Apparently The Forecaddie is not the only golfer struggling with what it means to “Live Under Par.”
During Tuesday night’s Player Advisory Council meeting at Riviera, discussion revolved around the usual mundane topics when Matt Kuchar asked what the deal was “with this PGA Tour Live under par thing.”
The Man Out Front hears the room erupted in laughter — Commish Jay Monahan excluded — before fellow PAC board members explained to Kuchar how PGA Tour Live and the “live under par” ad campaign are two very different things.
One executive who won’t be assigned to educate Kuchar is the architect of the almost-1-year-old campaign, PGA Tour Chief Marketing Officer Joe Arcuri. He is leaving after less than two years to become CEO of American Greetings, effective March 1. The longtime Procter & Gamble executive is the second big departure from Ponte Vedra’s headquarters in recent weeks, with content overseer Sloane Kelley moving to the United States Tennis Association.
Arcuri’s brief tenure will be remembered as long as the PGA Tour sticks with “Live Under Par,” a replacement slogan for “These Guys Are Good”. At the time of its rollout last March, Arcuri said Live Under Par was designed to help “future proof” the Tour by attracting new “fan segments”.
While The Forecaddie has no idea if such expansion has happened, one thing is certain after Kuchar’s PAC meeting comment: the campaign has a ways to go before it can be declared a success.
