PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The focus, of course, is golf. Golf always comes first. After all, it’s their life.
But some PGA Tour players, especially those from Australia, sometimes turn their attention during tournaments to another sport they’ve been familiar with since childhood: rugby.
Rugby is on the fringe of the fringe sports in the United States, but the sport will gain significant national attention in two weeks when the National Rugby League (NRL) plays its opening two games at Allegiant Stadium last week. trying to collect. Las Vegas hosted the Super Bowl last Sunday.
The NRL season opens on March 2nd with a double-header between the Manly Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and the Brisbane Broncos against the Sydney Roosters. This is much the same model the NFL has used to sell its products outside the United States during regular season games. .
It’s a first for the NRL and will feature several PGA Tour stars competing in this week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
Jason Day, who shot a two-under 69 in Saturday’s third round and was four shots behind Patrick Cantlay’s lead in Sunday’s final round at 10 under, has a long history with the Brisbane Broncos. He was a huge fan.
“My mom used to watch it all the time, and we would sit there and watch it with her,” Day told the Post. “If they played poorly, she would curse at the TV and turn it off so no one could watch TV. Funny thing is, she started doing that as an adult. If my team were here [in America], [Cleveland] The Browns are playing so badly that they turn off the power and no one is allowed to watch TV.
“So,” Day continued with a laugh, “I ended up being a mom.”
Day recalled his days as a youngster following the Brisbane Broncos as they were his mother’s favorite.
“I’m definitely a Broncos fan,” Day said. “I grew up watching them from the days of Gorden Tallis, Shane Wecke, Darren Lockyer and a lot of guys. That’s the old Broncos era of me watching. Watching the whole game. Sometimes it was over in 10 minutes. [depending on his mother’s mood]”
Day said, “I’m still looking at the ladder.” [standings] I want to know how the team is doing, but due to the time difference, it’s difficult to watch the games live.
“I usually watch highlights on YouTube,” he said.
Adam Scott was born in Adelaide and grew up a fan of Australian Rules Football (AFL) and later became a fan of the NRL. He’s interested in the doubleheader in Las Vegas and what it means for the league.
“When I moved north when I was 7 years old, I started getting interested in rugby league and the Broncos,” Scott told the Post. “The Broncos were great back then, it was a dream era. They had some absolute legends playing at the time so it was a great time to get into rugby league.
“I see this [Las Vegas] It’s like the NFL plays in London,” Scott continued. “It’s just marketing. It can certainly be a spectacle and it’s good for all the Australians here. Maybe they’ll have a chance to go watch it too.
“I think the takeaway from all of this is being able to appreciate all the athletes in these sports, whether it’s an Australian watching the NFL or an American watching rugby. I hope to see some pretty good athletes playing hard and hitting each other hard.”
Mr Day said he was fascinated by the NRL’s international expansion into Las Vegas.
“If American viewers can experience the NRL, especially in Las Vegas, it’s kind of a unique experience for people and we hope it will catch on here as well and grow even bigger,” Mr Day said. “Soccer is a huge sport all over the world, for example, the Premier League, but it wasn’t as huge in the United States as it is today. Now it’s big because of MLS.
“That’s what the NRL is trying to figure out. If you get enough people into this sport, like the fan base here, it opens up another avenue and certainly not only revenue for the NRL. , which would also open up a different type of fan base that could allow for more travel to the United States.
“It’s definitely great exposure,” Day continued. “It’s like the NFL going to Europe or South America and trying to build a new fan base. That’s essentially what the NRL is trying to do. America is very sports-driven. That’s why this One of the great things about this country is that the culture here is very sports-driven. We watch a lot of sports. There’s always some kind of sport on TV every night.
“This could be a good opportunity for the NRL to bring a team to America.”
