HONOLULU — As Sony celebrates its 25th anniversary as a sponsor of the Sony Open, the Hawaiian Open dates again to 1965, when Homosexual Brewer received the primary occasion at Waialae.
On the time, the full was $60,300, and Brewer earned $9,000 for his playoff victory over Bob Goalby.
The victory, his eighth on the tour, earned him simply 15 p.c of his complete purse.
Two years later, Dudley Wysong received $20,000 for his playoff victory over Billy Casper.
That win was value 20% of a complete purse of $100,000.
This purse historical past lesson from Hawaii has a degree — it has been up and down, so why not convey the successful share again to 20 p.c or much more?
At present, a PGA Tour winner takes house 18 p.c of the full purse, however after watching Collin Morikawa explode Sunday on the Event of Champions and Jon Rahm climb to victory, you could possibly see and listen to Morikawa’s face and voice how laborious it’s is to win and the way upset he was to complete second and receives a commission $1.5 million for failing.
Final week’s nail-biter was the primary of the Tour’s new program of elevated occasions, which raised the TOC purse from $eight.2 million in 2022 to $15 million and was a direct response to the dimensions of LIV Golf with purses of 25 million , apart from his staff in Miami. championship that paid 50 million .
“Probably you could possibly have weighted the win and never put in purses,” Adam Scott stated Tuesday on the Sony Open. “You might give them 40%. Go away the purse the identical dimension, however give the winner 40% of the full purse and minimize everybody else and reward excellence in per week.”
![Adam Scott is pictured at the 2023 Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii.](https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTk1MDc4ODcwODQ2Njc4NzU0/scott.jpg)
Adam Scott, a winner of greater than $60 million on the PGA Tour, stated excellence could be rewarded with greater first-place checks as an alternative of simply greater purses.
Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports activities
Fast math: 40% of $eight.2 million can be $three.28 million, greater than Rahm earned underneath the brand new system.
Each participant talks about how laborious it’s to win, and this appears to be confirmed each week in each match all over the world.
The primary 15 PGA Tour occasions of the 2021-22 season have seen simply one-third of the 54-hole leaders win. One in three will not be a scientific calculation, however a good measuring instrument for a way laborious it’s to win.
Given the Tour’s need to raised compensate excellence, why not increase the winner’s share of the purse to 20 or 25 p.c?
“Profitable is successful, it’s totally totally different,” Jordan Spieth stated when requested the query. “Second and fourth really feel fairly related, third and sixth really feel very related. The beneficial properties are very totally different.”
Spieth was comfy with a slight enhance in his successful share from the purse if it was aligned with the world rating system that was lately aligned with the strokes gained system.
It is a system that has been criticized by final week’s winner Rahm, who’s caught at fifth within the rankings as a result of even after successful final week, he hasn’t moved up a single spot.
Nonetheless, it’s a system which will have benefit if given an opportunity.
“I do not assume it is truthful,” Scott stated of Rahm not shifting up on the earth rankings after a win. “Nicely, I do not assume successful final week is rewarded sufficient. I should not say that as a result of I do not really know who was all within the subject, however the weight on the high of the factors I do not assume is sufficient.”
Whether or not or not the rankings are the perfect barometer has been debated advert nauseum since they debuted in 1986 because the Sony Rankings.
No matter the way you get there, freely giving your winnings is important, and whereas the Tour refuses to even report how a lot a participant earns every week or preserve a public cash listing, the cash is what’s wanted to place gasoline within the automotive and meals on the desk. desk.
I’ve by no means seen an bill paid with FedEx Cup factors.
Earnings matter and the way a lot cash you earn issues.
However some do not need to tip the scales disproportionately till they win.
“I believe there must be as a lot emphasis as potential on successful, and there is no greater unfold than first and second,” Spieth stated, then added a “however.”
“However I believe when you begin to separate it that a lot, I believe — I’m wondering as we go alongside right here — I do not keep in mind ever wrestling, even my rookie yr in an occasion, and I am eager about the distinction in cash. within the first and second downs ever.”