00:00On the topic of 2028, actually, there are a few kind of other, you know, as we talk about the
00:06players that are in those 50, 70, 100 positions and where they would be in the structure of the new
00:11Championship Challenger Series in 2028.
00:14There also has been additional reporting on new sponsors, new events, purse sizes in the last week.
00:19I think it's worth touching on as we kind of move out of that section.
00:22So Sampo, a Japanese, I hope I'm saying that right, a Japanese insurance company, they're going to take over what
00:28was formerly the ProCore Championship, the event in Napa, for just like a one-year placeholder deal.
00:33It's going to be a full field event in July 2027, and then they're going to be one of the
00:3815 event like Championship Series.
00:40So 15 of those events, not including the four majors and the playoffs and the players, and that's how you
00:47get to the 23 to 24 event number that Brian Rolaps discussed a number of times.
00:51And so that event that they'll be sponsoring in 2028 will either be in San Francisco, Seattle, or Denver.
00:58So interesting news there.
01:00I also thought it was interesting seeing Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard this past week talk about the rumored per championship
01:07purse numbers, which he's heard is between $33 million to $37 million.
01:11And in his report, he called the tournament director, and the response he got when he gave him that number
01:16was, woof.
01:16So, Smiley, I think you and I, we've talked about this on the show.
01:22We've said basically, Liv was a competitor in this space, and they contributed to a lot of the elevation of
01:30money in the game, purse sizes, guaranteed money for these guys.
01:34And I think it was your belief, and really, we shared it, that with the kind of decline and removal
01:40of Liv in a lot of ways, maybe those purse sizes come back down to more sustainable levels.
01:47$33 million to $37 million, that feels like it's going the other direction.
01:52Well, I mean, if they're able to get it, that's impressive, man.
01:57You got to give the PGA Tour a ton of credit, like their sales team and just the way in
02:01which they're selling this championship series and how series, I should say, the championship league and how it's going to
02:08elevate the product beyond where it's been over the last several decades and post-Tiger era, right?
02:15Like, they've gone to a point now where we haven't had a Tiger Woods playing, and, you know, what's the
02:21last time it felt like Tiger was really playing?
02:241920, right around there.
02:25So, we're five, six years removed from, like, Tiger playing consistently on the PGA Tour.
02:30Now, we've had a star in Scotty Scheffler that has come on the scene and has definitely drawn crowds like
02:37you wouldn't believe.
02:38I've seen it firsthand, and it's growing every single week.
02:41But we've had more and more stars.
02:43You've had Netflix.
02:44You've had a bunch of different avenues in which fans have gotten more engaged into the game.
02:51The game has never been more popular.
02:54And I think companies want to be involved in the game of golf when it comes to a marketing and
03:01sales standpoint.
03:02You're reaching the demographic a lot of times that these companies are wanting to have their clientele with.
03:08And now, is it worth that number at $33 million, like you said?
03:13Like, that's a big chunk of a, I imagine what their budget would be for a lot of places.
03:19Now, these are big, big type corporations that have $100 million marketing budgets, I imagine.
03:25But still to put a huge chunk towards just a one PGA Tour event that could have weather problems, or
03:33Rory McIlroy might not show up, or whatever it might be,
03:36to where you think you're getting all of the best players there, and theoretically you are.
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