Scottie Scheffler was asked whether golf, and all that is charming about it, could coexist with money, and its bottom-line nature.
Whew.
Deep stuff, right?
‘It might embolden them’: Pro says Tour changes could lead to LIV exodus
Cash, of course, has been a hot topic of late, and it was a nuclear subject this past week: On Wednesday, the PGA Tour revealed a series of moves as part of its fight against LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed series that has attracted several pros and is now in its second season. Among the changes, the Tour will play eight designated events next year without a cut, and only 50 players — the top 50 from the prior year’s year-long standings — will be guaranteed spots in those big-money events.
In short, big-business golf is getting bigger. And ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scheffler and a reporter had this exchange:
“Along those same lines, for like the ordinary fan, golf — there’s a lot of charming things in golf. Like you get the green coat, the interplay between the caddie and the player, all these different things. But now there’s been so much focus on money, money, money. Do you — I know you’re a young guy on Tour, but do you feel like golf is changing, or do you think that the two things can co-exist, if you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I think they have coexisted for a number of years out here,” Scheffler said. “I think you — it just depends on what you’re focusing on. I’m very grateful to be playing out here on the PGA Tour. We get paid a ridiculous amount of money to do what we do out here. But I don’t think money is the motivating factor for too many guys. You can’t really base life decisions when it comes to money. When you’re out here playing golf tournaments, you’re never thinking about the money; you just want to win the tournament.
“So as being kind of a golf purist, that’s the motivation. I want to be able to play well, win tournaments and get the most out of my game. Money’s definitely not a motivating factor for guys out here. I believe that they can co-exist.
‘I hate them’: Not every player seems to like the PGA Tour’s designated event changes
“I know there’s a lot of talk with LIV and money and guaranteed money and all this different kinds of stuff. But the guys out here on our Tour, I’m excited about the direction of where we’re going. I mean, we’re so blessed to be able to play a sport for a living. So it’s definitely not a motivating factor.”
The takeaway? It’s something to watch.
Because payouts like the one below — $20 million total; $36 mil to the winner — are going to keep coming.
You can find a complete list of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational payouts for each player below.
How much every player made at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational
1. Kurt Kitayama $3.6 million
T2. Rory McIlroy $1.78 million
Harris English $1.78 million
T4. Patrick Cantlay $800,000
Jordan Spieth $800,000
Scottie Scheffler $800,000
Tyrrell Hatton $800,000
T8. Davis Riley $605,000
Trey Mullinax $605,000
T10. Keegan Bradley $485,000
Cameron Young $485,000
Jason Day $485,000
Viktor Hovland $485,000
T14. Ryan Fox $320,000
Matt Fitzpatrick $320,000
Ben Griffin $320,000
Sahith Theegala $320,000
Francesco Molinari $320,000
Max Homa $320,000
Pierceson Coody $320,000
T21. Sungjae Im $226.333
Corey Conners $226.333
Justin Thomas $226.333
T24. Justin Suh $185,833
Keith Mitchell $185,833
Thomas Detry $185,833
Adam Svensson $185,833
Ludvig Aberg (a)
Tony Finau $185,833
T31. Adam Scott $125,000
Adam Schenk $125,000
Rickie Fowler $125,000
T34. Wyndham Clark $104,200
Tom Kim $104,200
Andrew Putnam $104,200
Aaron Baddeley $104,200
Danny Willett $104,200
T39. Brendon Todd $66,742
Si Woo Kim $66,742
S.H. Kim $66,742
Matthew NeSmith $66,742
Robby Shelton $66,742
Jon Rahm $66,742
Luke Donald $66,742
Emiliano Grillo $66,742
Chris Kirk $66,742
Taylor Montgomery $66,742
Martin Laird $66,742
Taylor Moore $66,742
Kyle Westmoreland $66,742
Xander Schauffele $66,742
T53. Davis Thompson $46,450
K.H. Lee $46,450
Aaron Rai $46,450
Will Zalatoris $46,450
Ryan Palmer $46,450
Russell Henley $46,450
Padraig Harrington $46,450
Ben Taylor $46,450
T61. Greyson Sigg $44,000
Mackenzie Hughes $44,000
Tommy Fleetwood $44,000
Alex Noren $44,000
T65. Cole Hammer $42,800
David Lipsky $42,800
67. Shane Lowry $42,200
T68. Greg Koch $41,600
Zach Johnson $41,600
T70. Will Gordon $40,800
David Lingmerth $40,800
72. Seamus Power $40,200
