Rory McIlroy has expressed his frustration with the constant focus on money in golf.
During a recent interview on Sky Bet's Stick to Football podcast, McIlroy admitted that he is "sick" of the excessive attention given to the financial aspects of the game - stating that most real fans don't resonate.
“Whenever I dreamed of becoming a professional golfer, it was all about winning trophies and winning major championships,” McIlroy said.
“This happens in all sports, but to me, I’m sick of all the money talk in golf because the fans don’t care about it.
“They want to watch good golf and watch people compete against each other. The fans don’t care if you’re making this or this guy is on 200,000 dollars a week, it just doesn’t resonate to them.”
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This comes after The Royal & Ancient Golf Club (R&A), the governing body of golf, has announced modest increases to the prize money for the 152nd edition of The Open Championship.
The decision has raised concerns about the financial sustainability of the much-coveted tournament and the perception of the sport as a whole.
The champion at Royal Troon this weekend will receive a record $3.1 million (£2.38 million) in prize money, representing a modest increase of just $100,000 from the previous year. The total prize fund for the tournament has been raised to $17 million (£13.1 million), up by a mere $500,000 from the 2023 edition.
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said: “The R&A has a responsibility to strike a balance between maintaining The Open’s position in the global game, providing the funds required for governance and developing amateur and recreational golf in 146 countries internationally.
“We have to make choices if we want to continue to build on the significant growth in participation that is essential for golf’s future.
“We remain concerned about the impact substantial increases in men’s professional prize money are having on the perception of the sport and its long-term financial sustainability.
“We are determined to act with the interests of the global game in mind as we pursue our goal of ensuring golf continues to thrive in 50 years’ time.”
The launch of LIV Golf in 2022, which offers staggering purses of $20 million at each of its events, has prompted the PGA Tour to follow suit by increasing the prize money for several of its "signature" tournaments.
This move is seen as an attempt to prevent more players from defecting to the Saudi-funded breakaway league.
The R&A's choice to implement only minor increases in the prize money for The Open has raised concerns about the tournament's ability to maintain its financial sustainability and continue to attract the world's top golfers.
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Defending Open champion Brian Harman insisted he would be happy playing for less money, or even no money at all.
“Yeah, I would personally. I’m not sure everyone would, but I would,” the American said in his pre-championship press conference.
Asked why other players would not feel the same, the left-hander added: “Because some people care more about money than I do, I suppose.
“I play golf for me. I play golf because I enjoy torturing myself with things that are really hard to do. That’s just me. Most times when I get done with a tournament, I couldn’t tell you within commas of how much that I made that week.”
