Millionaires on the LPGA and other reflections of a new era
Though I doubt Michelle Wie should get the credit, it is notable that in her first year as a pro a record number of players earned more than a million dollars on the LPGA Tour. As detailed on the 2006 LPGA money list, this year 11 players made over a million; in 2005, only six players made that much.
Intriguingly, though I expected 2006 to be the year that young guns like Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis would rise to the top, these three all had disappointing years. Meanwhile other lesser-known youngsters, like Julieta Granada and Brittany Lincicome, scored big victories.
Of course, the biggest news was the emergence of Lorena Ochoa as perhaps the best female golfer in the world. Also the strong resurgence of Karrie Webb, after three years out of the top 10, was quite a story. Ochoa and Webb became the first two women not named Annika to win two million dollars in one year on the LPGA, and they also both bested Annika to total winnings this year. Sign of a new era or will Annika bounce back in 2007?
2 Comments:
I found that the comments by Creamer and Gulbis at the ADT tournament gave a bit of insight as to the mindset of the younger players, and perhaps is an indication of the mindset of young male american golfers.
When asked about the $1,000,000 first prize (and related plummet of prize money to the 2nd ($100,000) and 3rd place prizes), veterans like Hurst and Annika commented that when there was a $1,000,000 first prize, they would be at that tournament.
When Creamer and Gulbis were asked, both stated that they felt more money should be rewarded to those that finish 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. as well. Also, they stated that with less money for lower finishes, they would not be inspired to play hard if they felt winning the tournament was out of reach. Those statements alone makes me think that the younger players come into a tournament in hopes for a win, but expecting a top 5 finish. The veteran players come in expecting a win, and not even considering the top 5 finish. Can you imagine Tiger making either of those comments?
Which made me think, as has been suggested by other writers, are young american golfers resting on the mass of money they can earn with top-10 finishes, not fully concentrating on the prestige, and slight money bonus, that is made with wins. Coming down the stretch, long-iron over water from a bunker, birdie gets a win, bogey gets a third place finish...I'm under the impression that young americans will choose the safe route in most cases, and are losing the edge needed to develop their confidence.
On the European tour, granted the money is less, but a win is great money. Perhaps this alone encourages their young players to take chances to get wins, and their confidence grows.
What I would love to see...take the money dispursement of the ADT, and use that formula on the PGA Tour. 50% of the purse goes to first place. The purse on the PGA Tour in 2006 spanned from 3 million(B.C. Open) to 8 million (Players Champ). By making the 1st place check in smaller tournaments, you are likely to draw in the same unknown golfers they always draw, but it is likely that the big-name golfers will choose to attend more events, including smaller events they would never consider. If Tiger is willing to go to Japan for 3 million, he might attend the John Deere for a 2 million first prize.
My point is that this may spurn those young players who are content with a few top 5 finishes to push themselves that extra yard to get a win, considering the difference in money between 1st & 2nd place.
I agree with you Power Fade. I do believe that a lot of these golfers come out now and know they can't beat Tiger or Lorena Ochoa and just are content with shooting an easy 70 70 70 70 and earning a nice paycheck on tour. Tiger knows he is the best, and everyone else knows that too. But that doesn't mean that these young players can't come out and try to compete. What do they have to lose. If they beat someone like Tiger or Annika, they are the next star. If they lose like they are "suppose" to, then they will just be back right where they were before they lost to the best players in the world.
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