“I really feel golf is a force of good in the world and I love using the game of golf as something to help grow around the world and be role models to kids…If Saudi Arabia want to use the game of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be, I think we’re proud to help them on that journey, using the game of golf and the abilities we have to help grow the sport.” This response does raise the specter of sport washing, the practice where regimes with questionable moral standing in the world utilize sport to bring legitimacy and deflect any ethical questions. However, listening to the likes of Graeme McDowell at the press briefings ahead of the first LIV Golf event, it is not about the money. In real terms, Schwartzel made three times as much from his win at Centurion than he did for winning the 2011 Masters tournament by playing less golf. Each LIV Golf event has a total prize fund of $25 million, with every golfer finishing in the top 11 places guaranteed $500,000 for their three rounds of 18 holes, meaning more money for less work – a major event in golf is usually played over four rounds, or 72 holes. At the inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion, the eventual winner Charl Schwartzel took home a cheque for $4 million for his first place finish. While traditionalists are upset at the approach taken by these rebel players, the appeal of the LIV Golf tour is evident.

The PGA Tour has moved swiftly, suspending those who did not resign their PGA Tour membership, effectively banning them from PGA Tour events. Quite apart from asking how much money is ‘enough’ for an athlete who has earned over $100m in his career to date, the move by Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter to join the LIV Golf Tour has put pressure on the traditional golfing establishment. This gives me opportunities to spend more time with my family and spend more time doing the things I love to do and it’s exciting.” Despite this, Johnson has lost his PGA Tour membership, resigning it to play in the Saudi Arabia backed LIV Golf tour, getting a $125 million signing on fee and competing for a share of the vast prize money on offer.ĭespite earning $11 million a year annually through endorsements with commercial partners in addition to the prize money accumulated through his career, Johnson cited that he didn’t want to “play golf for the rest of my life, which I felt like I was probably going to have to do. The 2016 U.S Open and 2020 Masters Champion has 22 additional PGA tour wins over 12 years, putting him level with the legendary Gary Player on the all-time list. The Saudi Arabia backed LIV Golf tour has upset many golf traditionalists, with many feeling that those competing are not doing so for the love of the game, merely the proposed paycheck.ĭustin Johnson is a two-time major winner and is third on the all-time list on the PGA Tour career earnings, bringing home $74,276,710 in prize money, putting him only behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for prize money.

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