liv golf salary vs pga tour

How LIV Golf Payouts Compare to the PGA Tour

• DESCRIPTION Dustin Johnson smiles on his way to $35 million-plus in LIV earnings in 2022
• SOURCE Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf
• PERMISSION getty image license

The money in LIV Golf is astronomical, with $25 million combined purses for the first seven events and a whopping $50 million for the LIV Golf Championship, the final event of the inaugural season in 2022.

Dustin Johnson was easily the top prize winner, collecting a combined $35,637,767 between individual play, team play, and bonuses. Here are more details on LIV Golf payouts and how they compare to PGA Tour and major championship payouts.

LIV Golf Payouts

Unlike the PGA Tour, LIV Golf payouts are identical for each regular-season tournament. The individual winner collects $4 million from the $20 million individual purse, while the second-place finisher takes home $2.125 million, and third-place cashes a $1.5 million check. There is no cut in LIV Golf events, and the last-place finisher in the 48-player tournaments takes home $120,000.

For the complete list of how much each finishing position pays in LIV Golf, compared to PGA Tour and major championship payouts, check out the table at the bottom of the page.

In addition to $20 million in individual payouts, LIV Golf reserves $5 million for team prizes. The top three teams, out of 12 who compete, each team prizes, which are split evenly between the four players on the team.

Top LIV Golf Money Earners

• DESCRIPTION Branden Grace grins ear to ear
• SOURCE Steve Dykes

Dustin Johnson was far and away the top earner on the LIV Golf circuit in 2022. The 2020 Masters champion put his stamp on LIV Golf by earning $35,637,767 playing in all seven regular events plus the LIV Golf team championship at the season’s end. Here’s how DJ’s LIV financials broke down:

• Individual money: $10,575,267
• Team money: $7,062,500
• Bonus money (individual season champion): $18,000,000

Johnson never finished worse than 16th as an individual in any LIV event in 2022. His outright wins came in Boston (individual and team), Portland (team), Bedminster (team), and Chicago (team).

Here is a full overview of the top 40 LIV Golf earners of 2022.

Note: The top three players won bonuses from the $30 million season-long individual competition. Dustin Johnson ($18 million), Branden Grace ($8 million), and Peter Uihlein ($4 million).

LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour Payouts

In response to the massive payouts offered by LIV Golf, and in order to keep its top talent, the PGA Tour is set for a historic 2023 season from a monetary standpoint. In total, the PGA Tour will payout $560,000,000 over 47 events in 2023. This is being led by a series of elevated events where the tour has increased purse sizes to $20 million.

RELATED:  The Largest Purses on the PGA Tour

The largest purse is the Tour Championship, which has been increased to $75 million. The Players Championship is at $25 million and there are six events that feature a $20 million purse.

Here's exactly how each finishing position (1-48) from a LIV event compares to a regular PGA Tour event (purses range from around $7 million to $9 million), a major championship (The most recent Masters offered a $15 million purse), and an elevated PGA Tour event with a $20 million purse.

You'll be shocked to see LIV Golf's top money earners compared to their earnings on the PGA Tour

Pat Perez is unapologetic for joining LIV Golf and cashing in after more than two decades on the PGA Tour. Though no one feels sorry for a man who won nearly $29 million in prize money in 21 years on the tour, Perez wanted what everyone wants: Less work; more money.

He found it with LIV.

"I just couldn't be happier," he said Sunday at the conclusion of LIV's inaugural season. "It's unbelievable."

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Perez is part of the Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces, which won LIV's team championship at Trump National Doral Sunday. The title pushed Perez's season earnings above $8 million.

LIV, financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, distributed $255 million in prize money in 2022, including $30 million in bonuses. In all, 52 golfers earned more than $1 million.

Here are the top 10 on LIV's money list for its inaugural year and how this year compares to their time on the PGA Tour. Jupiter residents swept the top three spots.

1. Dustin Johnson

LIV: $35,637,767 (8 events). PGA: $74,897,059 (15 years)

Johnson's total breaks down to $10,575,267 in individual prize money, $7,062,500 in team prize money and an $18 million bonus for winning the individual title.

By comparison, Scottie Scheffler led the PGA Tour money list last season, winning $14.05 million in 25 events.

Johnson, 38, captured LIV's triple crown, topping the money leaders list and winning the individual championship and team championship.

"You add up the numbers and it was great but I played good ... I didn't play my best," Johnson said. "So it always could be better."

2. Branden Grace

LIV: $16,634,666 (8 events). PGA: $12,296,547 (12 years)

Grace's $8 million bonus for finishing second in the individual competition pushed him to the No. 2 spot on the money list. Grace's largest payday was $4 million for winning the Portland event. His team, captained by Louis Oosthuizen, made $2.125 million on the season.

Grace, 34, said he thinks being part of a team, "brings the best out of me."

3. Peter Uihlein

LIV: $12,814,786 (8 events). PGA: $4,043,733 (10 years)

Uihlein, 33, earned a $4 million bonus for finishing third in the individual standings. He also made $3 million for being a part of team Smash, captained by Brooks Koepka. 

In eight events, Uihlein more than tripled his PGA Tour earnings. He played in 126 events on the tour. 

Uihlien is leaving Koepka's team next season to join 4 Aces.

4. Patrick Reed

LIV: $12,210,714 (7 events). PGA: $37,065,581 million (12 years)

Reed, 32, made about one-third the money in seven events on LIV as he did in 268 events on the PGA Tour. His winnings more than doubled what he made in any one year on tour. More than $7 million of Reed's earnings came from being part of Johnson's team. 

"To come out and play the way we did through the season is unbelievable," Reed said about 4 Aces. "Can't wait for next year to keep it going."

5. Talor Gooch

LIV: $10,374,500 (8 events). PGA: $9,153,099 (6 years)

Gooch, 30, was a major contributor to Johnson's team and was rewarded with more than $7 million of his total coming from the team's earnings. Despite that, he will be moving to Bubba Watson's team next year.

Gooch never earned more than $3.8 million in one year on the PGA Tour.

6. Brooks Koepka

LIV: $8,276,100 (7 events). PGA: $37,987,257 (10 years)

Koepka, 32, finished strong, winning the event in Saudi Arabia and then leading his team to a third-place finish Sunday. The Jupiter resident won more than $5,651,100 in individual prize money and $2,625,000 in team money. 

Koepka said he had no expectations when he joined LIV, rather "just kind of show up, see how it goes. But it's been fantastic so far. I've loved every minute of it."

7. Charl Schwartzel

LIV: $8,135,000 (8 events). PGA: $20,912,493 million (18 years)

Jupiter's Schwartzel started his season by winning more money in three days at LIV's inaugural event than he had in any year on the tour.

"It's beyond everybody's imagination," Schwartzel, 38, said. "You can't lie (and say) it's not about the money. There's a lot of money out there."

8. Pat Perez

LIV: $8,023,500 (8 events). PGA: 28,830,160 million (21 years)

Nobody rode the coattails of his team more than Perez. He made $961,000 in individual prize money and $7,062,500 because of 4 Aces' success.

9. Cameron Smith

LIV: $7,378,500 (5 events). PGA: $27,037,033 million (8 years)

Smith was No. 2 in the world when he joined LIV after winning the Open and in just five starts he made more money than most golfers who played in six or seven events.

Smith took over as captain for team Punch when he joined LIV and powered it to a second-place finish, which pocketed him more than $2 million in team earnings.

10. Eugenio Chacarra

LIV: $6,932,000 million (7 events). PGA: None (rookie)

Chacarra, 22, went from an amateur to joining LIV and winning nearly $7 million thanks to capturing the event in Bangkok. The Spaniard left Oklahoma State in the spring following the NCAA Tournament.

Chacarra joined Sergio Garcia's Fireballs team, which won more than $2.1 million on the season.

LIV Golf Money List: How Much Every Player Has Earned In 2024

The LIV Golf League is known for the big money its players can win - here is what each player has claimed so far this season

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After LIV Golf Miami , the 2024 League season has now seen five events, each offering a purse of $25m. Of that, $20m is distributed among the players and another $5m is invested in the top three teams at each tournament.

Even with the PGA Tour's signature events, which regularly offer purses of $20m or more, there is no other circuit that promises greater financial rewards than LIV Golf, with even those finishing bottom of the leaderboard guaranteed payment. 

However, while there is $50,000 to the lowest-placed finisher after each event, the top end of the leaderboard is where the real riches are, with the winner of each tournament banking $4m.

Chilean Joaquin Niemann got his season off to a flying start with victory in a thrilling playoff over Sergio Garcia in Mexico, and he followed that up with another first-place finish in Jeddah to become an early contender for the Individual Championship. 

A T9 at Trump National Doral ensures he remains top of the money list after five events with $9,445,500, but Stinger GC player Dean Burmester's win at LIV Golf Miami means he's now right behind Niemann on the list, albeit having earned over $3m less. 

Dean Burmester is up to second on the money list after his win in Miami

Another player enjoying a solid season is 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia . Burmester edged the Fireballs GC captain into runner-up in Miami - the second time he has just missed out on victory this season. 

Despite the fact he's still waiting for his maiden LIV Golf win, though, Garcia claimed another $2.25m for his efforts to leave him third on the money list with total winnings of $5,329,642 for the season to date.

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Dustin Johnson is fourth on the list thanks largely to his victory at LIV Golf Las Vegas , his third since joining the circuit in 2022. Johnson earned $195,000 for his T24 in Miami, leaving him with prize money of $5,281,786.

LIV Golf Hong Kong winner Abraham Ancer is right behind Johnson after his T9 at the most recent event left him with $5,110,500 in prize money so far this season.

Following the five events so far, there are now 31 LIV Golf players with winnings of over $1m this season, with Majesticks GC co-captain Ian Poulter taking up the last of those places on $1,001,071 after he earned $170,000 for his T29 in Miami.

Further down the money list are big names including two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson on $$920,625 and six-time Major winner Phil Mickelson on $893,750.

Phil Mickelson has yet to reach $1m in prize money for the 2024 season

Here is how the list of earnings for the 2024 season currently stands.

LIV Golf League 2024 Money List

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

The World No.2 could be returning to the PGA Tour policy board as a player director once again after stepping down from the role last November

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The big-money League resumes and there’s another huge payout on offer for the 54 players in the field

By Mike Hall Published 22 April 24

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LIV vs PGA Payouts

The upstart LIV tour has quickly become a thorn in the side of the PGA. The LIV tour has lured 20 of the top 100 players in the world, including nine major champions, to the tour with massive signing bonuses and guaranteed money for playing in events for all golfers. 

With the rapid rise of the LIV Tour, wedden op golf enthusiasts are now presented with a wider range of options. The LIV Tour, besides presenting a new platform for players, is also reshaping the betting landscape in the golf world.

Exactly how much money are LIV tour tournaments compared to PGA events?

The Tell Me More Golf team will look at who the LIV Tour is, the format of its events, and the differences in payouts between the LIV Tour and the PGA Tour events.  

What is the LIV Tour?

The LIV tour is backed financially by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Greg Norman is the league’s CEO. The LinkedIn page for LIV Golf Investments says that the company’s headquarters are in London, England. 

The correct pronunciation of LIV is liv as “live and let die” and is not an acronym. However, LIV is also Roman numerals for 54, and each event has 54 holes, leading to some people calling it the 54 tour. 

According to the LIV website, its mission is “ to modernize and supercharge the game of professional golf through expanded opportunities for both players and fans alike. ”

LIV Event vs. PGA Tour Event

The LIV tour’s events are different from their PGA counterparts. A standard, stroke-play PGA event is 72 holes played over four days, and they typically have a cut after the second round. LIV’s events have a distinctly different format.  

LIV Event Format

• 12 Teams (4 Man)
• Shotgun Starts
• Set 8 Event Schedule

The inaugural event, the London Invitational, held on June 9-11, 2022, was won by Charl Schwartzel at -7. His 4-person team, Stinger GC, also won the team segment of the event.

LIV Event Payouts

2022 LIV events will all have a purse of $25 million per event. Of the $25 million, $20 goes to individual golfers per event, and $5 million goes to team payouts. There are no cuts in LIV events, so players who play in the event will get a paycheck.

According to an article in Forbes, the LIV Tour has secured $2 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.  

There is also a Team Championship held on the 8th and final event of the LIV season that will have a $50 million purse.

Here’s a quick look at what the LIV tour pays out per event:

Charl Schwartzel won $4 million for winning the event, plus $750 thousand for his team, winning a record $4.75 million overall. Andy Ogletree, who finished dead last at +24, took home $120 thousand. 

LIV Payouts vs. PGA Tour Payouts

Every LIV tour event this season will pay more than any event on the PGA Tour. The Players Championship, held in March, has the largest total purse for a PGA Tour event at $3.6 million.

LIV vs. PGA Tour Events: 

PGA Tour purses have climbed to record levels recently, but they pale compared to the LIV tour purses. 

Every LIV event has a larger purse, winner’s payout, and larger minimum payout for players who play in their events. 

PGA Player Impact Program and the FedEx Cup Playoffs

The PGA Tour has introduced the Player Impact Program, which paid out $40 million to the players who finished in the Top 10. Tiger Woods came in first in 2021 and received an $8 million bonus. 

The Player Impact Program Criteria:

• Internet Searches
• Earned Media
• Social Media
• TV Sponsor Exposure

The FedEx Cup Playoffs

The FedEx Cup Playoffs have a total of $75 million in bonuses that players will compete for over three events. In addition, the winner of the FedEx Cup will take home an $18 million purse.

Until recently, the PGA Tour has been the standard by which all other professional golf tours were measured. 

Now the LIV tour has upped the financial stakes and, in doing so, has lured some of the biggest names in golf, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson Dechambeau.

Even without the proposed bonus money players have accepted to go over to the LIV Tour, each LIV event has a larger purse than any event on the PGA Tour. With no cuts, a player will walk away with a minimum of $120 thousand.  

Is the LIV Tour sustainable without lucrative television and advertising revenue? How will the PGA Tour react to losing some of its biggest names? 

We’ll find out in the coming months as the LIV Tour, and the race to the FedEx Cup Playoffs heat up. One thing is sure, the landscape of international professional golf is much different than it was just a few months ago.

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The Alliance of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour: Here’s What to Know

The details of the partnership are far from complete, according to a document outlining the framework of the deal.

By Kevin Draper

The PGA Tour, the world’s pre-eminent professional golf league, and LIV Golf, a Saudi-funded upstart whose emergence over the past year and a half has cleaved the sport in two, have agreed to join forces.

The pact is complicated and incomplete: A document submitted to Congress and obtained by The New York Times includes only a handful of binding commitments . But numerous golfers hate it, and for the moment they are directing their wrath at the architects of the deal. Let’s start from the beginning.

What are the PGA Tour and LIV Golf?

The PGA Tour holds tournaments nearly every weekend, mostly in the United States but also in other countries in North America, Europe and Asia, with prize pools worth millions of dollars. The tour has been the home to practically every male golfer you can name: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and so on.

It has relationships with, but is separate from, the organizations that stage men’s golf’s four majors: the Masters Tournament, the P.G.A. Championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open. (The L.P.G.A., which runs the women’s tour, is separate.)

LIV Golf began in late 2021 with the former PGA Tour player Greg Norman as its commissioner and billions of dollars in backing from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which is known as the Public Investment Fund. LIV lured several PGA Tour players, including the major champions Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, with massive purses and guaranteed payouts that far surpassed what they could earn on the established circuit.

LIV promised a sharp break from golf’s fusty traditionalism, starting with its name, which, when pronounced, rhymes with “give” but is actually the Roman numeral for 54, the number of holes played in each tournament. LIV had music blaring at its events, looser dress codes and team competitions — and tournaments that lasted three days instead of four. Further, and of particular appeal to potential players, while the PGA Tour tournaments cut golfers with the worst scores after two rounds, LIV did not cut anyone.

What was the relationship between the leagues before the deal?

Acrimonious, to put it lightly. Players who joined LIV were forced to resign from the PGA Tour — and its European equivalent, the DP World Tour — under the threat of suspension and fines. LIV sued the PGA Tour, and the PGA Tour countersued, litigation that is technically continuing (though the deal is supposed to resolve it).

PGA Tour supporters and other critics of LIV said the venture was simply an attempt by the Saudi government to distract attention from its human rights record, while LIV supporters said the PGA Tour was a monopoly that used inappropriate strong-arm tactics to protect its position in big-time sports.

And yet now they are combining?

It seems so. The PGA Tour and LIV announced on June 6 the creation of a new entity that would combine their assets, as well as those of the DP World Tour, and radically change golf’s governance.

The PGA Tour would remain a nonprofit organization and would retain full control over how its tournaments are played. But all of the PGA Tour’s commercial business and rights — such as the extremely lucrative rights to televise its tournaments — would be owned by a new, yet unnamed, for-profit entity that is currently called “NewCo.” NewCo will also own LIV as well as the commercial and business rights of the DP World Tour.

The board of directors for the new for-profit entity would be led by Yasir al-Rumayyan, who is the governor of the Public Investment Fund and also oversees LIV. Three other members of the board’s executive committee would be current members of the PGA Tour’s board, and the tour would appoint the majority of the board and hold a majority voting interest, effectively controlling it.

What have they agreed on?

Not much, it turns out. The PGA Tour’s tentative deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund includes only a handful of binding commitments, such as a nondisparagement agreement and a pledge to dismiss acrimonious litigation. (The sides have already moved to end their legal fights .) What it does not include is a clear path of what lies ahead for the tours: Many of the most consequential details about the future of men’s professional golf have not been resolved, and were left to be negotiated by the end of the year.

Most crucially, the tour and the wealth fund must still come to terms on the values of the assets that each will contribute to their planned partnership. Bankers and lawyers have spent recent weeks beginning the valuation process, but a five-page framework agreement obtained by The New York Times includes no substantive details of projected figures or even the size of an anticipated cash investment from the wealth fund.

And one issue the two parties had agreed on has been removed. The framework agreement included a nonsolicitation clause, which said the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would not “enter into any contract, agreement or understanding with” any “players who are members of the other’s tour or organization.” But the two sides, facing pressure from the Justice Department, decided to abandon that clause .

When does this take effect?

First, the idea also has to be approved by the PGA Tour’s policy board, what it calls its board of directors, which includes some people who were left out of the secret negotiations for this deal in the spring.

The policy board is made up of five independent directors, including Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne, who helped negotiate the deal. The board also includes five players: Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, Rory McIlroy and Webb Simpson.

Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, said on June 6 that there was only a “framework agreement” and not a “definitive agreement,” with many details still to be decided. The definitive agreement needs a vote before it can go forward.

And for the rest of 2023, all the tours will remain separate, and all their tournaments will continue as scheduled.

And after that?

Who knows? This is how Monahan answered questions about what golf might look like in the future on the day the alliance was revealed.

Will LIV continue to exist as a separate golf league? “I don’t want to make any statements or make any predictions.”

Will LIV golfers go back to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour? “We will work cooperatively to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to reapply for membership with the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour,” Monahan wrote in a letter to players.

Will PGA Tour players, many of whom spurned LIV and its huge paydays, receive compensation? Will LIV players somehow be forced to give up the money they were guaranteed? “I think those are all the serious conversations that we’re going to have,” Monahan told reporters.

How do players feel about all of this?

Broadly, LIV players seem to think they have gained a major victory, and they are probably right. They got their cake (huge paydays) and can eat it (a pathway to returning to the PGA Tour), too.

Mickelson, the first major player to leave for LIV, tweeted that it was an “awesome day today.” Koepka took a jab at Brandel Chamblee, a former professional golfer and current television commentator, who has been vocally anti-LIV.

Many PGA Tour players were less jubilant. They were blindsided by the news, learning of the agreement when the public did, and they did not seem to understand why the tour waged a legal war against LIV and a war of morality against Saudi money, only to invite the wolf into the henhouse.

On the day the news broke, Monahan met with a group of players in Toronto at the Canadian Open, which was set to start in two days, and afterward told reporters it was “intense, certainly heated.”

Johnson Wagner, a PGA Tour player, said on the Golf Channel that some players at the meeting called for Monahan’s resignation.

“There were many moments where certain players were calling for new leadership of the PGA Tour, and even got a couple standing ovations,” he said. “I think the most powerful moment was when a player quoted Commissioner Monahan from the 3M Open in Minnesota last year when he said, ‘As long as I’m commissioner of the PGA Tour, no player that took LIV money will ever play the PGA Tour again.’”

Wagner estimated that 90 percent of the players in the meeting were against the merger.

McIlroy, perhaps the most influential PGA Tour player not named Tiger Woods, said he was reluctantly in favor of the agreement. McIlroy said he had “come to terms” with Saudi money in golf. “Honestly, I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that this is, you know, this is what’s going to happen,” he said.

I see a photo of former President Trump up there. Is he involved in this?

Yes, though not directly. The Trump Organization owns golf courses around the world, and Donald J. Trump has for years sought to host major tournaments on its properties. Those efforts suffered a setback after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, as the golf establishment distanced itself from the former president. Most significantly, the P.G.A. of America pulled the 2022 P.G.A. Championship from the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.

But Trump had cultivated unusually close ties to Saudi Arabia while president, and Saudi-backed LIV had no problem embracing him. Last year, two LIV events were held at Trump courses, and this year it will be three.

Trump’s son Eric said that the agreement between LIV and the PGA Tour was a “wonderful thing for the game of golf” and that he expected tournaments to continue to be held at Trump-owned courses. He declined to comment on whether the Trump family played any role in bringing the two parties together.

If the PGA Tour was so against LIV and Saudi money, what changed?

“Listen, circumstances change, and they’ve been changing a lot over the last couple years,” Monahan said.

Get it? No?

“What changed? I looked at where we were at that point in time, and it was the right point in time to have a conversation,” Monahan said.

Between the lines, Monahan made it sound like the agreement came down to money and competition, as it often does. To compete with LIV, the PGA Tour has enhanced purses, supported the DP World Tour financially and pursued extremely expensive litigation. “We’ve had to invest back in our business through our reserves,” Monahan said.

He also said the ability to “take the competitor off of the board” while retaining control was significant.

Can anybody else stop the deal from going through?

The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission or the European Commission could certainly try.

For about a year, the Justice Department has been investigating the tight-knit relationship between the PGA Tour and other powerful entities in golf. Among its questions is whether the organizations have exerted improper influence over the Official World Golf Rankings, which determine players’ eligibility for certain events and can be an important factor in their success and income.

As part of their deal, LIV and the PGA Tour agreed to drop their dueling lawsuits, but doing so would not necessarily change the Justice Department’s inquiry. If there were any illegal conduct by the PGA Tour, a merger would not prevent the PGA Tour from being punished for it.

“The announcement of a merger doesn’t forgive past sins,” said Bill Baer, who led the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the Obama administration.

The federal government, through the Justice Department and the F.T.C., also reviews more than 1,000 mergers for approval each year, and the European Commission reviews them for the European Union. Without a definitive agreement, it is not clear whether this might be the type of combination regulators could block or whether they would try to do so.

Saudi Arabia seems to have grand sports ambitions. Will it always remain a junior partner to the PGA Tour in golf?

As always, Saudi Arabia has the perfect vehicle to gain more control: money.

The Public Investment Fund will invest “billions,” according to its governor, al-Rumayyan, into the new for-profit entity. It will also hold “the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour,” according to the release announcing the agreement.

If the Public Investment Fund invests more money, it will surely demand more board seats and greater voting rights, further tilting control of men’s professional golf toward the kingdom.

Kevin Draper is an investigative reporter on the Sports desk, where he has written about workplace harassment and discrimination, sexual misconduct, doping, league investigations and high-profile court cases. More about Kevin Draper

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As golf’s civil war rages, all the top PGA Tour and LIV players are at the Masters this week

Jon Rahm, of Spain, walks to the 10th green during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Brooks Koepka hands over his club on the second hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Bryson DeChambeau hands his driver to his caddie on the eighth hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Jon Rahm, of Spain, reacts on the 12th hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Jon Rahm, of Spain, hits on the 12th hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Jon Rahm, of Spain, and Nicolai Hojgaard, of Denmark, walk onto the 12th green during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Brooks Koepka, from left, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay hits on the second hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the eighth hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — In some ways, golf finds itself at a point in time not unlike pro football in the 1960s, when two rival leagues duked it out but found a path to reconciliation that produced a game far bigger than anyone could’ve envisioned.

Bryson DeChambeau, for one, is hopeful that the still-smoldering split between the established PGA Tour and upstart LIV Golf could lead to a Super Bowl-like extravaganza that brings everyone together.

“You can look at it like the NFL and you could have NFC-AFC sort of working in their own fields and at the end they come together, put on a huge event at the end of the year,” said DeChambeau, who plays on the LIV circuit. “That could be really cool.”

If nothing else, major championships such as the Masters , which begins Thursday at Augusta National, provide a brief detente in this civil war of the links.

All the top players — from reigning Master champion Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka representing Team LIV to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy teeing it up for the old guard — will be looking to not only claim a green jacket, but score bragging rights for their de facto team.

“Obviously, the more togetherness that you get, the better it is for everyone. There’s no doubt about that,” said Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters winner who bolted for LIV. “But there’s room for everyone. I don’t think that’s a problem at all.”

Even though LIV appears to have strengthened its hand with its stunning signing of Rahm , who was on the PGA Tour when he won at Augusta a year ago, there are actually five fewer players from the new tour than the 18 who played in 2023.

That’s largely because LIV events — with their smaller fields and 54-hole format — do not receive world ranking points, one of the main conduits for entry into the Masters.

Still, the Saudi-funded circuit has demonstrated that its top players can compete with the best of the PGA Tour.

Koepka and Phil Mickelson were runner-ups to Rahm a year ago at the Masters, and Koepka went on to capture his fifth career major title at the PGA Championship . Of the 27 major championships that have been staged since the beginning of 2017, 13 were won by golfers who now call LIV home.

Koepka took issue with those who say the split is ruining the game.

“Look, the best players in the world never got together week in, week out. I think that’s kind of forgotten,” Koepka said Tuesday. “It was the majors, (World Golf Championship tournaments) ... those were pretty much the 10 events where everyone was, for sure, going to be there. And then it was just kind of sprinkled in everywhere else. I think that’s kind of how it is” now.

But hard feelings remain, especially since a supposed merger agreement announced 10 months ago had yet to be finalized.

Just listen to Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion and outspoken critic of LIV.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand it,” he said. “Now, everything can get better. But let me tell you, if the LIV tour is better for golf, I’m missing something there.”

Rahm acknowledged that when he accepted a reported $350 million offer to join LIV in December, he was hopeful that it would spur the two sides to reach some sort of reconciliation by the time the Masters rolled around.

Now, with a divide that seems as gaping as ever, he’s one of the most prominent faces on a tour that has been called everything from the future of the game — with its shotgun starts and team element — to a refuge of sellouts who are helping the Saudis sportswash the image of a repressive regime.

“It’s a bit of a detour on my path,” Rahm said. “But change can be better.”

Just how much things have changed was apparent from the attire he donned a year ago as he departed Augusta National to what he picked out for his practice rounds leading into this Masters.

Gone was the green jacket. Now he’s wearing a shirt emblazoned with a Legion XIII logo.

The team he now leads in LIV.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

LIV vs PGA — (A Golf Instructor’s Take)

Home » LIV vs PGA — (A Golf Instructor’s Take)

LIV vs PGA — (A Golf Instructor’s Take)

As the head golf instructor for Tell Me More Golf, let’s delve into the evolving landscape of professional golf, particularly the differences between the established PGA Tour and the nascent LIV Golf. 

The PGA Tour , a century-old institution in the United States, is closely aligned with the European DP World Tour, allowing players to compete in events across both tours. 

In contrast, LIV Golf , founded in 2021, represents a new, emerging tour in the golfing world. This ongoing shift and the comparison of these two tours have become a significant topic of conversation, symbolizing the dynamic and changing future of professional golf.

PGA Tour Explained

The PGA Tour operates as a non-profit 501(c)(6) which means that it is exempt from taxes as a result of its status. For additional background, other sports including the National Football League and Major League Baseball also held that status in the past. 

The “not-for-profit” status of the NFL and MLB was revoked, but the NHL still operates as a non-profit (for now). In the coming year , the PGA Tour will have 36 regular season events, and 3 FedEx Cup Playoff events. 

During the year, professional golfers accumulate Fedex Cup Points as well as Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

These world ranking points are used to objectively define the best players in the world.

Currently, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is in charge of the tour. However, that is likely to change with a potential merger with LIV Golf on the horizon. 

More on that later. Of the 36 regular season events, there are four major championships: the PGA Championship, the US Open, The Masters, and The Open (aka British Open). Winning a non-major golf tournament will typically get players into the major events and previous winners of the majors are given long-term exemptions to play in the events. 

These include household names like Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Smith, and of course Tiger Woods.

PGA Tour events are structured much the same from week to week. 

Open events start with a field of approximately 140 players. There is then a cut after the 2nd round which reduces the field by half, and those players compete for the purse until a winner is crowned after 72 holes. Most PGA Tour players in an event hold some sort of status for the tour also known as a PGA Tour card which allows them to pick which events they would prefer to play. Many events also have qualifying events that are open to the public (provided your handicap is below a 2.0 index).

LIV Golf Explained

LIV Golf (pronounced “live”) is a professional golf tour that is funded by the government of Saudi Arabia. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of $776 billion. It was created in 1971 to invest funds on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia. 

The fund is governed by Yasir Al-Rumayyan and has invested over a billion US dollars into the upstart league. CEO Greg Norman currently runs the Saudi-backed LIV Tour.

The format of the events that LIV hosts is 54 holes with shotgun starts so that everyone starts and finishes at roughly the same time.

There is team competition within each event as well. 

There are four(4) men on each team with one designated captain per squad. The golf league hosts events at various golf clubs throughout the world including some of those owned by Former President Donald Trump. 

The prize money for the events is broken out for individuals and teams. The winner reportedly receives $4 million while the winning team splits a prize payout reported between $5M and $14M depending on the event. 

The majority of the events are combined 54-hole stroke play, with the team championship combining match play (individual and team), as well as aggregate stroke play.

Attendance for Tournament

As a start-up golf league, it was expected that the crowds would be significantly less than that of a typical PGA Tour event. Although crowd numbers are not typically released for LIV golf events, reports state anywhere from 14,000 to 40,000 golf fans showed up to watch some of the best players in the world tee it up in the new format.

To add some perspective, a regular PGA Tour event will have about 200,000 people in attendance, 5x the numbers for LIV Golf.

There are varying reports on this subject and because they do not release exact figures it can be challenging to speculate . There is no argument, though, that overall viewership of the PGA Tour is still significantly higher than any LIV event.

LIV Golf vs PGA Differences

There are several differences between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour . The most objective differences are:

• LIV tournaments are 54 holes (LIV in Roman numerals is 54) and PGA Tour events are 72 holes.
• There is no cut on the LIV Golf Tour while most PGA Tour events have a 36-hole cut.
• PGA Tour has a qualifying process for players while LIV Golf is more of an invitational format.
• The PGA Tour starts their tournaments with tee time pairings while LIV Golf uses a shotgun format, meaning players start at the same time on different holes.
• There is a team element to LIV Golf while the PGA Tour is only individual play
• LIV Golf does not receive world ranking points for its players while PGA Tour events assign OWGR points based on performance

Weird Rules

LIV Golf follows rules as outlined by the USGA , whereas the PGA Tour follows the USGA rulebook but also has its own rules as needed.

Some examples of differences in rules:

• LIV uses a tee box that is 4 feet by 8 feet wide and the PGA Tour uses a 3×7 model.
• LIV Golf allows players to use rangefinders in competition while the PGA Tour allows their use only during practice rounds.
• LIV Golf allows players to wear shorts while the PGA Tour events require long pants

LIV Golf has multiple formats even during one event . In most events, there is team play and individual play. The four-man teams each compete for a purse while also competing individually for a separate purse. Some of the later events in 2024 added a match-play component to help fuel more rivalries amongst the teams by creating head-to-head battles in some cases for a tournament title . 

The varying formats of LIV Golf are designed to be part of its appeal to fans. While it is still early for the start-up golf league, it is clear that they are trying to differentiate themselves from the PGA Tour, and using more match-play is part of how they are doing so. 

Why is PGA against LIV?

PGA and LIV have a long-standing feud for a number of reasons . First and foremost is the source of the money that is backing LIV Golf. It is coming from the Saudi Arabia PIF or Public Investment Fund. There are alleged human rights violations that the Saudi government committed. 

There was an anti-Saudi journalist who was allegedly killed by the government.

In addition, it is alleged that the Saudi government helped to fund the 9-11 terrorist attacks on American soil.

Therefore, the PGA Tour has issues with its players accepting money from the same fund that allegedly supports these practices . In addition, they have used this money to secure some of the best players in the world. And now those players are LIV Golf Players and many have fully given up their PGA Tour status.

Concession Prices

As far as concession prices for items like beer, soda, hot dogs, and the like, LIV Golf has a more attractive offer. For example, to enjoy a beer and watch some of the best golfers at a LIV event you might expect to pay between $8-10.

At a regular PGA Tour event you’ll pay closer to $15 for a beer, while at a major like the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, beer prices topped out at $19.

Even the tour players got into the fray, with Justin Thomas commenting on X (Twitter) that the fans should not be expected to pay such steep prices to enjoy a PGA Tour event. Remember that these prices are after having to pay hundreds of dollars per ticket just to attend the event . Although this does raise a lot of eyebrows, this is in keeping with how American sports (NFL, NBA, MLB) add to their revenue streams for an event.

Can LIV players return to PGA?

According to reports on the LIV Golf contracts, there is a significant cost for a player to return to the PGA Tour. 

Before the PGA Tour agreed to negotiate a merger with LIV Golf, there were reports that players would have to pay enormous sums of money to return. In addition, many golfers have chosen to give up their membership to the PGA Tour, Sergio Garcia being the most vocal about defecting from the Tour.

Now that the PGA Tour and LIV Tour are working on negotiating a merger , there appears to be a path for some players to return to the PGA Tour in the future.

Can you quit LIV Golf?

Yes, LIV golfers can technically quit playing in the LIV Golf Series, but there are some important factors to consider:

Contractual obligations:

• Most LIV golfers signed multi-year contracts, some reportedly with significant signing bonuses. These contracts likely include obligations to participate in a certain number of LIV events each season.
• Breaching those obligations could result in legal consequences, such as lawsuits from LIV Golf to recoup financial losses.

Financial penalties:

• Some contracts involve hefty penalty clauses for early termination. These penalties could be multiples of the signing bonus , making it financially impossible for some players to leave.

Impact on player’s career:

• Quitting LIV Golf could mean losing access to the lucrative purses and guaranteed payouts offered by the series.
• Re-integration into the PGA Tour, while possible through the framework agreement, might not be immediate or seamless.

Alternatives:

• Some players might negotiate an early release from their LIV contracts or potentially reach mutual agreements with LIV Golf for an exit.
• Playing on other tours, like the DP World Tour, could be an option, although competing schedules and potential restrictions might apply.

Can LIV golfers play in the Ryder Cup?

LIV golfers were allowed to play in the most recent Ryder Cup . Only one qualified on points and that was Brooks Koepka. He finished in second place in the Masters and won the PGA Championship. Through those, he was able to accumulate enough points to secure a spot on the Ryder Cup team without Captain Zach Johnson using a Captain’s pick.

There were no rules created against LIV golfers securing spots on the team and leading up to the event, there was a great deal of discussion and controversy.

Are LIV golfers allowed to play in majors?

Yes, LIV Golfers are allowed to play in majors as long as they have an exemption to play in the event. 

The governing bodies that oversee the four major championships (The Masters, PGA of American, R&A, and USGA) are not policed by the PGA Tour and decided to allow exempt players to compete while the competing tours worked out their differences. In addition, the players are now allowed to compete on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour). 

Patrick Corley

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Rory McIlroy and PGA Tour stars to learn huge amount they'll earn after snubbing LIV Golf

R ory McIlroy and his PGA Tour comrades are set to discover the size of their financial reward this Wednesday for turning down LIV Golf .

Since its inception in 2022, McIlroy has been one of the prominent figures resisting the lucrative offers from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf . The players who remained loyal have argued for compensation for not jumping ship to LIV, and their calls were answered when an investment deal worth up to $3 billion was struck with Strategic Sports Group in January.

SSG, which counts Liverpool's Fenway Sports Group among its members, and the PGA Tour have formed a profit-driven partnership to secure the tour's future against the competitive threat and deep pockets of LIV. An equity plan is part of this pact, allowing players to gain shares in PGA Tour Enterprises.

Rory McIlroy set to make crucial return to PGA Tour role as LIV Golf merger talks stall

Rory McIlroy earned less than Scottie Scheffler's caddie following Masters disappointment

On Wednesday, the 193 eligible PGA Tour golfers will be briefed on the value of their initial share grants by the PGA Tour. The tour's top performers over the last five seasons, including Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy , Patrick Cantlay, as well as veterans like Tiger Woods, are expected to receive the most "membership units".

These units will vest across the next eight years, providing a strong financial incentive for players to remain with the PGA Tour and resist the temptations of LIV, reports the Mirror .

"It's really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal," Jason Gore, the tour's chief player officer, remarked in a video set to be distributed to players, as reported by GOLF.com.

The PGA Tour's Player Impact Program differs from Wednesday's grant award, which will remain under wraps, rewarding players for their popularity and marketing clout rather than disclosing the specifics of the grant.

In a bid to placate PGA Tour players irked by the handling of the LIV Golf controversy, any defector who later decides to return will find themselves barred from the new equity program.

The equity pot will be divided among four tiers of players, with the top echelon, Group 1, comprising 36 players like McIlroy , Woods, Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth, who will divvy up 80 per cent of the funds. This elite group is poised to split a hefty $745million in equity.

Rory McIlroy prioritizes golf 'traditions' as LIV Golf stance remains clear

Rory McIlroy's manager responds to $850m LIV Golf speculation after Masters disappointment

Meanwhile, the 64 players in Group 2, consisting of regular tour members and emerging stars, will share a $74million pot. Group 3, featuring 57 players, will divide a $30 million fund, and a fourth cadre of 36 "past legends" will be allocated a slice of $74 million based on their historic PGA Tour successes.

To qualify for the equity awards, players in Group 4 must be living, as the benefits cannot be transferred posthumously to family members.

Players will only be able to sell their equity once it has vested, and they will also be taxed when they do so. After Wednesday's equity awards, an annual $74 million scheme will follow in 2025 for the top 20 players on tour each season.

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .

• Updated: March 23, 2023

LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour

Ryan Heiman Founder and head author at Independent Golf Reviews

This is a guide to help differentiate attending a LIV Golf Event compared to a PGA Tour Tournament.  I recently attended the LIV Golf Tournament in Tucson, AZ and have attended the Waste Management in Phoenix, the Colonial in Ft. Worth and the PGA Championship in both WI and MN.  I’m not going to get into the “politics” of the different tours and the other controversies surrounding each tour, but simply the fan experience attending the LIV Golf compared to the PGA Tour .

Quality of Golf

The PGA tour and LIV golf have the highest quality golfers.  Justin Thomas or Dustin Johnson; Jordan Spieth or Brooks Koepka; Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson.  Honestly the list could go on and on, both tours have the best golfers in the world.  The LIV tour limits their field to 54 golfers.  This however creates a leadboard of almost exclusively names that golf fans will know.  A PGA tour event will have upward of 144 golfers.  Many of those names you aren’t going to know.  Scores are going to be roughly the same between tours, guys are going to go low at -10 and guys are going to struggle at +10.  You are going to see quality golf on the best golf courses.

Cost of Attending

Tickets to attend are roughly the same, maybe a little cheaper to attend a LIV event at the moment as they are new and trying to gain a following.  Attending isn’t the only cost, parking, food, merch, etc are all part of a golf tour experience.  LIV parking was free while the PGA events I’ve attended all charged for parking.  Concessions are pricey at both; $10 for beer, $9 for hot dog, etc.  Merch is also on the expensive side; $40 for hat, $80 for polo, etc.  If you want a premier experience the club seats, box offerings are all going to be added onto your ticket price and can push hundreds of dollars.  The only benefit that the LIV tour has is the fact that each day, the event is only 8 hours (5 hours of golf) compared to almost 14 (11 hours of golf) for a PGA event.  This will impact the out of pocket cost if you stay longer, need to eat more, etc.  However the amount of golf you get to watch for your ticket is also impacted.

WATCHING GOLF

Watching tour quality golf in-person is a “must” experience for any golfer.  Standing near a tee-box and watching professionals rip driver or dial in an iron is something special that needs to be witnessed first hand.  LIV Golf and the PGA Tour allow fans a fairly intimate experience with tour players.  I’ve been about 2 yards away from golfers hitting shots on both tours.  Fairways, greens and tee boxes are roped off so that you don’t get too close or become a major distractions to golfers attempting to play their best golf.  Because it was the first day and first event for LIV golf in Tucson the crowds were smaller than some PGA events I’ve attended, but virtually any event whether it is the Waste Management with its 200,000 in attendance or a LIV event with 10,000 you can find a corner of the course or camp out on a certain tee-box and get up close and personal.

54 Holes vs 72 Holes

LIV Golf is a 3 round, no cut, event while most PGA tour events are 4 rounds and a cut after 2 rounds.  For the fan, I’m not sure it really matters unless you can’t attend one of the 3 days of a LIV event; but if they had a 4th day you could.  Both have drama unfold on Sunday afternoon.  Both have movement up and down the leaderboard over the weekend.  Both have under par scores that win.  The LIV golf “field” is already limited so there really isn’t a need for a cut, while PGA events trim their golfers for the weekend.  There are more “Cinderella” opportunities on the PGA tour, which also means the big names might not always win compared to the likelihood you will know the name of the LIV Golf winner.

CROWD VIBES

LIV Golf claims to be “Golf, But Louder” while most PGA tournaments pride themselves in traditions and queitness.  However based on the crowd sizes, the volume at a LIV Golf tournament is virtually the same as a PGA Tour Event. (besides Waste Management which is something unique)  The only real difference is the constant music playing at LIV Golf.  There is a massive stage when you enter, and speakers throughout the entire golf course playing music; a mixture of pop, hip-hop, and classic rock.  This had a minimally fun vibe added to the LIV crowd, but nothing extreme.  At the end of the day, both tours have golf fans that are respectful of the game, are quieted when golfers are hitting and cheer when something great happens.

Golfer Apparel

Pants (PGA Tour) vs. Shorts (LIV Golf) is a golf apparel debate, especially when it comes to heat.  The PGA tour remains committed to the “gentlemens” aspect of the game while LIV Golf has adopted the “be comfortable” modern approach to  apparel.  Most golfers are fairly fit and are professionally dressed but that doesn’t mean professional golfers should adopt every trend or be willing to wear whatever someone else tells them to.  Poor fitting apparel or odd patterns happen on both tours.  Shorts are certainly not a problem, nor do they look worse than joggers.  A hoodie isn’t ruining the game of golf.  The one noticeable trend at LIV was the lack of big name apparel sponsors.  The divide created among sponsors was evident in what the players were wearing, especially as LIV tour golfers lost sponsorships because they left the PGA tour.

TEAM Format

This is where LIV Golf adds a unique twist to the professional golf tour.  Guys aren’t exclusively playing for themselves, but also cheering on teammates.  While it isn’t Ryder Cup level, you can certainly see teammates working together on the range, building friendships while on the course or off the course.  It created a more “family” feel among the golfers, even though they are competeing against each other.  However as a casual fan, I couldn’t tell you who was on RangeGoats, High Fliers or Cleeks.  I still liked the format, even if I didn’t really know or follow the teams.

LIV GOLF UP 1

Tournament Prestige

Colonial, Waste Management, The Players, the Majors vs LIV Golf in Tucson.  While Danny Lee walked away with $4,000,000 for winning the Tucson tournament, the title or trophy don’t really have any real significance or history.  But if you win certain PGA events it is almost like you are immortalized as a champion.  It may come with time, but at least for a while, wining on LIV will simply be a large payday, not a “champion”

PGA TOUR UP 1

"SHOT GUN" START

LIV Golf has 54 golfers divided into 3 golfers on every tee box to start at the same time.  Instead of hours of golfers all starting on hole 1 throughout the day, everyone is golfing at the same time.   It creates a compact event and you can see every golfer over the course of about 4 hours.  You can still follow your favorite golfers around the course, but starting and finishing holes vary by grouping.  It might feel a bit weird for the pros, but it is great for the fans.  You shouldn’t miss a group if you stay in one spot and it moves quickly.

CROWD MOVEMENT

Bringing thousands of fans to any event is the logistical nightmare every tour deals with.  How do you have fans get close, not too close, and yet keep them safe and allow them to see.  Certainly the course itself lends to movement and space; some better than others.  LIV’s shot gun start means carts are going everywhere to get golfers into position and then at the end to get them back to the clubhouse.  I think this was most noticeable at the LIV event as we walked the course, we were seemingly always in danger of getting run over by a golf cart.  The Gallery South Course is a good tournament venue, but not exactly ideal for so many carts and traffic since there isn’t infrastructure in the middle of the property to move cameras, support staff, etc.  All that traffic ended up competing with the crowds on the cart path of each hole which was annoying while walking around the event.

"OTHER" GOLF STUFF

Entering the LIV event in Tucson had a different vibe; which they were intentionally attempting to create.  They were aiming at a “party” like atmosphere.   At first glance it was certainly working with chipping stations into the pool, bean bag chairs in front of the stage, bars, drinks, and other golf related stations that were all fun and free.  If you think of golf as boring and stoic, this wasn’t that.  They had a good party going in the morning which was pretty much shut down by late afternoon.  I know some PGA events have concerts and parties and “other” event happening simultaneously too.

LIV GOLF Vs. PGA TOUR CONCLUSION

The scorecard says EVEN.  I think both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf put on quality events.  There are plusses and minuses for each tour.  I can see why pros joined LIV and I can see why others didn’t.  I can see the appeal of both.  The emotional divide that separates the tours right now is going to be problematic if they don’t start working on a solution.  Neither tour can claim to be the best if 1/2 the best golfers in the world are on one tour and the other half are on the other.  I have enjoyed attending both tours and will continue to do so.  The quality of golf is equal as is the quality of the event.  Go out an enjoy either one and cheer for your favorite golfers while watching some great shots.

About The Author

Ryan Heiman – Founder and Head Author of Independent Golf Reviews Ryan has over 10 years of experience testing and writing golf reviews of nearly every brand out there. HCP: 3 Read more…

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LIV Golf continues to add to roster, another sign it believes it is here for long term

LIV Golf announced several executive hires Wednesday, another sign the Saudi-backed golf league believes it is here for the long term.

David Phillips has been named chief financial officer. Ross Hallett is the new head of events. Katie O’Reilly heads team business operations. Tim Taylor will lead LIV Golf’s London office. Pam Sacree is the head of human resources.

The new executive positions will be based in either LIV’s New York or London offices.

LIV's main offices are in West Palm Beach and London.

Phillips was the chief financial officer of the Equinox Group. Hallett was a senior vice-president and head of golf events for IMG. O'Reilly was the chief revenue officer for the Philadelphia 76ers, and was named one of Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 in 2024.

"LIV Golf is building a global organization with a team of talented professionals whose excellence is rivaled only by our players on the course,” said LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens.

“We’re proud to continue building on our tremendous success so far with the addition of top-flight executives across our business divisions. Our players, our team franchises and our growing staff are laser-focused on the league’s long term future, supporting the game, attracting more fans to the sport that we love, and establishing a truly international golf league.”

More: Scottie Scheffler blames state of the game of golf on LIV golfers | D'Angelo

Negotiations between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour are into their 11th month since a framework agreement announced in June that would combine their commercial businesses and rights into a new for-profit company.

Many speculated then that LIV — which is owned and bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund — could be eliminated when (and if) a deal is finalized. But in October, Norman told a small group of reporters the league will continue to grow and exist separately from the PGA Tour.

LIV then backed that up less than two months later with the stunning signing of Jon Rahm , which was followed by adding Tyrrell Hatton. The league then expanded from 12 to 13 teams.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said at The Players Championship in March negotiations with Y asir Al-Rumayyan, the man behind the PIF, were accelerating.

Last week at the Masters, Tiger Woods said a meeting held in the Bahamas following The Players and attended by PGA Tour Policy Board members, Monahan and Al-Rumayyan, was “positive” but added he did not believe the sides are any closer to a deal.

Woods is a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf writer for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].

LIV Golf star with savage PGA Tour dig over 'declining' TV ratings

LIV Golf star Ian Poulter couldn't resist aiming a cheeky dig towards the PGA Tour after reports the circuit is struggling to attract an audience.

Ian Poulter couldn't resist aiming a cheeky dig towards the PGA Tour over their declining TV ratings. 

The North American circuit is playing the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head this week. 

It is the fifth 'signature' event of the 2023-2024 PGA Tour season, offering a staggering $20m prize purse.

Signature events were created in response to the lucrative LIV Golf League where Poulter now plies his trade as a Majestick.

It was hoped these events - reserved for only the cream of the PGA Tour's crop - would have a huge impact. 

• LIV Golf confirms host of new signings ahead of next event
• LIV Golf star has important message for Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson

First, it was hoped they would prevent further defections to the breakaway whilst also improving the fan experience. 

But things haven't gone to plan and there is likely panic in the corridors of power after the Masters ratings were revealed. 

PGA Tour stars reacted to that data before teeing it up in Harbour Town Golf Links. 

Matthew Fitzpatrick admitted he was not surprised and world number one Scottie Scheffler echoed his sentiments . 

Max Homa took things up a notch by describing the constant talk about money as 'nauseating' for golf fans. 

Whereas Wyndham Clark simply wasn't buying it. "I just find it really hard to believe," he said . 

Turning our attentions back to the aforementioned Poulter, he was alerted by another tour pro that JT Poston held the 18-hole lead in Hilton Head. 

Poston, you might not know, goes by the moniker The Postman. 

What you will likely know is that Poulter shares the same nickname given his Ryder Cup exploits over the years. 

Pablo Larrazabal wrote to Poulter on X: "There is only one Postman, right?"

To which the Englishman retorted: "Yeah it’s alright Pablo. It’s not worth losing energy over. 

"If it helps their ratings then they can borrow it for now.”

Although it would be interesting to see exactly how many people are tuning it to watch Poulter and LIV. 

Depending on your source, you can get extremely different set of figures so far as LIV is concerned. 

Last May, GOLF reported the breakaway tour would stop sharing their viewership data from US broadcasts. 

It was perhaps a sign that LIV was struggling to attract an audience. 

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To compile the latest edition of this list—which covers the calendar year 2022—we combined information from official sources, previously reported information, data from aggregators like Spotrac and estimates from dozens of players, agents and industry insiders. On-course income includes prize money earned on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, LIV Golf, LPGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and other pro tours.

Off-course income includes estimates of money earned from sponsors, performance and licensing fees, appearance fees and profits from business ventures. Bonus money includes in-season and season-ending performance money (e.g., FedEx Cup, Aon Risk Reward, Comcast Business Tour Top Ten), Player Impact Program awards for 2022 and sign-on payments for players who joined LIV in 2022. LIV bonuses are estimates pro-rated for the estimated or reported length of a player’s contract and have been treated as if that money is not offset by prize money earned in tournaments. Money paid into a deferred compensation program is not included.

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We elected not to include former players who did not earn on-course money in 2022, like Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman. Nicklaus made an estimated $35 million in licensing, architecture and appearance earnings, and Norman’s salary from LIV has been reported to be $50 million. Arnold Palmer died in 2016, but his licensing and real estate businesses still generate more than $20 million a year. We also didn’t include potentially lucrative investments in ventures like Tiger Woods’ and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports—which hasn’t produced revenue yet—and Justin Thomas’ and McIlroy’s investment in fitness tracker Whoop. Those moves reinforce the adage that you can get only so rich being an employee. The real money comes from being an owner.

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