PGA tour tee times

[Grass Roots Tour]

Are the tee times on the PGA tour REALLY drawn do you think ??

Some tournaments have "featured" pairings, according to announcers. Are these pairings assembled or were they by chance?

Do certain players get preferential treatment for their preferred tee times?


Im not making assumptions, just asking cause I make my pool picks from the pairing sheet and some players have contunually had similar times.

[SoNgMaN]

Are the tee times on the PGA tour REALLY drawn do you think ??

Some tournaments have "featured" pairings, according to announcers. Are these pairings assembled or were they by chance?

Do certain players get preferential treatment for their preferred tee times?


Im not making assumptions, just asking cause I make my pool picks from the pairing sheet and some players have contunually had similar times.

i wouldn't be suprised but are they not reversed on the friday?

[Grass Roots Tour]

Yeah but if you had 12:00 on Thurs you'd still have 12:00 on Friday. Even if they flip when you're in the middle, or thereabouts, your time will be relatively the same on Friday.

To me, thats an advantage.

[SoNgMaN]

Yeah but if you had 12:00 on Thurs you'd still have 12:00 on Friday. Even if they flip when you're in the middle, or thereabouts, your time will be relatively the same on Friday.

To me, thats an advantage.

one way to tell...when does tiger tee off?

[AnnikaFan]

Not, PGA..but the LPGA..but I"m sure they function similar..

but...I'll let Sophie Gustafson answer your question..she'll explain both how the tee time works and how the pairings work

taken from the mylpga.com forum...where you can post questions for Sophie and Karin Sjodin (two LPGA pros)..
http://www.mylpga.com/boards/showthread.php?t=783

Hi Soph,

First off, thanks for making yourself so available in this forum. It's great to be able to interact and see such candid responses from you...

I've always wondered how the first/second round pairings were decided. Obviously the latter round pairings are score based, but is there any logic to who is paired (or "tripped") together on the first and second rounds? I thought I heard one of the announcers at the Dinah mention that Michelle Wie had to start last on Friday because she was playing on an exemption. Not quite sure what the point of that is, as to me that sounds like an advantage. Either way the start times seem to have more logic than the pairings themselves.

So my main question is how they decide who plays with whom in the first two rounds. Surely it's not pure random, as at times there seems to be a "theme", especially on the men's tour. Any enlightenment you can share on the mysteries of early round paiirings would be greatly appreciated (plus why do they call them pairs even if they are playing in a group of three? :-)

Thx,
John

Hi John,

I can certainly try to explain it. I know a bit about it but not all the facts.

The tee times are divided up in A times and B times.

A times are the better times which reaches from approximately 8.40 am - 9-30 am and from 11.40 am - 12.30 pm. To get A times you have to be a tournament winner the last 3 (?) years, be somewhat high on the career money list (think it's top 40) or be fairly high on the current money list. I do believe that Hall of Fame members always get A pairing too...
Then unofficially there are super A pairings. That's basically manipulated A pairings. They put Annika with Paula to get a good crown going or they put Annika with some other hot new player..

B players get the rest of the times. They always have to get up the earliest and they always have to fight with the darkness early and late in the year.

Michelle Wie I don't think will ever get an A time as long as she is not a member.

The pairings at Dinah was a little different cause they didn't have as many A times available as they usually do. That made them have to modify the A times a little. The said tournament winners the last 2 year and top 40 from the career money list and then 2 from last years money list. Basically they could have manipulated it as they wanted to get the players the wanted in there...

Sometimes the TV even have a say in it. Like last year in Portland they wanted the Solheim players in the early part of the Friday telecast and the officials provided it for them. I guess they asked for American Solheim Cup players cause that was the only Solheim players that was early that day...

Hope that clears it up a little bit for you
Cheers
Soph

[Grass Roots Tour]

Ah HA! A scandel if I ever heard one! LMFAO!


Seriously tho, I didnt think they put THAT much thought into it.

[trunckslammer1]

Yes, even on the PGA tour they have the same sort of rules. If you go to the Canadian Open you will see the tier 2 players finishing late on Thursday and staring early on Friday. Like Davis Love said once before about discrimination with regards to invites only tournaments and things like this "Play Better"
Premium times are for the better players. It is also to cater to the people - both corporate as well as general public who pays to watch the better players live and do not want to get up at 7am to go watch the name players.

[Big Shooter]

At most tournaments where the field doesn't have all the top players, I have seen where they group the Biggest names around the same time, ostensibly 'cause they know that's who most of the crowd wants to follow.

Me, I like to follow a group with hardly any fans, 'cause you still see great shots, and sometimes they'll discuss shots with you. Tom Pernice and I talked during a round at Glen Abbey (and it was a Friday, and he was close to the cut-line)

[BowmanvilleJim]

I like your thinking Big Shooter. I would rather follow a less popular player and be able to get up close and see the shots. If I want to see Tiger or Mike Weir then I tune in and sit in my favourite chair with a beer.

[Daws]

Yeah but if you had 12:00 on Thurs you'd still have 12:00 on Friday. Even if they flip when you're in the middle, or thereabouts, your time will be relatively the same on Friday.

To me, thats an advantage.

Not true... They almost always double tee in two blocks. So there is an early set of times and a late set of times on Thurs/Fri. You get one early time and one late time.