Show Them Their Money

I often get DMs or texts about developmental tours not paying players promptly. Another such message arrived on Tuesday. "I am hearing several players haven't been paid for an event that concluded March 26th," the DM began. As I have dug into the details of these stories, they have had a lot of similarities, including the usual laundry list of excuses. Such is life in the mini-tour world. What made this situation different is that the tour in question is the LatinoAmerica Tour, a developmental tour played under the PGA Tour umbrella. 

The Roberto de Vicenzo Memorial 100 Years was played the third week in March at Ranelagh Golf Club in Buenos Aires. Chandler Blanchet holed a wedge from the fairway on the 72nd hole to win by three. Blanchet won $31,500 of the $175,000 purse. 26 days have passed since the end of the tournament and no one has been paid. 

First, let’s be clear: Everyone, including the players, knows the money is coming, and the payments appear imminent. The frustration from the players, sponsors and family members I spoke with is that it shouldn't take this long to get paid and it affects the players' financial well-being and ability to book travel. Plus, expenses can get especially steep for players who might be hopping from continent to continent between starts. “I need it ASAP to pay off the credit card," one player told me. Another player said he couldn't book travel for the next event even as he watched the price of airfare increase because he had almost maxed out his credit card and couldn’t pay down the debt. Yet another player had to dip into funds from his sponsors to cover future travel. All three added that outside of hearing from players who had reached out to the PGA Tour individually , there had been no communication with players about when they would be paid.

 Reached for comment, the PGA Tour said in a statement, "The PGA Tour received the withholding tax (WHT) deductions from the host organization on Monday, and now the player prize department is reviewing the amounts before paying players." The statement went on to say, "This is standard operating procedure for our events in Argentina over the last 11 years. The PGA Tour pays the purse after the WHT is confirmed by finance and player prize. This process usually takes 2-3 weeks." Included in the statement was a mention that players were paid last week for an event in Brazil played from March 30 to April 2 and added that the purse for the event played in Argentina last December was delivered in "record time." 

(A statement about paying the purse from the last event, despite not paying the purse from the event played BEFORE that one, is right out of the mini-tour handbook)

The frustration of those I spoke with was that as the money in professional golf has grown exponentially over the past year, the Tour holding money from the players who need it most seems backward. "They give every Tour member 500K, but they can't cover my check for $7,000 so I can pay my credit card," one player said. (The amount was changed to protect the identity of the player.) 

Another player added that, at the very least, the Tour should step in and help those who need it most, noting that several players have needed help finding the money to book their travel.

 In a year that the power structure in golf has swung heavily in the players' favor, this is a reminder that only the top players have the luxury of speaking their minds. Every player I spoke with asked to remain anonymous, fearing speaking out would only affect them negatively with the Tour. In a player meeting last season, a Tour official lectured the players about how lucky they were to have a tour to play on and that they should appreciate the PGA Tour for operating it. It was a meeting that rubbed many players the wrong way, and coupled with now waiting nearly a month for payment, players' frustration seems at an all-time high. 

Last year the PGA Tour opened a new 187,000-square-foot headquarters; the money on the Tour has never been better, 20 million dollar purses, 100 million dollar PIP, $5,000 for every start, the list goes on. The influx of money to the Tour was needed to keep the best players; no one faults them. However, in that context, not finding a way to pay players that need it the most seems in poor form, at the least, taking advantage of players that have no voice at its worst. 

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