Off the tee: They're all hitting pay dirt

Television's last big tournament for 2005, the Target World Challenge, was something of a sponsor's nightmare in the United States.

Here was a made-for-Tiger tournament with a cast largely selected by the world's number one, and Woods finished 14th equal after never threatening the leaders.

Worse still for a US audience, the winner was an Englishman, Luke Donald. Irishman Darren Clarke was second and Kiwi Michael Campbell and another Irishman, Padraig Harrington, tied for third.

A weary Woods spoke of hanging up his clubs for a while and shudders went down the spines of USPGA tournament promoters when he said he wouldn't be back for a couple of months and was contemplating several foreign events.

Tigermania over the past decade has meant that his presence at a tournament hugely boosts the television figures and the sponsor's exposure. He has been consistently good enough to miss only a couple of cuts and to feature prominently on all four days.

His fellow pros should feel grateful. The minimum purse these days is US$3 million ($4.4 million) and many of the tournaments make the winners instant millionaires. Corporate America and the television channels have been happy to pay up.

The USPGA keeps a record of money earned by allcomers in its officially sanctioned tournaments and the list is a graphic demonstration of the dollar explosion.

Woods tops the list with US$55,770,760. The indefatigable Vijay Singh is second with US$44,777,425 and Phil Mickelson third with US$35,257,533. Even Kenny Perry, who is hardly a household name, has collected US$19,516,333 for 10th place.

So where are the greats of yesteryear? Jack Nicklaus fills 115th place with US$5,734,031, Lee Trevino is 181st with US$3,478,328 and Arnold Palmer, who was largely responsible for the popularity of the modern game, is 287th with a paltry US$1,861,857.

Best of the Kiwis is Grant Waite in 151st place with US$4,392,286 followed by Craig Perks in 187th place with US$3,350,371 and Phil Tataurangi in 201st with US$3,022,048. Michael Campbell's US$2,910,313 for 205th came mostly in one pay packet.

Frank Nobilo's American adventures after a successful European career earned him US$2,875,836 in tour money while Bob Charles took home US$546,868 and John Lister US$253,558.

The figures reflect only official USPGA tour earnings. The British Open has only in recent years been included and a host of tournaments around the world are excluded as well as the made-for-TV specials that proliferate at the end of the year.

If you are feeling sorry for those whose best years came before the dollar explosion, a glance at the US Senior tour earnings can ease the pain. Hale Irwin, winner of a couple of US Opens, earned US$5,966,031 on the regular tour, but has added US$22,576,561 since he turned 50.

Charles has picked up US$8,992,570 since he joined the senior ranks and Dana Quigley, who earned just US$92,298 in his younger years, has hit the jackpot with US$12,333,491 in his eight years as a senior.

The prizemoney bonanza in the US may be peaking. Playing numbers and course construction have dipped and US television is wary of a sport in which there has been a big increase in the number of foreign winners while the presence of one player can make or break a tournament.

Ironically, the years of the Tiger have yet to boost the number of African-American golfers on the world stage while the other half of his heritage has inspired a generation of Asians - and that may keep the money coming.