The US Open has raised its prize cash to $20 million, now tops among the many main championships and on the identical degree because the PGA Tour’s elevated occasions.
Prize cash has change into a focus lately, even earlier than Saudi-funded LIV Golf arrived with its $25 million purses ($20 million for the 54-hole particular person competitions). The PGA Tour responded with $20 million purses at 10 tournaments, with $25 million for The Players Championship.
The Masters elevated its purse to $18 million this yr, whereas the PGA Championship bumped its prize cash to $17.5 million.
The British Open has but to announce its prize cash. It was $14 million final yr.
“In general for us, we want this to be big,” mentioned Mike Whan, the CEO of the USGA. “We have to find the right balance of bigness in terms of where we play it, how we televise it, how many people we let on this golf course. I think purse is part of that.”
Whan mentioned the USGA determined in November that $20 million was going to be the fitting quantity.
He additionally acknowledged the USGA has different tasks, together with its different 14 championships (U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur) and sustainability research.
He additionally mentioned the USGA wasn’t going to get right into a cash race with the PGA Tour, which operates a full schedule all year long with native organizations in command of varied tournaments and totally different sponsors for every.
“We understand that purses can be relative, and in order to be big we have to understand what else is going on in the world, and we do,” he mentioned. “We’re not in a chase to be the biggest check, but we want to make sure that the money and the opportunity here, whether they’re a tour player, college player, amateur, how they got here, that’s still part of the bigness, and we believe it is.”
CHANGING THE SUBJECT
Collin Morikawa didn’t keep away from all conversations in regards to the PGA Tour’s enterprise association with Saudi Arabia’s nationwide wealth fund. But he had a intelligent approach to change the dialog when the topic first got here up.
Morikawa had tweeted that he “loves finding out morning news on Twitter” when the deal was introduced. He was requested about sharing his ideas after having just a few days to course of them.
“Yeah, I don’t know anything. So I’ll talk about my FORE Youth Project that we’re doing,” he mentioned. “It’s this Maggie Hathaway project. It’s amazing. It’s in a community that is for underprivileged kids, kids that don’t have an opportunity to play. There’s many great organizations coming on board with this, and it’s something that means a lot to me.”
The venture is a marketing campaign to boost cash for the Maggie Hathaway Golf Course, constructed within the Sixties. The plan is to donate $15 million to provide the general public course a significant makeover. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, who led the restoration at LACC, have supplied their design companies totally free.
“I think LA has a big divide. We get to play Riviera every year, we play LACC this year. There’s a huge divide between private golf and public golf out here in Los Angeles,” Morikawa mentioned. “It’s not the case for everyone, but there really is. And most people are playing public, municipal golf courses, and the change of this golf course is going to be great.”
US OPEN TELEVISION
This is the seventh time relationship to 2008 at Torrey Pines the U.S. Open is on the West Coast, giving tv an opportunity to current the championship in prime time on the East Coast.
The hours have been barely expanded for this U.S. Open — Saturday’s telecast runs till 11 p.m. EDT on NBC, whereas protection of the ultimate spherical ends at 10 p.m. EDT.
But it’s greater than expanded hours.
The ordinary complaints of too many commercials struck a chord with Mike Whan final yr, and the CEO of the USGA responded.
Whan mentioned the printed would break free for commercials 30 per cent lower than a yr in the past.
“We got together with NBC on Saturday morning and we actually cut our commercial interruptions on Sunday of last year, and really just followed that logic through,” Whan mentioned. “I’m proud of NBC. They’ve really cut back on some of their in-broadcast programming. So have we at a similar level. They’ve got bills to pay and so do we, so I get that.
“There will still be millions of people that don’t like the commercial interruptions because no matter how low you get it, you’ll get that feedback,” he mentioned. “We wanted to make sure the experience is different whether you’re here or not here, whether you’re watching it on your computer, your phone or you’re watching it on TV.”
PACE OF PLAY
Los Angeles Country Club encompasses a drivable par 4, adopted by a 284-yard par 3, after which a reachable par 5. The eleventh gap is 290 yards for a par 3.
That provides to what gamers anticipate to be lengthy rounds and loads of ready.
The USGA is conscious. John Bodenhamer, the chief championships officer, talked about “pinch points” across the sixth and seventh holes and at No. 11. But he mentioned he wasn’t about to change the traits of the course due to it.
“We’ll manage it appropriately,” he mentioned. “It’s like being out on the 405. With 156 players, you can only get so many folks on the highway, and when something happens there’s nowhere for them to go, but we’ll manage it. We’re on top of it.”