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Tour's lack of transparency in vote totals a shame

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Rory McIlroy was named PGA Tour Player of the Year on Wednesday in an announcement so predictable that the PR staff in Ponte Vedra Beach should have also included in the press release that the sun will set tonight and water is wet.

In lieu of any debate about the merits of McIlroy winning the award after a season that included two major titles and a WGC win, allow me to use this moment to instead rail against the Tour’s secretive measures once again.

Following the announcement, I had a few people on Twitter ask me whether it was a close vote by the players. Did Martin Kaymer receive some consideration? Bubba Watson, maybe? Billy Horschel?

My response: I highly doubt it … but then again, I don’t know for sure, because the Tour won’t release vote totals.

That’s right – even though just about every other professional sports organization exercises transparency when making such announcements, in this case the final tally is kept under lock and key.

Look, I understand – though I vehemently disagree with – the Tour’s policy toward not announcing punitive measures, such as suspensions and fines. The idea is to protect the player and, more importantly, protect the game’s image. Again, I don’t like it and I think it needs to change, but I get it.

But … this? Vote totals? For postseason awards? Keeping these numbers under wraps seems unnecessary bordering on paranoid.

It wouldn’t be so awful if we learned today that McIlroy won in unanimous fashion. Or that he’s just, say, the second player ever to win unanimously.

Instead, we’re left to guess as to whether these things are true.

Which is too bad. McIlroy enjoyed another terrific season. We can look at the results and understand just how terrific it was. But it would be even better to view his performance through the prism of his peers rather than leaving us wondering what they collectively thought.

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