You might have been so busy leaderboard gawking at the Northern Trust this weekend that you missed a remarkable storyline — and we’re not talking about Scottie Scheffler’s fill-in caddie (or his 59!).

Motorsports have long been a pay-to-play arena, with young drivers spending thousands of dollars just to get started in karting. Four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen knows this all too well, ...