LPGA and PGA to create a mixed team event starting in 2023
The GIST: The LPGA and PGA will soon hit the putting green together. According to a Monday report, the QBE Shootout will become a mixed team event starting next year, an initial step towards the PGA’s longstanding aim to organize more competitions featuring the best female and male golfers.
The details: Neither the format nor qualification path are confirmed yet, but players were briefed about the update during a meeting in the Bahamas last week. The year-end competition in Florida would be the first mixed event on tour since the JCPenney Classic in 1999. *golf clap*
- The QBE Shootout may need to increase its $3.6 million prize purse to attract top talent and avoid the JCPenney Classic’s fate — it exited the tour schedule because the sport’s best opted out.
The trend: Golf’s not the only sport trying out the joint approach. The 2023 tennis schedule will open with Australia’s United Cup, a mixed team event featuring WTA and ATP players from 18 countries. The teams will play in three cities down under before heading to January’s Australian Open in Melbourne.
- The LPGA and PGA’s collab aligns with demand from the sport’s fanbase. “I think it’s something that needed to be done for quite a while,” PGA world No. 18 Billy Horschel said. “The fans want to see more team events, see something different.”
Zooming out: Sharing resources and audiences should help both sports bodies bolster their relevance. The PGA’s capital and recognition will build the LPGA’s brand, while the LPGA can help the PGA capture a quickly growing female base. Balance is key.
- Plus, the best defense is a good offense. Joining forces just may be the organizations’ best tactic to fend off LIV Golf, whose financial mettle is undisputed but faces an uphill branding battle due to that little thing called sportswashing.
