As another season of LIV Golf beckons, those who made the controversial switch and have chosen to compete on the Saudi-funded series are set to once again compete for eye-watering amounts of money across the 14-event campaign.
In 2022, the maiden season compiled of eight tournaments. The first seven saw the 48-man fields compete for £21million ($25m), before the season finale at the team championship saw the 12 teams compete for a staggering £42m ($50m) in Florida.
This time around there is even more cash to be one, with Greg Norman and co adding another six tournaments to their extended 2023 calendar.
Now the majority of those competing are not short of a penny or two, especially the team captains who have already made millions plying their trade on LIV’s arch rival, the PGA Tour. The 12 skippers already have a combined net worth of £670 million, but with more money now on offer than ever before, this is only set to get bigger.
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Phil Mickelson – £248m net worth
LIV Golf’s so called ‘richest man’ and one of the most recognisable players to ever play the game is Phil Mickelson. Throughout his career Mickelson announced himself as of one of golf’s greatest and wealthiest ever players, winning 54 PGA Tour tournaments and nearly £90 million in prize money in the process.
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Controversially though, the American has put the PGA Tour behind him having launched on attack on the circuit he spent nearly all of his professional career when making his Saudi switch. Mickelson himself has admitted he is ‘at peace’ with never playing PGA Tour golf again, and that may have something to do with his alleged £166 million LIV Golf signing on fee.
Dustin Johnson – £82.7m net worth
Next on the list is the third biggest PGA Tour earner of all time behind Mickelson and the great Tiger Woods in Dustin Johnson. Like Mickelson, Johnson too drew a line in the sand with the PGA Tour and instead opted to turn to the riches of LIV Golf.
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And there is no doubt the 2020 Masters champion has reaped the reward of it since, after being crowned the breakaway circuit’s inaugural individual and team champion in 2022. This saw Johnson take home just around £30m in on course in earnings in just eight tournaments.
Brooks Koepka – £57m net worth
Another PGA Tour stalwart in recent times who has opted to make the Saudi switch is Brooks Koepka. The American became one of golf’s most recognisable faces following an impressive run of form towards the end of the 2010’s and start of 2020’s, winning four major titles.
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This is where the American star made his millions, and he has since only added to that having won just short of £7 million in winnings during his debut season with LIV Golf in 2022.
Sergio Garcia – £57m net worth
Sharing a similar figure to Koepka is European stalwart Sergio Garcia. One of the most controversial stars to join LIV Golf was the fiery Spaniard, and he did not leave the PGA Tour quietly. He is of course best known for being Team Europe’s talisman during their Ryder Cup battles with the USA, whilst also being crowned Masters champion in 2017.
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The ever-controversial Spaniard has often split opinion, and no more so than when he joined LIV Golf. But like his fellow rebels, he is now reaping the reward of the riches on the breakaway circuit.
Ian Poulter – £49.6m net worth
Next up is Garcia’s trusty European teammate Ian Poulter. Like the Spanish star, Poulter has been a thorn in the side of the Americans’ Ryder Cup setup, and only further flared tempers across the pond when joining LIV Golf. The majority of his success has come on European soil, having won 12 titles on the DP World Tour.
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An offer from LIV Golf though was clearly too good for the Team Majesticks captain to turn down, having admitted in Netflix’s recent PGA Tour docuseries ‘Full Swing’ that his choice to join the Saudi-funded series was a ‘business decision’.
Cameron Smith – £41.3m net worth
Sixth on the list is arguably LIV Golf’s marquee signing in Open champion Cameron Smith. Just weeks after becoming Champion Golfer of The Year at St Andrews, Smith made the controversial choice to link up with fellow Aussie Norman on the breakaway tour.
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His maiden major triumph in Scotland last summer saw him take just over £2 million in prize money, but went on to make over £1 million more from his first ever LIV Golf win, after his victory in Chicago saw him earn £3.3 million.
Louis Oosthuizen – £35.2m net worth
Another Open champion who has chased the Saudi riches is South African star Louis Oosthuizen. Oosthuizen won the Claret Jug back in 2010, and has since become one of the most consistent golfers on the planet. An impressive 22 wins and a recent move to LIV Golf has seen the South African’s net worth move over the £35 million mark.
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Bubba Watson – £33m net worth
Bubba Watson will take charge of one LIV Golf’s reformed teams for 2023, after announcing the formation of the ‘Range Goats’ earlier this month. An ever-present on the PGA Tour in recent years, Watson is best known for being a two-time Masters champion following victories in 2012 and 2014.
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Prior to his PGA Tour suspension, Watson had earned a cool £40 million in on course earnings during his time on the American-based circuit, but this was trumped by the Saudi-funded circuit who reportedly offered £41.5 million to sign on the dotted line.
Kevin Na – £20m net worth
Another PGA Tour stalwart who made the Saudi switch is Kevin Na. The 39-year-old is arguably the trailblazer of LIV Golf, after being the first star to confirm his defection to the breakaway league ahead of their maiden event last summer.
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Being rebel No. 1, Na unsurprisingly faced a whole host of backlash but the blow has no doubt been softened by his 2022 earnings. As a result, the 39-year-old took home a handy £1.7 million from just eight LIV tournaments in their inaugural campaign.
Martin Kaymer – £18.2m net worth
A former world No. 1, Martin Kaymer has enjoyed plenty of success in professional golf. With 25 professional wins to his name – including three on the PGA Tour and 11 on the DP World Tour – Kaymer has been no stranger to the winners’ circle during his career.
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With success of course comes financial reward, and the German has only added to that since following his former Ryder Cup teammates in Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter in joining LIV Golf. With Kaymer no doubt closer to the end of his career than the start, the German is no doubt keen to add a final few big-money paydays before he hangs up his clubs.
Joaquin Niemann – £16.5m net worth
From a man nearing the end of his career, to one who is only really just starting out. Joaquin Niemann is LIV Golf’s youngest team captain of the 12, but this does not mean he does not have the talent – and wallet – to make his fellow skippers.
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Niemann was quite the signing for the Norman and his team, having announced himself as one of the hottest players in the world. Despite being just 24, the Chilean already dons a net worth of £16.5 million, and this is only set to grow ahead of first full season with LIV Golf.
Bryson DeChambeau – £11m net worth
Finally another one of LIV’s more younger captains, but no doubt one of the most well known is Bryson DeChambeau. Throughout his relatively short, but rollercoaster career DeChambeau – nicknamed the scientist – has more than made a name for himself in professional golf.
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Most notably, the American became one of golf’s top players in recent years, revolutionising the way the game was hard played with his hard-hitting but scientific approach. As well as his efforts on the course he also became a recognisable face on it, after notoriously forming one of golf’s big rivalries with fellow LIV captain Koepka.
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