On Thursday, the Players Championship tees off what is supposed to be a heart-thumping week for top golfers—and most importantly a fun and entertaining week for fans. Unfortunately, the PGA Tour’s signature regular-season event has lost some of its luster as the fight with LIV Golf continues, and negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia drag on.

But before LIV’s disruption became the biggest talking point in the sport, one of the more fun “debates” each spring was what to make of claims that The Players was golf’s “fifth major,” alongside the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship. For golfers’ careers, and wallets, it might as well have been (and still be). 

The purse offered at TPC Sawgrass has annually rivaled the prize money handed out by the four majors and now blows them out of the water. This year’s $25 million purse (same as 2023) is higher than all four majors last season (the U.S. Open’s $20 million is the closest competitor). It also matches LIV’s weekly total purse, but the $4.5 million winner’s check at The Players is $500,000 more than individual winners on LIV. When it comes to Official World Golf Ranking points—another contentious topic in golf—The Players has always offered more than any other non-major tournament. And winning in Ponte Vedra earns a three-year exemption to golf’s four kingpin events.

For those who have ever attended The Players, the on-course energy is undeniable. It’s hard to beat watching the world’s best golfers while sandwiched in between the reachable par-5 16th hole and iconic 17th island green (above). That unique setting successfully marries the party atmosphere of the WM Phoenix Open with the intensity of accomplishing a life-changing feat.

This year, The Players is missing last year’s Masters and PGA Championship winners (Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka, respectively), its own 2022 champion (Cam Smith), and many more of the world’s elite. That isn’t changing the money—and world rankings points—up for grabs, but it is putting a damper on what should be a can’t-miss kick-start to golf’s major season.

Over the course of his career, Rick Pitino has been associated with some serious scandals. But the bad headlines never stopped him from moving on to the next great gig. Last year, in fact, he was hired to be the head basketball coach for St. John’s in a deal reported at six years and $20 million. Investigative journalist Tim Rohan recently looked into Pitino’s tarnished past to try to figure out why his present remains so rosy. Rohan joins the show today to tell us about the strange world he wandered into. 

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$2 billion

The amount of money the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is offering to invest in professional tennis to facilitate a merger of the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours, according to The Telegraph. Last month, the PIF bought the naming rights to the ATP’s ranking system in a deal that tennis reporter Jon Wertheim pegged to be worth $100 million over five years. Of particular note in The Telegraph’s report is that the four Grand Slams would not be part of this PIF offer. The Grand Slams are separate from the ATP and WTA and, in November, were said to be exploring a Formula One–style premium tour with the sport’s other biggest events.

“So, in my eyes, Clark Hunt is an A+ in my book.”

—Chris Jones on the Chiefs’ owner after signing a five-year, $158.75 million deal with $95 million guaranteed. Jones, who now tops Aaron Donald as the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL, made the comments Tuesday while discussing the negotiation process and the F- grade the Kansas City owner recently received in the NFL Players Association’s annual team report cards. K.C.’s report stated: “Club owner Clark Hunt receives a rating of 4.9/10 from Chiefs players when considering his willingness to invest in the facilities (32nd overall).”