The Alliance of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour: Here’s What to Know (Published 2023) (2024)

FAQs

What was the agreement between Liv and PGA? ›

The PGA Tour has unveiled a $3bn (£2.35bn) deal with a consortium led by the owner of Liverpool FC that will handsomely reward players such as Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods who resisted the overtures of LIV Golf. The agreement leaves Saudi Arabia having to wait for a seat at golf's top table.

In early June last year, the PGA Tour shocked the world when it announced that it would be merging with LIV Golf, a fledgling golf league that is funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Unlike the PGA Tour, where a player can compete in several tournament rounds and walk away without a single dollar in prize money, LIV offers guaranteed money through signing contracts — LIV even refers to its players as “player-owners” because they also receive equity stakes in their teams.

That's why the decision to pay Jon Rahm $300 million to join LIV Golf stirred up controversy.

Initially, PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan suspended players who took deals with LIV Golf and allied himself with 9/11 Families United in criticizing the Saudi government. "Some of the early criticisms that the PGA Tour launched against the LIV Golf tour were couched in moral terms," Ganji said.

He said that he has never received an offer from LIV – and never contemplated switching tours – and stated that he would finish out his career on the PGA Tour. McIlroy talked to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis Tuesday at the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage.

They aren't banned? No. Players who joined LIV Golf are banned from the PGA Tour, but not the majors championships, which are operated by their own governing bodies. That means guys like Rahm, Koepka (last year's PGA Championship winner), and three-time Masters champ Phil Mickelson can play at Augusta National.

The name "LIV" refers to the Roman numerals for 54, the number of holes played at LIV events. The first LIV Golf Invitational Series event started on 9 June 2022, at the Centurion Club near St Albans in Hertfordshire, UK.

While LIV players remain eligible for majors, no governing bodies to date have offered a direct pathway through performance on LIV, meaning qualification is very difficult for those without previously existing exemptions.

LIV Golf's players are banned from the PGA Tour, but they can still play in the Majors if they meet the qualifying criteria.

Does LIV pay more than PGA? ›

LIV's purse includes $115 million in team prize money and $30 million split between the top three in the seasonlong individual race. The LIV schedule includes 14 events compared to 38 on the PGA Tour. Still, the top earners on Tour play around 20 events, some as few as 18, others 23.

Currently, it's about even. LIV is incredibly top-heavy. Rahm, DJ, deChambeau, Koepka, Smith, Leischman, Gooch, Niemann - those guys were all top 25–40 in the world when they left the PGA Tour. Add in guys like Paul Casey and maybe Oosthuizen and Schwartzel and you have a nice roster of bigger named guys.

Brooks Koepka confirms $100 million-plus LIV deal, reason for PGA Tour exit.

Bubba Watson disclosed that his move to LIV Golf reportedly involved a substantial sum, approximately $50 million. This move was part of LIV Golf's strategy to entice top players with lucrative sign-on fees in a bid to bolster the league's roster.

Phil Mickelson was on the marquee of the sports world when he signed a contract with LIV Golf, reportedly receiving a staggering $200 million as a signing fee. This move marked a significant shift in Mickelson's career and had wide-reaching implications for the golfing community.

Phil Mickelson is currently believed to have accepted the highest offer — around $200 million — while players like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau are said to have received $100 million-plus deals. Tiger Woods reportedly turned down an offer from LIV worth nearly $800 million.

Players who joined LIV Golf are banned from the PGA Tour, but not the majors championships, which are operated by their own governing bodies. That means guys like Rahm, Koepka (last year's PGA Championship winner), and three-time Masters champ Phil Mickelson can play at Augusta National.

Jan 31 (Reuters) - The PGA Tour has secured a $3 billion investment into a new for-profit entity from a consortium of U.S. sports team owners as part of a deal that allows for co-investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, it said on Wednesday.

He's joined by major-winners Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer. Last week, the PGA of America invited even more LIV players who weren't already qualified. All of them accepted except for Louis Oosthuizen, who declined due to personal reasons.