It has become en vogue in professional golf’s recent history for players to espouse their belief that money is not at the center of what makes golf great.
At least four of those golfers don the fairways of Tuesday’s made-for-TV golf match, The Showdown, pitting two of the PGA Tour’s most well-loved stars (Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler) against two of LIV’s (Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau). Nevermind that half of the field wrangled enormous sums to leave their place of work for a new, morally murky upstart. Nevermind that the other half has hardly been the picture of pro golf’s meritocracy. These four golfers have all admitted at points both recent and distant that they play golf for something bigger than money, and considering their shared competitive resumes, we are inclined to believe them.
Thankfully, though, the business of professional golf pays the same for a weekend full of 65s whether you spend all day long reading John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success or your latest bank statement. And in the case of those who have made it into The Showdown, the business of golf pays very well.
In addition to a rumored multimillion-dollar appearance fee paid out to each of the four competitors in Tuesday night’s event, the foursome will play for a hefty prize: $10 million.
Of course, the money comes with a hook. The purse will be dished in the currency of the evening’s sponsor, Crypto.com. The winners will receive the equivalent of $5 million in the crypto-based coin “CRO.” (Whether they choose to hold the line, betting on a second crypto renaissance, or cashout in pursuit of the real thing remains to be seen.)
While the money isn’t quite legacy-defining for those in golf’s uber-rich modern era (Scheffler won $62 million on the course in 2024 alone), it’s still a hefty sum. Good for four of golf’s best for getting their piece of that, and good for the rest of us for getting a Tuesday evening of golf entertainment in the middle of December.
