Golf = Big Pay Days
With just a couple of weeks to go on the PGA Tour, it was kind of fun to look at the money list for 2007. Of course, T. Woods stands alone at the top with official winnings of $10.9M. Not bad for a seasonal position. Phil Michelson’s name appears second on the list, with $5M less than Tiger, at $5.9M.
12 players on tour have made $2M in 2007 thus far, and 85 players have made “at least” $1M. Nice work if you can get it. Some other names that caught my attention on the money list were:
Steve Stricker, #4, $4.7M: Here’s a guy who was “this close” to not being on tour due to his “play”, not so long ago. He really re-dedicated himself to the game both physically and mentally, and the results have been absolutely A+
Rory Sabbatini, #6, $4.6M: Sure the diminutive South Africa hates slow play, and made a slight error in judgment by “calling out” Tiger, but he can flat out play.
Mark Calcavecchia, #13, $2.9M: “Calc” is 47 years old and certainly seems not to be destined for the Champions Tour anytime soon. He can still slug it out with the best of them.
Hunter Mahan, #16, $2.8M: The former Oklahoma State Cowboy truly emerged as the new “young gun” on Tour this year @ age 25. Mahan rounded out his year by being a Captain’s selection on Jack Nicklaus’ victorious President’s Cup squad. Sweet………
Retief Goosen, #81, $1M: We’d all be kind enough to play golf for a million dollars a year, but what’s up with the Goose? The smooth swinging South African who used to be routinely mentioned in the elite quartet in the world (with Mssrs Woods, Michelson, and Els) seems to really have lost his game. But with that swing and demeanor, chances are good he’ll “re-locate” it, and move back up the money list in 2008.
Chris DiMarco, #95, 950K: The fiery Florida Gator may be spending too much time watching his beloved Gators win NCAA football and basketball titles, and not enough time on the range and practice putting green. All of us would love to see DiMarco back up there battling it out with the big boys, mano-a-mano.
The money on the PGA Tour has really gone up exponentially, especially in the last decade, and now with the FedEx Cup in the equation, it becomes an even bigger pot of gold. Some say all this money has made some golfers elitist and real prima donnas’. That seems to be a common malady with all professional “big money” sports, so it just may come with the territory. In my opinion, the real great thing about the purses escalating is that the PGA Tour is a very charitably inclined organization, and along with the sponsors of tour events have made it possible for many, many, deserving organizations throughout the country to receive donations to further or continue their work.
Then, if you’re really on the top of the heap, you have a Foundation that also makes things happen. Mr. Woods has done some very important and generous things, and for that he deserves a collective tip of the cap from all of us.
