Golf’s obscene money list shows the sport is in danger of losing the plot
The trouble with Pointless answers is that you never meet any of the 100 people surveyed for each one. Still, the quizshow probably presents as valid an insight into the attitude of the British public as anything else in these zany times.
A few weeks ago, Alexander Armstrong flashed up famous faces with names relating to flowers. What happened next was rather galling for those who want golf to capture hearts and minds.
Just six of those asked identified Justin Rose: major champion, Englishman, Olympic gold medallist and a player who has received rather a lot of attention for his admirable establishment of a golf series for women. He has little cause to care what transpires on daytime television or his irrelevance compared to Lily Allen but this served as the latest stark reminder of the bubble within which golf operates.
Viktor Hovland did not see fit to appear for a press conference in advance of the Hero World Challenge. This was strange, given he was the defending champion. Perhaps the Norwegian was busy counting his money; heading into the event in the Bahamas, he had collected $37,112,235 (roughly £29m) in 2023 PGA Tour earnings. He is a fantastic golfer and a lovely fella but is hardly a needle mover. His salary before endorsements would place him in the top 10 of Major League Baseball.
Golf is in serious danger of losing the plot, if that isn’t already the case. Stating sportspeople are overpaid is akin to pointing out Wednesday follows Tuesday yet the entitlement of golfers has become somewhat alarming. When Jon Rahm is linked with a switch to LIV, reportedly for hundreds of millions of dollars, the deal is instantly believable. This is what golf, a sport where once upon a time finding the bottom of the hole was key to everything, has become. Those within it – and not just players, this applies to managers, caddies, coaches – have a distorted sense of worth. This existed before LIV, which has only accelerated matters. Tensions exist within the PGA Tour because several of the rank and file believe they are underpaid. Pure sport, this is not.
Hovland’s wedge came in part from his share of the player impact programme, a convoluted scheme created by the PGA Tour when LIV and its Saudi Arabian riches were first circling. Rory McIlroy topped this year’s chart, which rewards players for bringing eyeballs to the tour, and pocketed $15m. Tiger Woods, who did not play between April and November, was paid $12m. Think of the Premier League handing Erling Haaland a hefty bonus for having the good grace to turn up for his work.
No amount of money at this stage makes a difference to McIlroy or Woods and the duo are the instantly identifiable faces of their sport but the scale of these payments is still regarded by many as obscene. “Pro golf is on a oneway street to nowhere,” the DP World Tour player Eddie Pepperell said. “Lost its mind, and I’ve lost my respect and love for it.” If the public also identify vulgarity, golf will have a serious problem.
Jordan Spieth, who was given $7m by the player impact programme, was somewhat bashful when assessing its meaning. “I think its goal was to help prevent players from accepting highdollar Saudi offers, LIV offers,” he said. “If you’re going to see numbers that are thrown out at players now, a couple of specific players, it doesn’t really do that.
“I think that it was pretty unanimous, including from those of us who have significantly benefited from it, to taper it down and find a way to spread those funds elsewhere to support, ideally, fields, purses, so that you still could benefit from them individually but by finding the right sweet spot. I know it drops by half next year. I’m not sure what that will look like after that. Hopefully it won’t need to exist, I think is the best way to put it, and I think that makes everybody happy.”
Spieth’s point is backed up by tournament prize funds; the Players Championship is now worth $25m, the Phoenix Open $20m and humdrum tour stops have players joust for close to $9m.
Debate over whether or not golf balls should be “rolled back” is the epitome of tedium. At least it was, until McIlroy waded in. On Wednesday, the R&A will announce modifications to the ball to try to rein in the distance leading players can reach. This had been resisted, when originally mooted, by equipment manufacturers and some of McIlroy’s peers.
McIlroy is among those who think the ball need not be amended for anyone outside the elite level. “Bifurcation was the logical answer for everyone,” he said. “But yet again in this game, money talks.” Once again, it starts with a g and rhymes with creed. When the R&A outlines its plans, the bleating and whining from certain elements of the game will be all too typical with the bottom line, not the good of the sport, in mind.
The clock is now ticking on whether a deal can be closed out between golf’s established tours and the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The Fenway Sports Group has also made overtures about a partnership with the tour. Something like this is needed, not only to ward off whatever threats LIV may pose but to allow long-term sustainability. Golfers have never had it so good. This comes at a cost to reputations.
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interception for the first time in three games, the previous two in relief of Jones.
Tyreek Hill had two touchdowns among his 157 yards receiving to help the Miami Dolphins rout the Washington Commanders 45-15. The AFC East-leading Dolphins are 9-3 for the first time since 2001. Tua Tagovailoa was turnover-free after giving the ball away four times over the past two games. De’Von Achane ran for two touchdowns in his return after missing five of the past six with a knee injury. The Commanders have lost four in a row. Washington’s Sam Howell threw a pick-6 for a third consecutive game.
Detroit Lions 33–28 New Orleans Saints
Sam LaPorta had career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown and a crucial firstdown snag in the final minutes, and the Detroit Lions beat the reeling New Orleans Saints. Detroit improved to 9-3, their best record through 12 games since they went 10-2 in 1962. The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter to back, shoulder and head injuries. Carr was hurt on a penalized hit by Bruce Irvin. New Orleans fell to 5-7, behind first-place Atlanta in the NFC South.
Kansas City Chiefs 19-27 Green
The Green Bay Packers picked up their fourth win in five games as they beat the defending Super Bowl champions. The 6-6 Packers are now in the NFC wildcard places after Sunday night’s win.
Denver Broncos 17-22 Houston Texans
Nico Collins had a career-high 191 yards receiving and a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Jimmie Ward intercepted Denver’s Russell Wilson in the end zone with nine seconds left to left to help the Houston (7-5) Texans hold on for a win over the Broncos. Ward leapt in front of intended receiver Lucas Krull to secure the fourth victory in five games for Houston and snap a five-game winning streak for Denver (6-6). Wilson was intercepted a seasonhigh three times, all of them after halftime. Derek Stingley Jr had the first two picks for the Texans. Rookie CJ Stroud threw for 274 yards for Houston.
Indianapolis Titans Colts 31-28 Tennessee
Gardner Minshew threw a fouryard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with 2:31 left in overtime and the Indianapolis Colts (7-5) beat the Tennessee Titans (4-8) for their fourth straight victory. The Colts had to score a touchdown after Nick Folk made a 46yard field goal with 4:19 left in overtime to put Tennessee up. Tennessee lost their first true home game this season and have yet to win consecutive games. The Titans blew a 17-7 lead. Nick Folk missed his first extra point this season with 5:26 left in regulation, which would have put Tennessee up 26-25.
Miami Dolphins Commanders 45–15 Washington
Tyreek Hill had two touchdowns among his 157 receiving yards to help the Miami Dolphins rout the Washington Commanders (4-9). The AFC East-leading Dolphins are 9-3 for the first time since 2001. Tua Tagovailoa was turnover-free after giving the ball away four times over the past two games. De’Von Achane ran for two touchdowns in his return after missing five of the past six with a knee injury. The Commanders have lost four in a row. Washington’s Sam Howell threw a pick-six for a third consecutive game.
Atlanta Falcons 13-8 New York Jets
Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt and the Atlanta Falcons took over sole possession of first place in the NFC South by slogging their way to an ugly victory over the punchless New York Jets.
The Falcons (6-6) have back-to-back wins for the first time since opening the season with victories over Carolina and Green Bay. Atlanta entered tied atop the division with New Orleans, who lost to Detroit.
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Cleveland Browns 19–36 Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes, Puka Nacua became the first Rams rookie wide receiver to reach 1,000 yards in a season, and Los Angeles extended their winning streak to three games. The Rams have won three straight for the first time since winning the Super Bowl after the 2021 season. At 6-6, they are back in the playoff race after dropping three straight before their bye week. Joe Flacco was 23 of 44 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in his Browns debut. Cleveland fell to 7-5 and occupy the final playoff spot in the AFC.
Arizona Cardinals 24–10 Pittsburgh Steelers
James Conner ran for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns against his old team as the Arizona Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the Cardinals’ first win at Pittsburgh since 1969. Arizona took control late in the first half with a 99-yard touchdown drive that ended with a five-yard strike from Kyler Murray to Trey McBride. The Cardinals led the rest of the way, enduring a pair of lengthy delays due to severe weather. The Steelers lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to an ankle injury late in the first half and scored their only touchdown in garbage time.
Carolina Panthers 18–21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans scored on a 75-yard reception and joined Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history to string together 10 consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving. Evans finished with seven receptions for 162 yards, increasing his season totals to 61 catches for 1,012 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rice has the league record of 11 straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving. The Bucs won for only the second time in the past eight games. Carolina scored late to pull within a field goal, but No 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young threw an interception to end any chance of coming from behind to win in the Panthers’ debut under interim coach Chris Tabor.