Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter had a row on social media over the weekend.
LIV Golf’s Poulter posted to Twitter/X that he’d be “very happy to make public every penny of appearance fees” he’s made in his career when responding to a column written by Alistair Tait.
The Englishman’s former captain and European Ryder Cup teammate challenged him to do just that.
“Go for it,” the Irishman responded. “I’m curious for one. Forget politics, I’m nosey. For all those wondering, appearance fees generally require a number of commitments outside of golf.
“But one would not happen without the other. From the outside @IanJamesPoulter always looked like he did a great job at appearances, but I can’t tell if he was value for money until he spills the beans on what his fees were.
“Don’t come back with you go first or I will if you will. We’re not six years’ old.”
The Englishman responded, not with his appearance fee accounts, but with this:
“Paddy it’s a very interesting dynamic going on at the moment. People spouting when they’ve made many millions through appearance fees over the years.
“You and I have done incredibly well on exactly this model. But some choose to forget how well they have or had it.”
The column Poulter initially responded to questioned recent comments from Fred Couples who said he wants to see “a superstar” go to LIV Golf for free instead of a nine-figure payslip.
Tait wrote that the American used to accept “large appearance fees” to play on the European Tour, with the article named “The Height of Golf Hypocrisy.”
The great golf appearance fees debate
The appearance fee debate has cropped up more than once since the inception of LIV Golf.
It’s an argument LIV’s chief executive Greg Norman has previously levelled at Rory McIlroy when the rival tours’ war of words has been at its peak.
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“I respect Rory, but I am somewhat confused by his approach. But then, he is paid to sit on the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council, so he is obviously going to support the tour,” Norman said to Australian Golf Digest in July 2022.
“I do know he has asked for sizeable appearance fees to play in Saudi Arabia.”
Then in November last year, Bubba Watson told ESPN he got paid “behind closed doors” to play in some PGA Tour events, responding to the scrutinised concept of guaranteed earnings that exists at each LIV event, where the player finishing 48th out of 48 is still rewarded.
“And if Bubba Watson’s not the best, that means the best were getting paid better than me and more than me,” he said. “And so it’s guaranteed money. I miss the cut, I still make money. I make the cut, I make extra money.”
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