Wednesday
Apr282010
The Mojo 6
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 04:09PM
On May 1st & 2nd CBS will air a truncated version of The Mojo 6 Tournament, an invitation-only LPGA event that was held on April 15-16 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The pernicious tape delay aside, this telecast is significant for several reasons. First off, this will be network coverage of an LPGA event. This alone is cause for celebration. The LPGA gets a pitiful amount of network coverage and any exposure the Tour receives is useful and appreciated. Almost without exception, LPGA events provide competition comparable to, and storylines superior to those of PGA Tour events. The ladies always put on a great show.
Secondly, the Mojo 6 introduces a new tournament format, Raceway Golf. The competition consists of six hole matches in which each hole is worth one point and the overall match is worth one point. So, for example, if player A wins all six holes in her match against player B, she would earn a total of seven points against player B's zero. Points are cumulative and determine seeding for each subsequent round of matches. Day 1 begins with sixteen players. For the first round of matches, the top seven seeds choose their opponent from the lower seeds. But after the first round, seeds are determined by point totals, introducing the possibility that round one's top seed may find herself unseeded for rounds two and three. After three rounds of matches, the top eight point-getters move on to day 2. The remaining players are seed, bracket style, for the remainder of the competition and play single elimination matches until the champion, the player who is able to win three straight matches, emerges.
Thirdly, The Mojo 6 serves as another stark reminder of how stale the PGA Tour product has become. The PGA Tour is absurdly wedded to the 72-hole stroke play format which is often as short on drama as the PGA Tour is short on entertainment. The basic PGA Tour event telecast appeals only to golf junkies who enjoy the Konica-Minolta-STP-Wood Brothers-Swingvision Camera. The Mojo 6 should realistically appeal to all sports fans and to anyone who enjoys one-on-one competitions. Much of what is coming from the new LPGA headquarters in Daytona Beach should be heeded by the PGA Tour fat cats in Ponte Vedra. Even casual observers know, however, that that is a most unlikely occurrence.
So, as they say, check your local listings for The Mojo 6. If we golf fans are lucky, it just may be a glimpse into the future of televised golf.
Secondly, the Mojo 6 introduces a new tournament format, Raceway Golf. The competition consists of six hole matches in which each hole is worth one point and the overall match is worth one point. So, for example, if player A wins all six holes in her match against player B, she would earn a total of seven points against player B's zero. Points are cumulative and determine seeding for each subsequent round of matches. Day 1 begins with sixteen players. For the first round of matches, the top seven seeds choose their opponent from the lower seeds. But after the first round, seeds are determined by point totals, introducing the possibility that round one's top seed may find herself unseeded for rounds two and three. After three rounds of matches, the top eight point-getters move on to day 2. The remaining players are seed, bracket style, for the remainder of the competition and play single elimination matches until the champion, the player who is able to win three straight matches, emerges.
Thirdly, The Mojo 6 serves as another stark reminder of how stale the PGA Tour product has become. The PGA Tour is absurdly wedded to the 72-hole stroke play format which is often as short on drama as the PGA Tour is short on entertainment. The basic PGA Tour event telecast appeals only to golf junkies who enjoy the Konica-Minolta-STP-Wood Brothers-Swingvision Camera. The Mojo 6 should realistically appeal to all sports fans and to anyone who enjoys one-on-one competitions. Much of what is coming from the new LPGA headquarters in Daytona Beach should be heeded by the PGA Tour fat cats in Ponte Vedra. Even casual observers know, however, that that is a most unlikely occurrence.
So, as they say, check your local listings for The Mojo 6. If we golf fans are lucky, it just may be a glimpse into the future of televised golf.
in Golf
Golf
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