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SPORTS Wednesday 19 OctOber 2022
LIV Golf showing just how much money can be made

By DOUG FERGUSON yet.”
AP Golf Writer LIV Golf is planning a
RIDGELAND, S.C. (AP) — No 14-tournament schedule
matter how anyone spins it, for 2023.
LIV Golf is about money. Money or majors?
That’s why 13 major cham- It’s an easy answer for Jon
pions all but four of them Rahm, who said he cared
still under 40 signed up for only about being the best
the Saudi-funded league. It in the world when he left
offers 54 holes with no cut the Basque region of Spain
for a 48-man field, a limited for Arizona State. As a U.S.
schedule and a team com- Open champion who has
petition these guys haven’t reached No. 1 in the world,
enjoyed since they were who has earned some $50
amateurs none of which million with his 15 wins on
is appealing without the two tours, he said it would
money. take more than a 54-hole
Silly money, sure, but now it event with no cut to entice
is starting to look very real him to change paths.
with seven individual LIV But he thinks about Cha-
Golf events in the inaugural carra, and perhaps others
year. Forget the signing bo- like him.
nuses for a moment, which “This is what you wonder,”
were reported to be in the Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra from Spain kisses the winner’s trophy after his victory at the LIV Golf Rahm said. “He won a tour-
$150 million range for the Invitational Bangkok 2022 at Stonehill Golf Club in Pathum Thani, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. nament. He’s won ($6 mil-
biggest names. Associated Press lion) and he won’t be in
Dustin Johnson the biggest lion in earnings. He got that was going to get to the $30 Oklahoma State after three any of the majors and he

attraction from the start much alone in a bonus for million to $40 million on the years to join LIV Golf. won’t be eligible for the Ry-
has topped $31 million in finishing third in the points course.” He won in Thailand and der Cup next year.
just five months, with $18 race, bringing his total for What he does not know is if picked up $4 million. Throw Is that what you grew up
million of that from a bo- seven events to over $11.3 that money counts against in team results, and Chacar- wanting, just playing golf to
nus for winning the season million. the signing bonus. LIV Golf ra has earned $6,182,000. make money? Or did you
points list. That’s not a big Branden Grace clocked has said it does not. One of “I don’t care because I’m grow up to win majors and
surprise. in at just over $15.6 million, its lawyers suggested other- happy. I don’t think the play Ryder Cups?
“I really regret my decision which compares with the wise in a court hearing. numbers you’re mention- “I’m not going to lie. If you
to come here. It’s just so $12.2 million he made in Either way, there’s a lot of ing would make me hap- asked me in 2016 and of-
terrible,” Johnson said, the his eight full seasons on the money out there. The temp- pier,” Spieth said. “But what fered me $50 million to play
sarcasm meter registering PGA Tour. tation won’t go away, and I care about is the impact LIV, I don’t know if I could
higher than his pulse ever The money is real, and it there’s reason for the PGA that might have on some of go to my dad and say,
does. gets attention. Tour to remain on edge. the young guys on the PGA ‘We’re going to turn this
More alarming is Peter Ui- “I knew it was going to hap- The eight players who have Tour. down.’ I don’t know if I can
hlein, the former U.S. Ama- pen,” Jordan Spieth said made at least $6 million “If you’re talking about tell you I wouldn’t have tak-
teur champion who began Tuesday. “When you see since June there’s still the Chacarra, guys like him en it. And a lot of players
his career on the Challenge those purses ($25 million $50 million prize fund in the coming out, that’s a real are going to do the same
Tour in Europe. In his last five per event) and then bonus- team championship next threat when you see the to- thing when you have noth-
years on the PGA Tour, Ui- es ($30 million for the top week include Eugenio tal number and realize they ing and get offered that as
hlein had just over $4 mil- three players), someone Chacarra of Spain, who left haven’t had a full season a guarantee.” q

Take note: Utah Jazz may have lost their hashtag to Apple

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — “Got to look into it.” dise. The team started us-
Take note: The Utah Jazz Cook and Smith are ing the hashtag in 2016,
evidently need a new friends; Cook has even sat got away from it briefly
hashtag. courtside with Smith for at and began using it again
The team’s long-used least one Jazz game. in 2019. And just last week,
hashtag #TakeNote was Apple Inc. unveiled the lat- the Jazz announced a
used by Apple CEO Tim est innovations with its iPad partnership with Utah-
Cook in a tweet on Tues- and Apple TV products based company Chat-
day, accompanied by an on Tuesday, and Cook’s books including a pro-
Apple logo emoji. It raises early morning tweet with motion where Chatbooks
questions about how the the hashtag and a short would “display a collage
phrase will be used in the video that also made use of fans’ social media pho-
team’s marketing plans of the “Take Note” phrase tos” on the video boards
going forward. was basically the kickoff to hanging over center court.
“That was weird. I saw that his company’s announce- The plan was to tell fans
when you all did,” Jazz ments. to post photos on social
owner Ryan Smith said The Jazz have “#Take- media with the #Tak-
Tuesday at a Salt Lake City Note” on multiple displays eNote hashtag to have Apple’s CEO Tim Cook meets the students of the Apple
Academy at the Federico II University, in Naples, Italy,
news conference unre- in their arena, plus they them considered for those Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022.
lated to hashtag matters. have used it on merchan- collages.q Associated Press