"This week marks a change. Appearance money [is being paid in the] U.S. but not in Europe."
Steve Elling looks at the possibility that appearance money is being paid in clever ways at the Greenbrier Classic and at events like the Zurich Classic.
He gets several tournament directors and agents to talk, and they are not pleased to see what's going on.
The tour uses a very narrow, if not convenient, definition of "appearance fee." If a player has deeper business dealings with a corporate entity beyond taking cash to play, then he's generally free to ink a personal-services deal for whatever dollar figure he can command. If this sounds mostly like semantics, well, the line forms here.
As one very high-profile international player put it on Tuesday, "This week marks a change. Appearance money [is being paid in the] U.S. but not in Europe."
After arriving Tuesday, Woods was not specifically asked if he was being compensated by Justice this week, though a local reporter did ask if Justice resorted to “pulling his arm” to get him there.
"What sold it to me was watching it on TV and seeing how players enjoyed it," Woods said unblinkingly.
Um, did he say "sold?"Mickelson played at Greenbrier last year -- for two days. He missed the cut.
"I know for a fact that Phil got $1 million last year," one top-tier agent insisted, citing a figure that was echoed by two other tour-related sources.
Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 09:35 AM
Reader Comments (38)
RGT
Yes, indeed, there are several unnamed sources. But these are very credible folks, guys I have known and trusted for years, all operating in the same very tight arena of sorts.
Don't like writing "sources said" anymore than you guys like reading it, but sometimes, when you need unfettered opinions, you have to protect identities.
Steve E.
I wonder who actually loses on this deal. The money comes from the club tournament committee or a sponsor. Who do they pass the cost on to, the tv networks, who it turn can pass it on to advertisers, who can pass it on to customers . . . uhhhh . . . is that us?
But unless he has a damned good Friday he's going to be a waste of dough. As is the other one.
More fools they who pay. Offer them something to turn up if you like, but with top ten players -- or million-dollar ones - they should be making the size of the fee contingent upon number of rouns completed.
Oh, of course, they are not being paid actually to appear in the Tournament...yeah, right.
The perks arms race has been ongoing for years, the New Orleans event was of note a few years ago. Milwaukee used to offer a charter to The Open Championship, same thing. But a million in cash, if it's really happening, is a different thing. I don't see how Finchem can ignore this.
Just wanted to thank both of you for taking care of AT&T this year, that should underpin and dovetail the secondary sponsors for years to come regarding those two events!
Now we've got some fish to fry, er, I mean platforms to solidify. I've talked with the Greenbrier friends and their willing to make an extra six year commitment to us. This would really help the board out, you see they can just stick my cash in my deferred annuity, and you guys can keep receiving it in the same manner as you do now. Are we all good on this?
Good luck motivating Tiger and Phil to play well enough to make the cut. A cool mill for two days' work is some nice scratch. As for the tour, I'd like to see how much the gate brings in WTaP (WITH TIGER and PHIL) versus WoTaP (Without Tiger and Phil). I'd have to think the Greenbrier did a little cost-benefit analysis and the benefits (extra revenue) outweighed the cost (boring PGA event).
That course is pretty nasty though - a beauty of a track.
ha, ha...nice try...the Tour (finchem) gave up on that idea a long, long time ago....the stars run the show...big money runs the show...everyone else is just scrambling for what they can get...the PGA Tour turned it's back on it's small market roots a long time ago. Follow the MONEY.
Yup, that's classy and courageous
TV, sponsors, fans, the big purses all come bc of the top stars, it makes sense to pay them for the revenue they're generating If you're 97th on the money list, play better and become a star, or be thankful that you'll make close to a million dollars even though people barely know you exist.
Steve, me thinks your sources want to remain unnamed because they know that what is being done is within the rules. Like I said, the playing field has never been level, tournaments do what they can inside the ruleset to attract players and differentiate themselves....
Pray tell why Woods is about as popular as the above? I'm curious.
And Woods barely made the cut and never contended. If he had not played on the weekend, there would have been murder done.
He has never been asked back.
Meanwhile, in West Virginia.....absent a miracle, both the million dollar babies will have a free weekend. Why do I think that suits them both?
Thanks for posting- Rex is actually a good replacement on this show, relatively speaking.
I put Steve's reputation and reporting ahead of Rex's anyday, as long as Rex is shilling for TGC. I like him, but TGC's staff seems to have papers on what/what not; very noted for mentioning somethng and attempting to make a joke, and move on.
As to ''sources'',being unname- welcome to the world, doubters. I guess yall would be on my list of someone to never tell a secret to. People reveal information because it matters, or maybe the have a vendetta,, or who knows? But the need to remain unnamed is for obvious reasons.
I'd place Steve E's sources over TCG pimping anyday.
They might well adapt Dante and engrave it over their door: Abandon truth all ye who enter here.
I would certainly set more store by sources Steve Elling has already told us he vetted carefully than anything -- anything -- that came out of a mouth that is sourced at PV.
Call it what you want, but it is money for showing up. I see nothing wrong with that. As I said earlier, it's the PGA's pretending that it ain't so that is sad. The European Tour is up front about it.