Dubai’s $10 million prize, Richest in Golf
Money makes the world go round.
As the world of golf gets bigger and bigger, so do the prizes. Today, the European Tour announced that the Dubai World Championship would boost it’s total payout to a record $10 million dollars, making it the richest golf tournament on the planet. The European Tour has also announced that the Order of Merit will be aptly renamed, ‘The Race to Dubai’ with the total payout buoyed to $2 million dollars to the winner. The winner of the Dubai World Championship will receive $1.66 million from the $10 million total pool. The new prize structure will take into effect for the 2009 season.
I think it is absolutely ludicrous the money that is being thrown around here. Though, I’m not the least bit surprised. Lets face it, there is a lot of money in golf. From the equipment manufacturers, to the courses, to the instructors, golf is a business, a mega industry. The fact that these golfers are jettisoning around in private jets, frolicking in Monaco and living in mega-mansions in Florida shows there is no lack of funds to go around.
But I think at some point, you just have to say enough is enough. Where do we draw the line in the sand and say, we can’t go past this or we’ve completely lost all integrity? Or perhaps we’ve passed that line several decades ago. I know that golf has always had the elitist stigma on it, but I remember paying $20 bucks to play all day at my local muni. Golf should mean something more than just the $$$.
Well, I’ve said my peace, I leave you with the words of one, Gordon Gekko, “Greed is good.”
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