Title
A Good Walk Foiled: Monopoly Power and Barriers to Entry into the PGA Tour
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2016
Publication Title
Managerial and Decision Economics
Volume
37
First Page
574
Last Page
584
Abstract
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. In order to explore whether the PGA Tour's 2013 qualifications amendments represent a meritocratic evolution or simply a monopolistic barrier to entry, this study compares the results of the 2014 PGA Tour to those of the Web.com Tour. Upon empirical examination of each tour's earnings, scoring characteristics, and course characteristics, we are able to predict the marginal skill differences between players on the two tours. In doing so, we illustrate that sufficiently talented Web.com Tour golfers are being excluded from participation in the PGA Tour. As such, the changes made by the PGA Tour regarding qualification perhaps run counter to welfare maximization in terms of tour participants and fans of professional golf. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recommended Citation
Hamel, Scott; Caudill, Steven B.; and Mixon, Franklin G., "A Good Walk Foiled: Monopoly Power and Barriers to Entry into the PGA Tour" (2016). Faculty Bibliography. 2976.
https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/bibliography_faculty/2976
