European Tour: “Innovation Is The Key To Standing Out In The Golf Market”

May 21, 2019

The major tours in the fragmented world of golf should be working together to grow the game commercially, according to Rufus Hack, Chief Content Officer of the European Tour and the Ryder Cup.

But one area where “there will always be a natural competitive tension” is the scarce resource of top players, he said in this exclusive interview with iSportconnect.

The European Tour (which actually plays in 31 countries, not only in Europe) has three windows in the year when it provides a viable alternative for players from the American PGA Tour.

And starting this year, because of changes in the PGA Tour calendar, it looks especially strong from September with a great line-up expected for the BMW PGA Championship from September 19-22 at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, where iSportconnect TV filmed this exclusive interview.

“It’s not a question of how we compete with the PGA Tour, but how we divide up the golfing calendar,” he said.

In the interview with show host Darran Phillips, he said the European Tour has made innovation the focus of its efforts to create a stand-out identity in a crowded market.

This can range from producing quirky short-form content, introducing new formats like Golf Sixes.

Rufus also talks about the opportunities of the Ryder Cup, whose last edition in France was a smash hit by any standards, with 600 million viewing households and 21 billion social impressions.

One of the greatest things that the event has going for it is that “it really matters to the players.”

Enjoy the interview from Wentworth, which might make you want to get your golf clubs out.