Wanted: Golfers with big game, bigger wallet
A novel match play event will cost you $50K, but there is a flipside.
By BOB HARIG
Published April 28, 2005
The difference between finishing first and second on Sunday at the Houston Open was $360,000. It probably didn't even occur to Vijay Singh and John Daly, who were more interested in the title than a few hundred thousand dollars.
And for Daly, who eventually lost to Singh in a sudden-death playoff, it wasn't like it was his money. He still pocketed $560,000, while Singh got $900,000.
That scenario plays out all the time on the PGA Tour, and it got Steve Bartkowski thinking.
What if that was their own money on the line?
That's how Bartkowski conceived Big Stakes Match Play Golf, an event that will pay $3-million next month to the winning team and no doubt will have palms sweating and knees knocking from here to Nevada.
Each of the two-man 64 teams will have put up $100,000 to enter, or $50,000 per player.
"There's never been a stage quite like this I don't think," said Bartkowski, the former NFL quarterback who with the help of partner Jim Thompson put together the event. "I'm not quite sure how guys are going to react. It's going to be a unique experience to get out there and watch these guys and see how they deal with it."
The tournament is May 11-16 at CasaBlanca Resort & Casino in Mesquite, Nev. The entry fee includes all golf, hotel accommodations and meals. The Golf Channel will show it on tape delay at the end of the month.
Anyone can participate, including women, as long as they have not been a member of a major professional tour for the past three years. And they must be at least 25 years old. But logic suggests you better be pretty good. There are no handicaps, no strokes given.
The 64 teams will be matched by a blind draw. The competition is four-ball, which means the best ball of one team is matched against the best ball of the other team on every hole. The team that wins the most holes moves on to the next match.
These teams will compete for a purse of $6.4-million, including the consolation division. The 16 teams that win their first two Big Stakes matches and the two teams that reach the final round of the consolation bracket win their entry fees back.
The four teams that win four matches will each pocket $400,000. A fifth win means $675,000. That puts you in the championship match, where $3-million will be awarded to the winners.
"If you're not intrigued by that, I don't know what you are going to get intrigued by," said Tampa's Joe Alfieri, 35, who is scheduled to play with Tampa's Doug LaCrosse. Both are professional golfers who used to prosper as amateurs. The duo once claimed three straight Florida State Four-Ball titles. Alfieri also won the 2003 Florida Open.
But because neither holds a tour card - Alfieri is trying to make it on the Nationwide Tour, while LaCrosse has been attempting to play the Champions Tour - they are eligible for Big Stakes.
"We all play because we love the game. We're also earning a living and that's a pretty good way to do it," Alfieri said. "I don't think I have to go out on a limb when I say this is going to be different than a weekend Nassau (wager). It's probably going to feel different than winning a Florida State Open or anything remotely close to that. Other than what the big guys are playing for on the PGA Tour, this is it, because the stakes are so high at the end, especially that last match."
Big Stakes promoters are touting it as the biggest payoff in golf. At one time, they planned to offer the biggest purse. Their original intent was to attract 128 teams and put up more than $9-million. Unable to find that many players, they settled for 64 and hope to grow the event in the future. Although they shrunk the purse, they are still paying $3-million to the winning team.
"What we're finding out is there is a price point that most guys will pay for something like this," Thompson said. "It's well below $50,000 a man. Many people have told us, "It's a great idea, but it's too rich for my blood.'
"The theory was that people would put up their own money. But the reality is the money is syndicated in some cases. When we interview these guys, the one thing that comes out is it's not so much about the money, it's the exposure, it's the break they've never gotten on any of the developmental tours. But nobody is going to say they are not excited about the money."
Alfieri and LaCrosse entered with the help of sponsors who would share in their winnings.
Robert Floyd, the son of Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd, has entered, as has former NFL quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver. Former NHL player Dan Quinn, who frequents the celebrity golf tour, as well as former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden, who has tried for his Champions Tour card, are also entered.
"I thought we'd find guys who were sitting on some cash and thought a lot of themselves and their game," Bartkowski said. "I missed it there. I thought it would be some wealthy individuals, guys who had a little nest egg and wanted to parlay it into something pretty special. I was wrong.
"Probably about 75 percent of the field is coming via syndicates. I'm kind of excited to see that. It is fun. I've talked to several of the groups and they are really excited about having a horse in this race and the potential that could have from a sharing the wealth standpoint."