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RIDGELAND, S.C. (AP) — No matter how anyone spins it, LIV Golf is about money.
That’s why 13 major champions — all but four of them still under 40 — signed up for the Saudi-funded league. It offers 54 holes with no cut for a 48-man field, a limited schedule and a team competition these guys haven’t enjoyed since they were amateurs — none of which is appealing without the money.
Silly money, sure, but now it is starting to look very real with seven individual LIV Golf events in the inaugural year. Forget the signing bonuses for a moment, which were reported to be in the $150 million range for the biggest names.
Dustin Johnson — the biggest attraction from the start — has topped $31 million in just five months, with $18 million of that from a bonus for winning the season points list. That’s not a big surprise.
“I really regret my decision to come here. It’s just so terrible,” Johnson said, the sarcasm meter registering higher than his pulse ever does.
More alarming is Peter Uihlein, the former U.S. Amateur champion who began his career on the Challenge Tour in Europe. In his last five years on the PGA Tour, Uihlein had just over $4 million in earnings. He got that much alone in a bonus for finishing third in the points race, bringing his total for seven events to over $11.3 million.
Branden Grace clocked in at just over $15.6 million, which compares with the $12.2 million he made in his eight full seasons on the PGA Tour.
The money is real, and it gets attention.
“I knew it was going to happen,” Jordan Spieth said Tuesday. “When you see those purses ($25 million per event) and then bonuses ($30 million for the top three players), someone was going to get to the $30 million to $40 million on the course.”
What he does not know is if that money counts against the signing bonus. LIV Golf has said it does not. One of its lawyers suggested otherwise in a court hearing.
Either way, there’s a lot of money out there. The temptation won’t go away, and there’s…
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Source : yahoo
