Popular WWE Superstar Steals PGA Tour Pros’ Spotlight From An Already Suffering Farmers Insurance Open

So picture this: different sports stars stepping off their usual fields and onto the golf course. Well, you don’t need to picture it happens often. We see athletes gracing the greens all the time. This happened at the Farmers Insurance Open Pro-Am too. The Torrey Pines golf course witnessed a handful of celebrities, including WWE’s star Mike “The Miz”, Canadian social media personality Josh Richards, baseball players Lars Nootbaar and Aaron Hicks, and footballer Kyle Juszcyk.

They enjoyed a few holes, and it seemed they were enjoying every bit of it. The Miz’s swing was astonishingly well at the 152 yards Par 3. Joe Mennella IV commented on his post on Instagram and wrote, “Never in 1 million years would I guess that the Miz has one of the purest swings I’ve ever seen..” But why were they there?

One could assume that they were there for a little event promotion, and what better way to do it than with a fun mix of sports and media personalities? Honestly, it’s a good way to get people talking, especially since the Farmers Insurance Open could definitely use the extra attention right now.

For starters, the field is already missing some of its biggest stars, like World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Xander Schauffle. Then there’s the weather, which was a nightmare for players during round 2 which got delayed due to high winds. Although play has resumed and we’re into round 3, things aren’t exactly smooth sailing just yet.

To make things even worse, Ludvig Åberg, who was on top of the leaderboard, has now dropped to T13, all thanks to illness. And that’s not all—past champion Max Homa withdrew from the tournament during the suspended second round due to illness.

Seems like this year’s tournament is indeed plagued, but you see those who are in the mix are still optimistic. After all, there’s a lot more at stake than just a trophy.

What does the winner get on winning the Farmers Insurance Open?

While the field might not be as stacked as you hoped, the competition is still fierce as players are fighting for a whopping $9.3 million purse. Yes, this fourth event has raised the stakes a little from last year’s $9 million. The winner will walk away with a solid $1,674,000, which is 18% of the total purse. The runner-up isn’t left out, either, taking home $1,013,700, and the third-place finisher grabs $641,700.

But there’s more than just the cash on the line. The winner also gets 500 FedEx Cup points and 51 Official World Golf Ranking points. They will also earn a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and automatic entry into some of golf’s biggest events like the Masters, the PGA Championship, and The PLAYERS Championship. So yeah, there’s definitely a lot to play for.

And if you want to catch the action live, don’t forget to tune into ESPN+!