The Top 5 Highest Paid Caddies.

Golf is one of the most lucrative sports in the world. With the PGA Championship starting in just 10 days time, the players will be eyeing their share of the $10 million prize fund on offer with the winner set to pocket $1.8 million. For most golfers, they will hardly notice that extra money in their huge bank accounts.

But have you ever wondered how much a caddie makes in a year? The right hand man with an in-depth knowledge of every major course in the world can earn a massive salary without even having to hit a ball. His job is a lot harder than carrying just a bag of course, his advice is invaluable and his personality comes vital when the pressure needs relieving from his partner.

They will take a share of the prize money on offer and they will earn additional money from their own endorsement deals as 19th reveal the top five highest paid caddies of 2014.

I really find this interesting  since I can remember when Jack Nicklaus was the first player to win $300,000.00 in a season.


1. Micah Fugitt
Earnings – $1.57 million
Caddie for Billy Horschel

2. J.P. FitzgeraldEarnings – $1.48 million
Caddie for Rory McIlroy

3. Ted ScottEarnings – $900,000
Caddie for Bubba Watson

4. Gareth Lord
Earnings – $725,000
Caddie for Henrik Stenson

5. Mark Fulcher
Earnings – $720,000
Caddie for Justin Rose

PGA Tour is Hard to Win on These Days!

Post by Essentially Golf.

Does Tiger Woods Make a Comeback Starting This Week??????

That's a question that is on all our minds and I think most of us are really pulling for him because we remember so vividly what the glory days were like for the man that won 5 majors before he was old enough to rent a car. It was also before Ricky Fowler and Rory McIlroy turned pro.

For the man that used to be on the Wheaties Box

representing the most physically fit player on the tour, the last few years have been painful and filled with rehab.

With Tiger hoping to start his comeback this week at the 
2015 WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN it will give us an opportunity to see what he and his new coach,  have come up with.

I have no expectations of him being in the hunt. Right now I'm just pulling for him to make the cut. When I got up this morning I ran across a tweet from ESPN that had this wonderful video attached by
@ReillyRick.  Rick that is titled "Might Tiger Have a Little Past Left in His Future" and it is wonderful. Absolutely worth your time to watch this one.

I feel pretty sure the ratings will go through the roof like they always do when Tiger is playing so enjoy the event and keep your fingers crossed.

A World Without Tiger Woods!

Post by Essentially Golf.

5 things to talk about with your buddies on the course this weekend.

By Alex Myers

From sports to TV to politics (OK, so mostly the first two), we offer five hot topics that are sure to liven up your round of golf:

  1. NCAA Playoffs: At least, we don't have to worry about Jack Nicklaus having to choose between rooting for his alma mater or his family (like that was actually a tough choice) anymore. Jack's Buckeyes upset Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, while Florida State and Jack's grandson, Nick O'Leary, got blown out by Oregon on the first day in college football playoff history. Wow, what a novel concept to have a playoff to determine the natural champion! Well, better late than never. Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and the Ducks will be a heavy favorite over Ohio State in the title game on Jan. 12. He's also the country's favorite college football player after putting an end to the Jameis Winston era at FSU. 


2. NFL Playoffs: Pro football's postseason is well established and wonderful -- even if it means the end of the NFL RedZone Channel. The featured game of Wildcard weekend features the detestable Dallas Cowboys (Yes, I'm a Giants fan, but is any non-Cowboys fan rooting for Jerry Jones?) hosting the equally detestable Detroit Lions and Ndamukong Suh, who has a nasty habit of stomping on other players. Maybe you'll think of him in a different light, though, when you check out this wonderfully random photo of Suh, Warren Buffett and Kathy Ireland putting indoor:


Nope, he's still pretty tough to root for. 

Related: NFL stars who love playing golf
 
3. AP Male Athlete of the Year: Another end of the season award, another snub for Rory McIlroy, who finished tied for third with Derek Jeter. Baseball still rates a lot higher with the voters than golf. At least, winner Madison Bumgarner, also SI's Sportsman of the Year, and runner-up Clayton Kershaw also had historic seasons (regular season in the case of Kershaw). But Jeter? The guy basically spent the entire season making ceremonial appearances and collecting retirement gifts. 

4. AP Female Athlete of the Year: Mo'ne Davis was a fantastic story over the summer, but was this 13-year-old Little League star really the female athlete of the year? The voters could have gone with one of the usual suspects like Serena Williams, but what about Lydia Ko? Just four years older than Davis, one could argue Ko is the best in the WORLD at what she does. We're officially launching our campaign for her in 2015. 

PHOTOS: The year in golf WAGs
 
5. "90 Day Fiance": You know what's the funny thing about being forced by your fiancee to watch certain TV programs? Sometimes, you wind up really enjoying them. Such was the case with TLC's "90 Day Fiancee," which tracks a group of people in the U.S. on K-1 visas -- meaning they have 90 days to get married or they have to return to their home countries. This show was fascinating, especially the one couple in which the man, Mohammed, was clearly just going through with the marriage to get his Green Card. OK, so my first New Year's resolution might be to cut back on the reality TV. . .

Augusta numbers stacking against Rory McIlroy’s tilt for US Masters and career grand slam

 

  Associated Press

To most golf fans, the biggest story line ahead of the 2015 Masters is “Can world No 1 Rory McIlroy win the season’s first major to complete a career grand slam?”

At Augusta National, the question is more prosaic: Will the field remain under 100 golfers?
As 2014 comes to an end, for the fourth time in five years, at least 90 players already have qualified for the Masters with three months of opportunities remaining before the field is set. 

Each time, Augusta National managed to achieve its objective of keeping the number of competitors in double digits.  By far the smallest field of the four majors, the Masters has not had more than 100 players since 1966. 

That is what Augusta National prefers. Club chairmen have talked about a small field creating a better experience. The original name of the Masters was the Augusta National Invitation Tournament.  But if the last eight months were any indication, this could be the closest call yet.

Of the 90 players who are eligible and expected to compete, 17 earned invitations by winning PGA Tour events that award full FedEx Cup points. 

• Stephen Gallacher wants to be first to Dubai Desert Classic hat-trick
• Rory McIlroy already preparing to master final slam target at Augusta National
• McIlroy wants to master Augusta sooner rather than later

That is up from 12 a year ago, a reminder not only that winning is difficult for everyone but that the PGA Tour is stronger and deeper than ever.

There are 13 chances for players not already in the Masters to win a full PGA Tour event and get in.  And because the World Match Play Championship has been moved from its traditional late February slot, top international players such as Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and McIlroy are not expected to play much, if at all, before the US Florida swing. The other way to qualify is to move into the top 50 in the world ranking published on March 30.

Among those on the outside is Brandt Snedeker (No 58) from the PGA Tour. Tommy Fleetwood (51), Alexander Levy (53) and Francesco Molinari (55) are also outside the top 50, though they will face some of the European Tour’s stronger fields during the Middle East swing, which includes the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, from January 15 to 18, and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, from January 29 to February 1.

Also, the Masters has created a new spot for the winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, to be played in January in Argentina.

A year ago, 90 players were eligible after the first cut-off in December. Seven players not already eligible won PGA Tour events, and Stephen Gallacher was added from the world ranking. Then again, one spot was reduced when Tiger Woods had back surgery a week before the Masters.

This year? It will be close. 

It starts with the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, Hawaii. The field includes four players who won before last year’s Masters – Scott Stallings, Matt Every, Steven Bowditch and Matt Jones – and are not yet eligible at Augusta.