Golf is a great sport. I enjoy watching the PGA tournaments because it’s relaxing and I get to watch players who are, most weeks, really good at a game that I also play but suck at. They’re so good at it, most of the time, and it’s fun to watch.
What’s starting to get under my skin is how much money they stand to win from week to week and how selective these guys are when it comes to which tournaments they play. The Honda Classic, for example, was a shell of its former self last week– top 17 players weren’t there, the stands were only partially full, at best. The winner took home only $1.5 million or so, which I assume was the reason for the dearth of ranked players. And this was Honda’s last year of sponsorship—next year it will be named something else. Maybe it’s just the natural progression of things.
Anyway, this week’s tournament at Bay Hill is a designated event, which translates to the top 43 players in the world being there, and they’re playing for a $3-point-something-million first prize. Of course this is the LIV effect, and it’s apparent it’s all about the money.
It’s not, as Max Homa put it, all about the fan experience, echoing a similar line from players who originally jumped to LIV saying it was all about growing the game. Please and stop it. It’s about the money. The Saudis have a lot of it, and while the LIV league may feel gimmicky and run up on hard times eventually, it’s forcing the PGA to behave similarly, to sweeten the pots of some tournaments to keep pace and keep more players from switching leagues.
As a result, what’s slowly creeping in is the feeling that no amount of talent or competitive drama is going to keep viewers from being soured on a sport they may play themselves, and sporting events which allow those who attend unparalleled access to the action and the players themselves.
I guess I don’t begrudge the players a chance to be compensated for all the years of “paying their dues,” putting in the “hard work” of playing golf all day, and “excelling under pressure,” but maybe the rest of us are waking up to the sick realization that $3.6 million is an unearthly payday for four days on the clock.
3 Cents' 