Scottie Scheffler’s Mistreatment Makes Angry Fans Lash Out at Tiger Woods & Co: ‘Not About Talent Anymore’
Are PGA Tour pros being rewarded for their loyalty? The answer is yes! Three months ago, the PGA Tour struck a deal with Strategic Sports Group for a whopping $3 billion.
From the money that the deal brought into the Tour, $930 million will be apportioned among the golfers on the American circuit who chose to stay committed to the Tour when many pros were choosing to defect to LIV Golf.
When talking about rewards, the PGA Tour golfer that first comes to mind is the current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has been unbeatable this year with four consecutive wins on the PGA Tour, which includes one major.
However, it is golfers like Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy who have found a spot in the top 4 on the equity list despite their underwhelming performances on the greens. To provide context, the former failed to make the cut in three out of the 10 events he participated in and was even disqualified from the 2024 Genesis Invitational.
The latter has secured only one top-10 in his eight PGA Tour outings this year. The names on the list ignited a huge debate among the golf community.
via Imago
Who are the top 4 players on the equity list?
According to the financial compensation criteria of the PGA Tour, out of the total amount, two-thirds will be distributed among 193 golfers. In addition, a sum of $750 million will be divided among 36 players based on their career points. As per the list that has been revealed by the writer of ‘Huddle Up’, Joe Pompliano, Tiger Woods is proposed to be getting the highest equity among all players. His compensation amounts to a massive $100 million, followed by Rory McIlory, who will be getting $50 million, and Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas accounting for $30 million.
The recipient is entitled to fully own the equity payments over eight years. 50% of the payments become accessible after four years, another quarter after six, and the remainder after eight years. Although a comparatively smaller amount than the 9 figures offered by the breakaway league, this step will help them retain their golf talents. Smartly enough, tying top players for several years, they have perhaps taken another essential step before the merger takes place. As per the conditions, the players who accept the equity cannot opt out of joining LIV Golf, to be precise, even if they are offered more money.
As stated by the sports analyst, there are high possibilities that the equity dissemination might as well lubricate the road to the merger and speed things up. Nonetheless, Pompliano wrote, “However, this levels the playing field, opening the door for LIV golfers to rejoin the PGA Tour, with the idea that they could keep their LIV golf money because they won’t be getting upside in the PGA Tour’s new for-profit entity.” The road to achieving the treaty goes beyond just buying out players and confining them in terms of monetary benefits.
Something similar was witnessed when the 2023 Players Impact Program was rolled out. Where Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, along with 18 other players, were previously rewarded by the PGA Tour for their contribution to the American men’s circuit. While the members at the top of the PIP list were paid generously, it left behind several prominent rising stars.
Nathan Lashley even burst out watching the list and commented, “How many golf fans actually know what the PIP on the PGA Tour is? Would love to hear from golf/PGA fans if they think this $100 million was spent well? There’s 150-200 members of the PGA Tour and they just spent $100 million on 20 players. Seems a little ridiculous. Time for new leadership on the PGA Tour. This is an absolute kick in the face to the rest of the PGA Tour players.” Back then, the golf community disapproved of the PIP results. Now knowing about the equity list, they are once again against the decision taken by the PGA Tour.
Has golf been reduced only to a pursuit driven by money?
Players like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who have been great names in the golf world for decades now, surely earn more attention. But the fact that Scheffler, who has held the no. 1 position on the OWGR list, got just $6 million from PIP, whereas the former two enjoyed whopping amounts of $12 million and $15 million, was already a cause of the ruckus. And now, with a terrible performance at the Masters Masters, Tiger Woods is again surpassing Scheffler, who, as per calculation, might only be liable for $20 million, which has naturally caused many golf enthusiasts to go into a frenzy. Curious to know the exact numbers, one of Scottie Scheffler’s fans questioned, “How much is Scotty Scheffler getting?” While another, disappointed at not seeing Scheffler’s name on the list, simply commented, “Where’s my man Scotty?”
