Danny Willett slams floodlit golf idea

Floodtlit golf tournaments? A bit of much needed razzle dazzle for the glorious game? Sounds like a winner to us here at GP Towers. Anything to switch it up a bit.

"Pelley, you're totally insane..."

I mean, we got excited enough about the roof top tee at the 16th at Regnum Carya for this week's Turkish Airlines Open.

European Tour Chief Keith Pelley confirmed on Thursday that the European Tour would "definitely" stage a floodlit event of some kind next year after experiencing the possibilities first hand at the Regnum Carya Golf and Spa Resort, which is hosting this week's Turkish Airlines Open.

"I played six holes under the lights the other night and it was spectacular. It was incredible," Pelley said.

"There was a little three-hole match with Haydn Porteous and Brandon Stone last night and we will definitely do something live under the lights next year.

"I think you would get buy-in from 95 per cent of the actual players. It is different though with the shadows and if somebody's eyesight is not 100 per cent then they might push back, but we will definitely have a competition for money under the lights next year.

"I would say nothing is impossible. It gets dark at six so I don't know. Anything is possible."

This idea hasn't gone down quite so well with Masters Champion Danny Willett though. In fact he branded the idea "useless" and claimed that it would be too difficult to read the greens. What's he expecting, the floodlights to keep going out?

"That would be a useless idea," Willett said. "It would be okay for a giggle but not for a real tournament and Race to Dubai money."

For my money, Pelley is on to something here. And let's face it, golf needs ideas like this, something to get some much needed attention to the game. Cricket managed to overcome doubts about floodlit games so why can't golf?

Dismissing ideas like this out of hand immediately isn't going to help anyone and at least Pelley is trying to reverse the 'shrug of the shoulder' mentality that has pervaded the game for too long. It's one of the reasons that most European Tour events are attended by the same man and the same dog week in week out. 

Related:

Danny Willett: All Back To My House!