Davis Love III remembers when players would circle the $3 million purses when making out their schedules for the year. That's no longer enough incentive.
The Sony Open in Hawaii became the latest PGA Tour event to reach the $4 million mark, and there could be close to 20 tournaments at that level when all the purse increases for 2001 are announced.
"It used to be that we would play everything over $3 million,'' Love said. "Now, it's like, 'I'm playing everything over $4 million.' It's just incredible.''
The four-year television contract that took effect in 1999 was designed to gradually grow the purses, and just about every tournament has exceeded its contractual obligation. As commissioner Tim Finchem has said, the tour is riding not only the interest from Tiger Woods but also a strong economy.
Las Vegas already has jacked up its purse to $4.25 million, which would be the richest regular tour event except for The Players Championship ($6 million) and Tour Championship ($5 million). Others at $4 million are the GTE Byron Nelson Classic and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, with Doral expected to go at least that high next year.
Prizes on the PGA Tour keep going up and up, no wonder Dennis Paulson is smiling.Allsport
Henry Hughes, senior vice president and chief of operations for the PGA Tour, estimated that a half-dozen others could announce increases that push the purse over $4 million, a figure that he said is becoming "even par right now.''
"We could have 19 official money events of $4 million or more,'' Hughes said. That includes the four major championships and three World Golf Championship events.
Whom that affects remains to be seen.
"Money helps,'' Paul Azinger said. "It's got to be harder to take time off when we have this much money to play for. And it may motivate guys like Fred Couples to come out more.''
It might have been to the PGA Tour's advantage for the Sony Open to raise its purse so much next year, especially since it follows by two weeks the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship in Australia.
The tour has said players could stop in Hawaii on the way home for the Mercedes Championships. For those who don't qualify by winning, they now have a $4 million purse as an incentive.
"It has to help,'' Hughes said. "I can only assume that an enhanced purse is going to make that decision to go to a little easier.''
ENCORE, EH?
So, just how good was that 6-iron from 218 yards that Tiger Woods hit from a fairway bunker, over water and right at the flag, to win the Bell Canadian Open?
The Toronto Star asked three area professionals to go to the 18th at Glen Abbey on Monday and try it. None came closer than Woods's shot, which landed 18 feet behind the flag in the first cut of rough.
Ashley Chinner, who tied for 13th in '98 Canadian Open, hit the green three times with a 6-iron. His best shot was to 30 feet from the fringe.
Chris Neale, golf director at Glen Abbey, got one of his seven shots on the green with a 4-iron. Tom Jackson, who played the Canadian Tour for 12 years, hit the green three times with a 5-iron, the closest one 40 feet away.
"The remarkable thing is that Tiger did it with so much on the line,'' said Chinner, who also works as a teaching pro. "I think everyone knows he can pull that shot off. But under that situation, it was incredible. He worked the distance out perfectly so he took as much of the risk out as possible.''
PRICE IS NOT RIGHT
After tying for second two weeks ago in the NEC Invitational, the World Golf Championship event at Firestone, Phillip Price of Wales figured his $437,500 in earnings would be enough for a PGA Tour card if he chose to play in America next year.
He was wrong.
Under a new policy this year, money from WGC events can be applied only to one tour -- the European Tour in Price's case.
"It's a little bit of a blow,'' Price said. "I was certainly planning to join.''
The PGA Tour's money list is divided into two classes this year -- members and nonmembers. That means only the top 125 will get their cards for next year. Nonmembers who earn as much money as the 125th spot can also apply for membership.
While WGC money is not applied to the nonmember list, major championship money is. Thomas Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez, who tied for second in the British Open and U.S. Open, respectively, already have enough money to play in America next year if they choose.
CADDY SHELL
Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson weren't the only ones with something on the line in a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match.
Their caddies also squared off in a three-hole playoff Monday at Gaillardia Golf & Country in Oklahoma City.
Joe LaCava (Couples) defeated Jim "Bones" MacKay, 1-up. Shell is making a $1,000 donation to the Professional Tour Caddies Association in LaCava's name.
HE'LL TRY ANYTHING
Putting is one area that has always given Grant Waite problems.
"I've tried it all," Waite said. "Right-handed, left-handed, left-hand low, long putter. The only thing I didn't try was a long putter left-handed. IfI did that, they'd put me in the rubber room or something."
DIVOTS
For the first time since Tiger Woods turned professional, someone younger finally won on the PGA Tour -- Rory Sabbatini, (Air Canada Championship), who was born three months and three days after Woods. ... One week after re-signing Davis Love III, Titleist also signed a new deal to keep Jesper Parnevik. Like Love, the Swede had contemplated an offer from Nike. ... David Duval hopes to return to the PGA Tour in the Buick Challenge at end of the month, but only if he feels 100 percent. ... England will not have to go through a qualifier for the World Cup in Argentina, getting one of the 18 spots off the world rankingbecause Vijay Singh (Fiji) and Nick Price (Zimbabwe) do not plan to play.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Although there are nine tournaments left -- three featuring purses exceeding $4 million -- Tiger Woods has mathematically clinched the money title.
FINAL WORD
"If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I wouldn't have to go to Q-school.'' -- Charles Howell, on comparisons to Tiger Woods
