Actually the interest on the lump sum payout works out to 3.25%. So if you think you can do better than that (post-tax, so think 6.5%), then take the $17M.
Honestly, even with a good time hobbying. Do you really need all that cash?
If you spend $200 every day hobbying, you'll end up spending $73,000 a year. 5% interest on $17M is $850,000. You'd need to spend $2,400 a day to just spend the interest! Ahh. Money doesn't buy happiness, but at least I could rent it...