19th Hole
The great “golfers don’t get paid enough” debate
Do professional golfers stack as much cash as they ought to? Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Sam Snead would certainly say so (even allowing for inflation).
Even so, everything is relative, and (on court/course/field) athlete compensation is a function of ad dollars, sponsorships, and television deals, as we all know. In golf, it’s pretty simple tale we’ve heard time and again: Purse sizes swelled during the Tiger Woods era as sponsorship dollars flooded into the sport and more people tuned in.
Today’s PGA Tour pros are the beneficiaries…except they’re still being short-changed, GolfWRX member MaddMaxx suggests in a forum thread he dedicated to the topic.
Jordan Spieth: $34.5 million
Salary/bonuses: $5.5 million
Endorsements: $29 million
So he made 5.5 million. The pay of a 3rd string baseball player, a soccer player who shows up.
A fairly good hockey player…..
Which sport so you think is the lowest/highest paid when considering:
the talent/ability required
hours of practice
pressure situations(stress)
have a life outside the sport
life after the sport
I think golf is the most underpaid.
Your-away argues the opposite
“He will also be making millions much later in life than any other sport, soccer players are generally done by there mid 30’s, he will just be reaching his prime. I think good pro golfers have it pretty good.”
RSinSG offered some perspective.
“It’s all about putting people in stadium seats or in front of a TV. Ticket sales = more salary. A group of athletes who are even more underpaid are all female athletes. They play just as hard, practice just as long but since the viewership is so small the pay is proportional.”
Seth Pistol called to mind the athletes with arguably the worst lot
“Salary is based on demand, not based on skill. not only ticket sales but TV contracts, endorsement opportunities, merchandising, etc etc etc. Golfers get paid pretty well in my opinion. Think about the hundreds of Olympic athletes who scrape by. These athletes are no less talented or dedicated but their sport is “unpopular” and therefore $$$ is non-existant. Those are the guys who really get screwed.”
MattyO1984 writes
“I am of course biased in all of this because Golf is my number one sport but in comparison when you consider that the winner of the tennis US Open received, $3.7 Million this year, compared to the $2.16 Million that Koepka got, I think you can argue that golfers, in the world of sport, are underpaid.”
Raynorfan1 thinks this is lunacy
“This is crazy talk. In the HISTORY of mens tennis, only 54 guys have made $10M (in aggregate for their career)…compared to 174 in golf. Tiger Woods has made almost exactly the same amount as Roger Federer ($~110M), but Federer has had the more dominant career.
“Then look down to #10 on the career money lists – for golf, it’s Steve Stricker at $43 million. For tennis, its BORIS freaking BECKER. Stricker has won basically nothing (no majors). Becker won 6 slams and made a total of $25M.”
And these are just culled from the first 15 replies. And the thread is only a day old! In other words, the thread is blowing up and the takes are red hot.
How can you not have a strong opinion on the issue of player compensation? Join the discussion!
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19th Hole
Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for spot at 2024 U.S. Open
As first reported by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Charlie Woods will be attempting to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
The first stage of qualifying for this year’s tournament will be an 18-hole local event on Thursday, April 25th, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
There will be 84 players in the field, five of which will reach the 36-hole qualifier that will take place in June.
Earlier this season, Charlie attempted to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, and struggled, shooting an 86.
If the younger Woods is able to qualify, he will tee it up in the same field as his father in a few months at one of the more historic U.S. Open venues.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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19th Hole
Why Ludvig Aberg is my new favorite player – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing one of the new sensations in the world of golf – Ludvig Aberg. The 24-year-old finished solo second at the Masters a couple of weeks ago, and gained many plaudits, including from several WRXers.
- RELATED: ‘There were a number of red flags’ – Ludvig Aberg reveals why he turned down multiple LIV offers
One member, RoyalMustang, took to the forums to explain why Aberg is now their favorite player, saying:
“I loved the way the Ludvig was out there, having a great time, not taking himself or the situation too seriously. Even after the double at 11, he was like “well, that’s golf!” Loose and relaxed: that’s the way to play. It’s obvious he loves what he’s doing, he loves the big moments, and he loves being a part of it all.
Arnold Palmer was viewed that way. Just like Brooks Robinson was forever viewed as not just a great baseball player, but a great human being and friend to Baltimore.”
And our members have been reacting and sharing their positive takes on the young Swede.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- redfirebird08: “Ludvig has a great attitude, a great smile, and a great golf swing.”
- otto6457: “I’m very lucky to have talked with Ludde several times at the Rawls Course at Texas Tech. He’s a truly nice guy and very friendly. Always said hello when we passed each other in the club house and was always smiling. Watching him hit balls on the range was a joy. He has “that sound” and trajectory to die for. There were many times he was out on the range in 30+ mph winds just hitting the most beautiful shots that just seemed to ignore the wind. World class ball striker. And yes……..I am a fan boy.”
- konklifer: “I like him. In an era of endless waggles and laboring, his swing and pace of play are a joy to watch.
Entire Thread: “Why Ludvig Aberg is my new favorite player – GolfWRXers discuss”
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19th Hole
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Over the past year or so, PGA Tour star Patrick Cantlay has taken a great deal of criticism for his pace of play.
Now, Cantlay is once again under fire for a questionable decision he made on Sunday at the RBC Heritage.
After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, whose ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.
On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.
Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and return to chip and putt on Monday morning.
Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision-making.
Can’t believe my eyes watching Patrick Cantlay why on earth would you hit your second shot then mark your ball absolutely crazy, maybe says a lot ?
— Ian Woosnam (@IWoosnam) April 22, 2024
Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 Monday morning.
Following his round, Cantlay explained his decision to wait to hit his third shot the next morning:
“I really did want to finish last night, so I felt like if I could get the ball up there maybe in an easier spot, maybe I would have finished, but as I got the ball up near the green, I realized it would be easier to finish this morning. That’s what I decided to do.”
GolfWRX has reached out to Patrick Cantlay’s management team for a response to Woosnam’s comments.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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