Just to stick it to Judge Smails and Doctor Beeper was probably where his motivation lied. I really don't think the money was super important to Ty.

I thought they explained that in an earlier scene, the one where Ty breaks down and agrees to play against the Judge. He can't stand the judge, and doesn't want to lose to him.
Not about the money.
-I was born in a crossfire hurricane.

Try does not even keep score. The whole idea of having To keep a golf score would take him out of his game. Add the fact that it is a competition -for money - a Try will be a basket case. He excels at carefree, not high stakes.

I agree reecetonks. By this point of the match, Danny took over for Al, and he wasn't gonna get the scholarship. If they won, Ty and Al would give him a share of the winnings so he could then afford to go to college on his own.

"To me winning isn't, you do!" - Ty Webb
By this point in the story we have truly found out his hatred of the Judge so he is desperate not to lose to him.
Also
Ty liked Danny and thus wanted him to succeed. He was more worried about Danny losing than anything else.
Kid on bike "Where you going?"
Charlie Bright "Somewhere".

"To me winning isn't, you do!"
What's so hard to understand about that?
I'm gonna drink some Bailey's and unwind.

Good god, first off it's a comedy. You don't analyze a movie like this. Secondly, he didn't want to lose to Smails because he hated him and his father never liked him either as Ty says earlier in the film. Smails gloated all the time and maybe he did something to Ty's dad if you want to look into the film that deeply.

poor writing? I thought the same thing though about Ty.