Winter storms, power outages, cancellations and an early end to the “golf world gravitas”.
“It seems the organizers are trading a little bit of the levity for a big increase in golf world gravitas,” said O’Keefe. “Making it a bigger and more serious golf world event. That will only benefit Pebble Beach and Monterey County’s tourism economy in the long run.”
O’Keefe explained that the new format should have a two-tier benefit starting with the broadening of the audience of serious golf fans who will attend, and secondly, the broadening of the broadcast audience with fans tuning in from the across the country and around the globe. He sees the tournament as “a gorgeous postcard of Monterey County broadcast” on all kinds of screens around the world.