Tiger vs Phil for $10mil

FatReed · July 14, 2018

Talk of this $10 million match between Tiger and Phil brewing, as though this would be some huge duel between two greats. I would qualify this a battle of two ‘has-beens,’ and have next if no interest whatsoever in such a match.

What WOULD peak my interest, however, is if Tiger and Phil each put up $10 million of their OWN money. Instead of playing, as per usual, for someone else’s money.

I’m not about rehash the past greats, and the times in which they played. . . . driven to not only win, but to continuously perform at a high level in order to feed their families. No $1 million winner’s purse, or inflation adjusted equivalent. Nor am I going to say modern golfers should not be handsomely rewarded for their abilities to play and compete at the highest (tour) level.

However, to me, the modern tour has grown boring on many levels. Perhaps it’s better to say it’s just missing something. I cannot stand all this ‘comradely’ and ‘rooting for buddies’ that goes on. Is it good sportsmanship? Yes. Sorry, but it’s just not what I’m after between competitors. There is also this increasing perception that the best players are only interested in the majors, and everything in between is a ‘filler’ in their schedules. Is this true of every player on tour? No, but the prevalence is strong enough that it dominates my own perception. . . and many others as well.

So getting back to Tiger and Phil (and the current tour), I think professional golf would benefit from an event, or two, each season where players would be required to put up a LARGE portion of their OWN money for entry into field. For example, $500k to $1 million entry fee, where winner takes all. If 15-30 players had the money - and many do - and were willing to put their game on the line, the intensity and intrigue would likely exceed what is even seen in a major. . . I am pretty damn sure the ‘brat pack’ wouldn’t be rooting for each other, and ‘hugging it out’ with that kind of cash on the line - both their own cash, and the potential tens of millions for winning.

FR