Great point about the money in the game Phil. Last year 99 players on the US money list won over a million dollars, including such world beaters as Johnson Wagner, Robert Garrigus and Bo Van Pelt.
It's probably also the reason why we smack the Americans in the Ryder Cup - they're just not used to being forced to play at 100% for a whole weekend.
It is deffo one of the reasons that they are getting worse and worse as a golfing nation yet as usual with the Yanks they just keep spouting out about Worlds greatest players and world greatest tour etc etc.
There has been a huge increase in players from other countries desperstaely trying to get their cards on the US tour and the easy money is the main reason. Players that have spent years plodding around in Europe are now plodding around the states and earning 2-3 million a year and the new players that years ago would have come to the European tour are just moving str8 to the US tour simply for money. Players such as Jason Day and other Australians used to learn the game before going to the US, these days they play 15 Nationwide tour events and they get a card. What they gain in cash they lose in ability and learning to play trickier courses therefore falling into million dollar mediocrity trap.
The other problem is that the US courses are set up for TV viewing, for some reason they think that viewers will only watch if the players are mullering par 5's and making masses of birdies but the most exciting finishes last year were at the Master's The Open, the US Open and some regular European tour events were the courses were incredibly tough and relied on a wide range of golfing skills.
Players down the money order list actually talk about retaining their cards so they can make another million bucks again next year, no mention of winning or competing in events , just putting themselves in a position to make a miilion is their sole aim.
Im ranting now but my favourite example of why US golf has created a game that is detrimental to the players and the tours came from the Solheim Cup this year when the US team complained that the European Organisers has lengthened the par 5 second hole so that the US players wouldnt be able to reach the green in 2 shots. This meant that ALL the players in the event had to play a par 5 in three shots to the green, nightmare eh??
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