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Why John Henry investing in the PGA Tour could be good for golf

               Yes I’ll admit I’m drinking the Kool-Aid a little bit as someone who is a diehard golf fan. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic…

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 26: Chairman of the Boston Red Sox Tom Werner and principle owner John Henry walk on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 26, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 26: Chairman of the Boston Red Sox Tom Werner and principle owner John Henry walk on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 26, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

               Yes I’ll admit I’m drinking the Kool-Aid a little bit as someone who is a diehard golf fan. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic but I do think there are numerous reasons to be excited if you’re a golf fan about John Henry and other investors investing $1.5 billion dollars into the PGA TOUR. Now Red Sox fans aren’t gonna want to hear this, but John Henry is a successful sports owner. Say what you want about the Red Sox now and how John Henry currently operates the team. However there is no denying that when John Henry invests in something it succeeds especially early on.

      We all know the history behind the Red Sox, and what happened when John Henry bought the team ending the curse and the drought bringing four titles to Boston. Henry did this again when he bought Liverpool and ended their drought getting them back to the top of the premier league. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend to be some expert on Roush Fenway racing but John Henry doesn’t invest his money to lose it. Henry is not alone in this investment either the owner of the Celtics Wyc Grousbeck and the owner of the Mets Steve Cohen are also involved in the investment. Two businessmen who have proven their worth inside and out of sports.

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So maybe I am being a little overly optimistic, but the PGA TOUR has needed a shake up and an influx of money for a while now. The golf world has been flipped on its head by the LIV tour forcing the PGA to make changes. As someone who loves golf as a whole, I’ve tried to give LIV golf a chance but the whole thing just seems like a bad infomercial that’s extremely gimmicky. From the weird team names, and the team format in general. Which isn’t what golf is or should be except for in special circumstances. To the large sums of money that no real fan cares about that's turned a lot of people off to the sport.

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Reasons to be optimistic:

     So now you’re saying why would you care about the PGA TOUR getting a ton of money and more golfers getting rich. For me, this is simple the PGA TOUR has been run as a nonprofit organization in the past. Now with John Henry and other investors getting involved it will be run for profit. Forcing the PGA TOUR to make changes that benefit the viewer and consumer of their product.

The biggest problem for a long time with golf is actually watching golf. The tour has made it hard to watch golf on Thursdays and Fridays and even at times on the weekends. The biggest gripe a lot of golf fans have is you simply don’t see enough golf shots during the broadcast. Now do I know John Henry’s gonna for sure fix any of this no. But I’m operating under the belief that John Henry is a smart businessman. Something Red Sox fans will probably disagree with, but he is a savvy businessman. Which is why I expect him to make changes to the PGA TOUR to make it a more consumer friendly product.

    Fans will rightfully be skeptical of these changes and could be turned off by the influx of money going to the golfers. For me it's not about the money though it's about the product golf needs to be more welcoming to it's viewers and find a broader audience if it wants to continue to strive and survive. Am I blindly trusting John Henry to fix all of this... no I'm not but I am optimistic that this is a step in the right direction to improve the product for it's consumers.

Listen to Joe Murray 6-11 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow on X @JoeyMurr and Instagram @ImJoeMurray keep up with the show!

James Scaramozzino is the producer of the Joe Murray show weeknights on the Sports Hub. James is a graduate of Bridgewater State University and the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. An avid sports fan who was always obsessed with sports radio, he started on the Sports Hub’s street team. Then started working overnights at the station and filling in on any show that needed him. James has produced Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots games to go along with filling in producing every show on the station when needed. James writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.