Multi-million dollar end to U.S. golf tour

Press, 26 October 1989, Page 34

Multi-million dollar end to U.S. golf tour

NZPA-AFP Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Four of the world’s top golfers compete for Player of the Year honours this week as the 1989 United States P.G.A. Tour climaxes in the JA3.27 million (54.19 M Nabisco championship. “The golf season will come to a climactic end this week-end, with four of the world’s top golfers competing for P.G.A. Player of the Year,” said the P.G.A. of America president, Patrick Reilly. The British Open winner, Mark Calcavecchia, currently heads the list for the year’s best player with 72 points, based on three victories, his position on the money list and his scoring average. Tom Kite, a back-to-back winner in March, is in second place with 66 points, followed by the P.G.A. champion, Payne Stewart, with 60 and Australian Greg Norman with 54. The winner on Sunday would earn 10 points toward Player of the Year, plus an undetermined amount based on his final standings on the money and scoring average lists. The top spots on each are worth 20 points. Perhaps of equal importance to the 30 players who qualified is the huge purse — the largest on the United States circuit — and the instant effect it has on the final money standings.

“You put up that much money and it gets everyone’s interest,” said Stewart. The winner will earn a first prize of $Au5t589,230 ($755,423) which leaves nearly half of the field mathematically in the running for top money winner.

In addition to the official tournament prizemoney, there will be nearly one million dollars in bonus money awarded with $Au5t229,145 ($293,775) going to the top money winner. Stewart would have to be considered the favourite to win this week, since the tournament is being played on the Harbour Town Golf Links, where he won the Heritage Classic in April. Norman, who notched two wins on the American circuit this year, won last year's Heritage Classic and also will be feeling confident coming into the season-ending event.

The defending champion and 1988 Player of the Year, Curtis Strange, is not in the running for the top honours this year, with only one victory — the United States Open — to his credit, but could repeat as top money winner with a victory. Only two other foreigners qualified, South African David Frost and Australian Wayne Grady, who lost to Calcavecchia in a play-off at Royal Troon.