Golf is desperately trying to widen its fan base. This is evident in equipment advances, rules changes, broadcast coverage, apparel, and new venues and competitions. This week's World Super 6 Perth is constructed in this vein, pushing the limits of tournament construction.
The event -- co-sanctioned by the European Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour -- begins like most professional tournaments: the top 65 players and ties after two days of stroke play make the weekend. However, here is where the World Super 6 takes a turn. The 65 remaining players are vying to be in the low 24 that advance to Sunday match play. The top eight players after 54 holes earn a bye to the "Sweet 16." And instead of your typical 18-hole competitions, the matches are played over six holes.
The tournament does boast names like Alex Noren, Louis Oosthuizen and U.S. Amateur champ/native Australian Curtis Luck. However, most of the European Tour's notable players are skipping the event, and the tournament's marquee attraction, Patrick Reed, dropped out a few weeks ago.
Their absence has raised the question: is the conservative golf world ready for an innovative format?
To the players in attendance, the competition is not a gimmick, but a wave of welcomed fresh air.
"I think it's great that we try new things and I think it's going to be exciting for the crowds and nice for the TV viewers too," Noren said to Sky Sports. "I think anything where the crowd experiences a new way for us to play the game is good."
Luck, who calls Perch his hometown, echoed these sentiments.
"I think the format is a great idea and a great concept," he told Sky Sports. "I hope the crowd gets behind it and it should be a fantastic week."
European Tour CEO Keith Pelley is a champion of modernization, meaning more ideas are likely in the pipeline. Conversely, this weekend will be a litmus test for the spread -- and ultimate fruition -- of such designs across the globe.
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