PGA: How are the starting times determined...

[By-Tor]

How are the starting times determined for the first two rounds?

- Curious

[shemp]

My understanding is some smart guy tries to find a balance of marquis names in both cohorts and spread throughout so that afternoon tee times on both thursday and friday will have groups that will be good for television. A couple may be determined by tradition. A couple by whimsy.

There are two balancing priorites. One is being fair to the field. As the Thurs PM and Fri AM (modulo the forecast) is generally thought of as desireable by the player --so the same guy always getting that would seem unfair. And two, try and make it good for TV, both with interesting pairings, but also, with players spread out.

The golf mags every several years or so seem to have an article on this...

[tuq]

shemp,

I think you mostly nailed it, but it's worth noting that the big-name players always go off in the middle of each pack. You'll never see a top-50 or maybe even top-100 player in the first or last couple groups. This almost has to be for reasons related to the telecast, because if pros had their pick they would probably choose to go off as early as possible.

[shemp]

"You'll never see a top-50 or maybe even top-100 player in the first or last couple groups."

Tiger is in the second to last group on Friday at the first round of the Deutsche Bank. I think it would depend on when the telecast intersects with the starting times -- which might be different depending on time of year and time zone. And there is too, a responsibility to the field as well as the broadcaster. So I wouldn't say "never."

[tuq]

shemp,

FU. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Seriously, I've seen a ton of pairing sheets in my time - particularly when they come to Phoenix - and I've never seen a tournament (or at least a non-major) in which a big name is remotely near the fringes of the tee times. So, news to me.

[JTrout]

In a full-field event, the best go off in the middle, the guys you've kind of heard of go off first, and the rif-raf bring in the flags.

[HDPM]

I don't know all the details, but winners are put together and get tee times more in the middle of the Am or PM times usually I think. You always have one AM and one PM time the first two days. 3 non winners are going to get the 7:00 tee time. I don't know exactly how the tour does the pairings aside from winners/non winners, i.e. how far the status goes. So you see when Annika or Michelle play, they get paired with non winners, not Tiger. The majors are different naturally, see the PGA pairing w/ the year's major winners, the USGA's "jerk" pairing, the masters putting the defending champ w/ amateur champ. I think the tour randomizes more, and I don't know how the status changes from a non winner who has made a lot of money vs. a guy with a very low exemption category, say Padraig Harrington before he won vs. Lance Ten Broeck on a made some cuts a while ago and only 149 guys signed up this week entry.