Congressional confidential
PRESTIGE is a big factor in the US Open, but it’s only part of it. The competition is one of the richest events in professional golf, with a total purse of $7.5 million in 2010. Last year Graeme McDowell earned $1.35 million.
Though the majors have all the glamour, they are not the richest events in professional golf. On the PGA Tour, there are eight events with equal or bigger purses. The biggest money on the Tour? Its own signature event, the PLAYERS Championship, held every year in May — the total purse in 2011 was $9.5 million.
So where does the money come from? The PGA Tour has a unique business model.
The purse money comes from two sources. Around 60 percent of the total comes from the Tour’s television rights deal. (The Tour’s current six-year contract with CBS, NBC and the Golf Channel is worth a reported $28 billion. The CBS and NBC contracts are up for renewal after the 2012 season. The Golf Channel contract runs through 2021).
The tournament sponsor is responsible for the remaining 40% of purse money. Title sponsors pay around $8 million a year for events that are televised on CBS and NBC. The TV networks get a pretty good deal: the Tour sells between 65% and 75% of the TV advertising to their sponsors.
Purses have grown exponentially in the last four decades. In 1970 the total purse for 55 PGA Tour events was $5.5 million. In 2000, toward the beginning of the Tiger Woods era, the total purse for 49 events was $164.4 million. In 2011, 45 events will have a total purse of $275.5 million.
The Tour has raised $1.6 billion for charity.
They may be rivals for the US Open Championship but Sergio Garcia, pictured, would not begrudge Rory McIlroy his major breakthrough given the Irishman’s heartbreak at Augusta National in April.
“I think it would be great for him to win,” said Garcia of McIlroy after the Spaniard backed up an opening 69 with a 71 to reach halfway at two-under-par.
“He’s a wonderful player, very nice kid. I get along very well with him, too. It would be nice.” Garcia is taking plenty of comfort in the fact he is on a leaderboard so soon after returning to the game after taking a break from golf at the end of last August. Chasing McIlroy down however, is not his top priority and asked if the Irishman’s nine-stroke lead over him changed his plan of attack for today’s third round, Garcia replied: “Not at all. I have bigger worries than Rory McIlroy.”
THE US Open course doctors from the USGA were busy applying their medicine to Congressional Country Club’s Blue Coursebetween the first and second rounds.
The most dramatic changes took place on the three par-fives. The tees were moved up on the 555-yard sixth to leave it playing 527 yards while 80 yards were taken off the 556-yard ninth and the tee markers on the 12th were moved forward 70 yards from the 486-yard tips.
is not the only youngster chasing a title at the US Open this weekend. How about 19-year-old Patrick Cantlay, a freshman student at UCLA who has his eye on the low amateur prize at Congressional following a second-round 67 that left him at level par for the tournament.
Cantlay, from Long Beach, California, won the Jack Nicklaus Award as national collegiate player of the year in May and the Phil Mickelson award as America’s outstanding freshman golfer.
“It would mean so much,” Cantlay said. “All the history that’s behind the US Open, and to play well would be great.”
Realising the dream, though, would not persuade Cantlay to turn professional. Asked four times whether he would entertain the idea, the Californian kid stayed resolute. “I just finished my freshman year, so I have three more years at UCLA,” he said firmly.
matter that he was nine shots off the lead. He was on the leaderboard. Tied for third, in fact, with two sub-par-rounds (70, 70) at Congressional. Robert Garrigus was all smiles.
“You know, it’s great,” he said. “It’s what we dream about. It’s what we play for and it’s what we work hard for. I’m excited to see it up there and I’d like to see it last for the rest of the weekend. Should be fun.”
Garrigus, who won the 2010 Children’s Miracle Network Classic, has only played two majors—both U.S. Opens—and never made the cut. Until now. Which explains the smiles and the game plan.
“I drove it well, which in the U.S. Open, that’s always key,” said Garrigus, who missed four putts inside 10 ft yesterday. “I hit my irons great. I didn’t putt as well as I would have liked, but it was a great day. Under par both days in the first two rounds of the U.S. Open, I’ll take it.”
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