⛳️ It's Pay Day On The PGA Tour

August 03, 2022

Stay in bed, it's Wednesday, 3 August. If you're considering a career change, may suggest taking up the game of golf. It's played outdoors in the fresh air, there's a lot of walking so you'll get your 10,000 steps done easy and at the end, you get to enjoy a nice cold drink at the clubhouse. Tell you what else is good about golf - the pros are getting paid RIDICULOUS money these days, so get out of bed and head straight to the pro shop (after reading this newsletter).

⏱ 1464 words = 8 minutes

👀 "Albo for the line ... it's a TRY!"

THE MAIN GAME

⛳️ Tiger gives zero bucks about joining LIV Golf

The battle for the best men's golfers has gone to a new level as the PGA Tour has upped its prize money to record levels but it's up against an enemy with seemingly bottomless pockets, as Tiger Woods well knows.

Golden points: One of the main reasons some of the best golfers in the world are signing up to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Tour, or are maybe considering it, is the insane money on offer, so the PGA Tour has increased its prize money in a big way for a second straight year.

  • The 2022-23 PGA Tour season will have a total prize purse of AU$620 million, up $100 million from the previous season, with a further $200 million in bonuses up for grabs.

  • That is ... a lot. But so is what LIV Golf is offering for next season. LIV Golf is looking to expand from 8 tournaments to 14 in 2023, with a prize pool of $580 million. That doesn't include the huge signing fees players are getting for signing up.

  • While the money is almost on par (pun not intended), the amount of golf is very different. Next PGA Tour season there will be 44 events plus the 3 end-of-season tournaments for the best of the best.

  • LIV Golfers just have those 14 events, and with smaller fields and no cuts, their chances of winning are much higher than if they were competing on the PGA Tour.

  • LIV Golf is still the small fish on the golf scene but it's growing bigger by the day, and it might be at the top of the food chain had the Shark landed the biggest whale of them all.

  • LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, aka the Shark, confirmed LIV Golf organisers offered Tiger Woods somewhere in the range of AU$1 billion to join the rebel tour. As we know, a billion dollars is cool.

  • Thing is, Tiger's already got one. Forbes estimates his net worth is well north of a billion bucks, and he's not a fan of the whole LIV Golf deal so he knocked it back.

They said it: "The players who have chosen to go to LIV and to play there, I disagree with it. I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position," Tiger ain't a fan of the LIV players.

Key click: Here's a good read that breaks down why so many golfers have jumped ship to LIV Golf.

QUICK SINGLES

🥇 Comm Games: The unthinkable happened overnight: Emma McKeon lost a swimming race. Yes, it's true. McKeon was the hot favourite to win the women's 100m freestyle final this morning but she was pipped by 18yo world champion Mollie O'Callaghan and Shayna Jack. There was nothing in it - less than 1/3 of a second split 1st and 3rd, but McKeon did get her 13th gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

🏉 AFL: West Coast forward Josh Kennedy is playing his last game this weekend. Just a day after Fremantle veteran David Mundy announced the 2022 season would be his last, Kennedy is joining him in retirement, but he's getting there a little bit earlier. Kennedy says the drive is there but his dodgy knee won't let him play next season, so Sunday's game against the Crows at home will be his 293rd and last.

🏉 NRL: NSW Premier Dominic Perrotet's decision to delay footy stadium funding could have a knock-on effect. Last night, Perrottet said the NSW government will prioritise funding flood damage repair over upgrading rugby league stadiums around the state. That hasn't sat well with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys, who says Perrottet has gone back on a handshake deal they made in May and it could mean the NRL Grand Final won't be played in Sydney this year.

🏎 F1: Aussie rookie Oscar Piastri has been promoted to the big time in 2023. 23yo Piastri will fill the vacant spot at Alpine left by veteran Fernando Alonso, who is taking the retiring Sebastian Vettel's seat at Aston Martin. It's a bit like musical chairs sometimes in Formula 1, but it means Australia will have 2 drivers in an F1 season since Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo in 2013.

🏉 Rugby: Wallabies wrecking ball Samu Kerevi is out for the year. Kerevi suffered a serious knee injury playing for Australia's Sevens team at the Commonwealth Games. The extent of the injury is unknown, but reports say it could be an ACL tear, which means a long stint on the sidelines.

🏉 NRL: Broncos forward Patrick Carrigan has been banned for 4 weeks for a dangerous tackle. Carrigan's hip-drop tackle broke the ankle of Wests Tigers playmaker Jackson Hastings on Saturday night. It means Carrigan is out until the last week of the regular season and is a blow to Brisbane's hopes of making the top 4 and getting a 2nd chance in the finals.

COMM GAMES CORNER

🥇 Medal Tally: Australia added 10 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze medals on Day 5 of the Comm Games. Full tally here.

📺 What's on: Check out some of the key Aussie events on Day 6. Watch it all on Channel 7 and stream it on 7plus. For the full schedule click here.

  • 6:00pm - Women's Hockey - Australia v Scotland

  • 8:00pm - T20 Cricket - Australia v Pakistan

  • 8:30pm - Mountain Bike - Men's & Women's Cross Country

  • 11:30pm - Men's Beach Volleyball - Australia v Rwanda

  • 4:00am (Thursday) - Athletics - Men's High Jump Final

  • 5:58am (Thursday) - Swimming - Men's & Women's 4x100m Medley Relay Finals

  • 6:00am (Thursday) - Men's Hockey - Australia v South Africa

  • 6:30am (Thursday) - Athletics - Men's & Women's 100m Final

LEFT OF FIELD

🎾 Tennis: Novak Djokovic is at long odds to play at the US Open later this month but that hasn't stopped him from staying fit in unusual ways. Djokovic posted a video on Instagram of himself training in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, which combines parts of dance, acrobatics and music with punching and kicking. It looks pretty intense, perhaps too intense for Nick Kyrgios, the man Djokovic beat in this year's Wimbledon men's singles final. Kyrgios commented on the video: "If your telling me this is what it takes to win a slam, then I’m in trouble".

📽 Highlight reel: Yesterday we brought you an overtime match-winner from Australia's wheelchair basketball team. Here's another one, except this time the Aussies were on the wrong side of the result. But the Aussie wheelchair team won gold, so that's good!

Vid: 7Sport

📸 Photo finish: It's been quite the year for PM Anthony Albanese. Albo, a fair dinkum rugby league fan, 1st beats Scott Morrison in the Federal Election and then, as he says it, helps NSW win the 4th game of State of Origin series at Parliament.

@AlboMP Twitter

THE POLLING BOOTH

Tuesday's result: 45.24% agree champagne breakfasts are great but only when the time is right.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING (THAT'S NOT THE COMM GAMES)

  • ⚾️ 10:00am - MLB - Astros v Red Sox - Minute Maid Park, Houston - Foxtel, Kayo

  • 🎾 2:00am (Thursday) - Tennis - Citi Open, Washington - Foxtel, Kayo

  • 🏏 3:30am (Thursday) - The Hundred - Brave v Fire - Southampton, Foxtel, Kayo

All times AEST

THE MANAGER'S OFFICE

It's halftime. You're down by a goal. The team needs a lift. What would you say to fire up them up? Maybe something like: "Hey, have you heard about the Sport Today newsletter? It's heaps good. Here's a link to subscribe. Let's do this!" Love it. Please do that.