victory
Winning at any level is impressive. The higher the level, the more impressive it becomes. Which is why what Paul Azinger said wasn’t wrong. It was just the way he said it that was wrong.