News broke overnight for the Los Angeles Lakers. They plan on exercising their amnesty on Metta World Peace, thus saving the team upwards of $21 million for next season. World Peace, 34, has been anything but reliable for the historic sports franchise, having multiple run-ins with the league disciplinary office.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the PGA Tour or equipment sponsors had a similar amnesty clause for professional golfers? If that was the case, here are a few names that might be on the hot seat:
Rory McIlroy – Nike Golf
Talk about your all-time backfires. Ever since the World No. 2 joined up with the Tiger Woods Stable, McIlroy has been on a professional roller coaster. His best finish of the year was second place at the Valero Texas Open in April, which was a weaker field due to the pending Masters championship the following week. I don’t know about you, but three missed cuts, a weird tournament withdraw from the Honda Classic and a couple broken Nike golf clubs doesn’t seem like $100 million well-spent.
Michelle Wie – Nike Golf
Ok, I’m really not trying to pick on Nike here, but the LPGA’s Michelle Wie is another glaring example of a player that might need to move on to another sponsor soon. Wie’s lackluster play has routinely kept her from meeting the high expectations placed on the former teenage star years ago. Back in 2007, Wie was reported to have made $19.5 million in endorsements between Nike and Sony. That’s a steep price to pay for a golfer whose biggest achievement might be the “Weirdest Putting Stance Contest”.
John Daly – Loudmouth Golf
Granted, there might never be a better player-sponsor match than JD and Loudmouth Golf, the designers of decedent golf pants. Unfortunately, Daly has been sidelined more often than not either due to injury, struggles with his game, or a gamut of other off-course issues. With the recent report that Daly will be on the shelf for up to 4 months following elbow surgery, Loudmouth might need to find another poster child for its brand.
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