The much-discussed RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup is this week, with a field of 134 players teeing off on Friday and playing for no money. No money in their pockets, that is - but at least some charities will rack up pretty good donations.
The Founders Cup, which also serves to honor the 13 women who founded the LPGA back in 1950, starts a 3-week run for the LPGA. Next week comes the Kia Classic, and then the first major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
So, if you were a professional golfer, would you play one week for free?
The Founders Cup works like this: 134 golfers are in the field; each one designates a charity. The Top 10 finishers split $500,000 (first place getting the most, 10th place the least) and that money - all of it - is donated to the players' designated charities. Another $500,000 goes to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program.
Notice anything missing? Right: The golfers don't get any money for themselves, not even the winner. But they will be credited with earnings for the purposes of the LPGA money list. Follow that? A $1 million "imaginary" purse will be divvied up, with those "imaginary" earnings added to the players' money list totals.
That way, even though the golfers don't make any real money, the golfers still can improve their money list standing, which for some of them can have a huge impact on eligibility status for the remainder of 2011 and for 2012.
The LPGA did provide stipends to players and caddies to help with travel expenses. Commissioner Mike Whan, who came up with the idea, is going without pay this week, too.
Reaction among actual pro golfers to the all-for-charity Founders Cup has been mixed. Some PGA Tour players seemed flabbergasted by the idea; others have expressed interest in a PGA Tour version. Many LPGA Tour players expressed immediate support, but some, including Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel, were resistant until format changes were made in response to their concerns.
Keep in mind that every PGA Tour and LPGA Tour tournament raises money for charity already; and that most professional golfers are involved in charitable fund-raising in other ways, too, many through their own charitable foundations.
So, again: If you were a pro golfer, would you play one week for free? What about your current job: Would you work for free one week if you knew your "pay" would instead go to a very worthy cause?
In one way, the Founders Cup is already a major success: It has created much more discussion around an LPGA Tour stop than usually exists.
See also:
The 13 LPGA Founders
The Founders Cup, which also serves to honor the 13 women who founded the LPGA back in 1950, starts a 3-week run for the LPGA. Next week comes the Kia Classic, and then the first major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
So, if you were a professional golfer, would you play one week for free?
The Founders Cup works like this: 134 golfers are in the field; each one designates a charity. The Top 10 finishers split $500,000 (first place getting the most, 10th place the least) and that money - all of it - is donated to the players' designated charities. Another $500,000 goes to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program.
Notice anything missing? Right: The golfers don't get any money for themselves, not even the winner. But they will be credited with earnings for the purposes of the LPGA money list. Follow that? A $1 million "imaginary" purse will be divvied up, with those "imaginary" earnings added to the players' money list totals.
That way, even though the golfers don't make any real money, the golfers still can improve their money list standing, which for some of them can have a huge impact on eligibility status for the remainder of 2011 and for 2012.
The LPGA did provide stipends to players and caddies to help with travel expenses. Commissioner Mike Whan, who came up with the idea, is going without pay this week, too.
Reaction among actual pro golfers to the all-for-charity Founders Cup has been mixed. Some PGA Tour players seemed flabbergasted by the idea; others have expressed interest in a PGA Tour version. Many LPGA Tour players expressed immediate support, but some, including Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel, were resistant until format changes were made in response to their concerns.
Keep in mind that every PGA Tour and LPGA Tour tournament raises money for charity already; and that most professional golfers are involved in charitable fund-raising in other ways, too, many through their own charitable foundations.
So, again: If you were a pro golfer, would you play one week for free? What about your current job: Would you work for free one week if you knew your "pay" would instead go to a very worthy cause?
In one way, the Founders Cup is already a major success: It has created much more discussion around an LPGA Tour stop than usually exists.
See also:
The 13 LPGA Founders
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