Tag: Charl Schwartzel

Masters-bound Joaquin Niemann continues impressive run of form with 2024 LIV Golf Jeddah win

Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC claimed their second team title of the new season.

Joaquin Niemann is shaping up to have a big year in 2024.

The 25-year-old Chilean won the Australian Open back in December and carried that momentum into the new year with another win at LIV Golf’s season-opener in Mayakoba, where he began the week with a 59 and ended it with a playoff against Sergio Garcia.

Niemann didn’t need extra holes this week and stayed hot in Saudi Arabia with his second win of the year at LIV Golf Jeddah on Sunday. The Torque GC captain shot a final-round 4-under 66 to finish at 17 under at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, four shots clear of Stinger GC teammates Louis Oosthuizen (67) and Charl Schwartzel (68) at 13 under. Bryson DeChambeau had the low round of the day, a bogey-free 8-under 62 to finish fourth at 12 under. Jon Rahm signed for a 2-under 68 on Sunday to round out the top five at 11 under.

Anthony Kim made his highly-anticipated return to professional golf and finished dead last in 53rd (Matthew Wolff withdrew in the second round). The 38-year-old shot rounds of 76-76-74 to finish 16 over, 11 shots behind 52nd-place Hudson Swafford and 33 behind the winner Niemann.

MORE: Best shots from LIV Golf Jeddah

“Yeah, it feels amazing. It’s a super special moment. It’s always nice when you win. I’m just more happy, I’m more proud the way I’m playing right now, and the way I played out there today,” said Niemann. “It was a tough day. It was windy. I knew there was going to be some low scores, so I’m super happy. I’m proud the way I’m playing. I just want to — on to the next one.”

DeChambeau’s Crushers GC blitzed the field in the final round to claim the team title at 38 under, four shots clear of runner-up Stinger GC and five clear of third-place Smash GC, captained by Brooks Koepka.

The league is back in action next week with LIV Golf Hong Kong, March 8-10, at Hong Kong Golf Club in Sheung Shui.

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Louis Oosthuizen claims DP World Tour event in South Africa, continues LIV Golf win streak

LIV players have now won the last four DP World Tour events.

The DP World Tour has hosted five events so far in its 2023-24 season. The last four have been won by players in the LIV Golf League.

Louis Oosthuizen kept the streak alive on Monday by winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club in Malelane, South Africa. The victory on the European-based circuit was the 10th of his career and first since the 2018 South African Open. Oosthuizen finished at 18 under, two shots clear of Stinger GC teammate, Charl Schwartzel.

Another Stinger, Dean Burmester, got the LIV party started three weeks ago with his victory at the Joburg Open and doubled down with a win last week at the Investec South African Open Championship. Also last week, Joaquin Niemann won the ISPS Handa Australian Open and Oosthuizen made it a fourth consecutive win on Monday after Sunday’s final round was delayed.

“This is one of the tournaments that I’ve always wanted to win,” the proud South African said of winning the event in his home country. “It took me a while. It’s always a great place coming back to.”

The DP World Tour’s “opening swing” ends this week with the 2023 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at Heritage La Reserve Golf Club in Heritage Bel Ombre, Mauritius, before beginning its International Swing in Dubai in January.

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Pair of LIV golfers tied for lead on DP World Tour, looking for three-peat in South Africa

The former major champions have opened up a five-shot lead.

It has been a few good weeks on and off the course for LIV Golf.

Dean Burmester has won consecutive DP World Tour events in South Africa. Additionally, last week, Joaquin Niemann won on the DP World Tour in Australia.

This week, the Jon Rahm-to-LIV news shook the golf world and has given the league plenty of momentum in its second offseason.

And it seems as if LIV golfers aren’t done winning on the course, either.

Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel are tied for the lead at 15-under 201 after three rounds at the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club in South Africa. Oosthuizen tied a course record with a 9-under 63 in the third round while Schwartzel, a four-time winner of the event, shot 65. The duo are five shots in front of the field with 18 holes to play.

Oosthuizen’s round included an eagle and seven birdies. Schwartzel had six birdies, an eagle and one bogey.

Andy Sullivan and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are the closest chasers at 10-under 206. Outside of Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, no other golfer shot better than 67 on Saturday.

There are 16 LIV golfers at 2023 British Open. Is this the last time we care?

Perhaps the 2023 Open will be the final time there will be a clear distinction between two sets of competitors.

Perhaps the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool will be the final time there will be a clear distinction between two sets of competitors: those who are in the LIV Golf League and those who are not.

There will be 16 members of LIV Golf in the field this week when the Open begins on Thursday. That’s nearly one-quarter of the entire LIV Golf membership and barring any withdrawals, will tie for the second-most LIV players in one of the four major championships this year.

There were 18 LIV players who qualified for the Masters but two withdrew, Kevin Na and Louis Oosthuizen. The PGA Championship had 17 LIV players and the U.S. Open had 15.

Leading the LIV pack will be four past champions, defending champion Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen and Henrik Stenson.

Friday update: To read about the LIV golfers who made the cut at Royal Liverpool, click here.

By the time the 2024 Masters hits the calendar, it’s hopeful that the tentative peace and pending agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (which bankrolls LIV) will have been finalized and its players allowed back on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

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Until then, LIV players are still barred from playing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour and have only been able to play on the same course with them in the majors.

Here are the LIV players who qualified for the Open Championship:

Players reflect on first year of LIV Golf in return to Centurion Club

“It’s exciting just to be a part of something new.”

There has been no shortage of drama, excitement, storylines and plenty more since LIV Golf made its debut last June at Centurion Club in London.

Players choosing to stay on the PGA Tour or go to LIV Golf. Some taking jabs at one another, back and forth. Numerous legal battles. Seemingly every day, there was something newsworthy related to LIV Golf and its attempt to thrust itself into the golf ecosystem.

This week, LIV Golf returned to Centurion Club, where 2023 LIV Golf London begins Friday. It’s the return to the place where LIV Golf began, and it’s the first time LIV has played a course twice.

Last season, it was the first of eight events. This year, it’s the ninth of 14. Although the future of LIV Golf is up in the air since the announcement of the agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the financial backer of LIV, players and executives are marching forward as if the circuit will continue.

Only time will tell.

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There are 23 golfers in the field this week who participated in the first LIV event last year. Some of those players and others reflected on the first year of LIV Golf ahead of kicking off Friday’s event in London. Here’s what they had to say.

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

LIV distributed $255 million in prize money with 52 players earning more than $1 million.

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.”

Perez is part of the Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces, which won LIV’s team championship at Trump National Doral on 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.

Forbes list of 2022 highest-paid golfers in the world features seven LIV Golf players

Forbes reported that LIV boosted the earnings of the 10 highest-paid golfers by an estimated $370 million since May.

They say money talks, which in part explains LIV Golf’s “Golf, but Louder” motto.

According to a report from Forbes on the highest-paid golfers in the world for 2022, the upstart series led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Invest Fund, “has boosted the earnings of the ten highest-paid golfers by an estimated $370 million since May, bringing their combined haul to a record $650 million.”

Let that sink in for a second.

Seven of the world’s top 10 highest-paid golfers now play for LIV Golf, leaving just Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth as the outliers. Check out each player’s on-course and off-course earnings over the last year below (all figures courtesy of Forbes).

Charl Schwartzel hangs on to beat teammates, wins inaugural LIV Golf event and $4,750,000

Charl Schwartzel started with a comfortable lead. He finished with nerves that were more frayed, but with $4 million to deal with anxiety.

Charl Schwartzel started Saturday with a comfortable lead. He finished it with nerves that were a bit more frayed, but with $4 million to help deal with any anxiety.

The South African made a double bogey on No. 12 and limped home with bogeys on Nos. 14 and 18, but still managed a one-stroke victory in the LIV Golf Invitational Series inaugural event at London’s Centurion Club.

Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champ, finished the tournament at 7 under and held off his Stinger teammates Hennie du Plessis (6 under) and Branden Grace (5 under) to earn the first-place purse of $4 million.

“Honestly, I’m relieved,” said Schwartzel, who hadn’t won an event on either the PGA Tour or the European Tour since 2016. “I made a bad mistake on 12 which put me on the back foot and I needed to just stick on and try and get this thing in the house, you know? I had it in my hands and made it a bit more difficult than it should have been.

“But I’m just proud and it’s a great feeling.”

As for du Plessis, a runner-up finish was not expected from the 133rd player in the Official World Golf Ranking. But Schwartzel spoke highly of his countryman and expects big things from the two-time Sunshine Tour winner.

“He’s got a bright future,” Schwartzel said of du Plessis. “He’s playing real good and I’m proud of him. Proud of my teammates, you know, this is a historical moment. The first LIV tournament and man, this is awesome.”

As for other big names in the field, Dustin Johnson finished 8th at 1 under for the 54-hole event while Talor Gooch shot a 69 on Saturday to finish even. Ian Poulter was 5 over and Sergio Garcia was 6 over.

In the end, though, it was Schwartzel’s day. After a lengthy drought, the 126th-ranked player in the world was happy to be part of the experience.

“What they’ve done was way beyond our expectations — the entertainment, the way they treat everybody and you know the amount of money they put up for us, it’s out of this world,” he said.

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Andy Ogletree failed to break 75 this week and made $120K: Here’s a full breakdown of the LIV Golf London payouts

The LIV Golf Series opener in London has wrapped and we have a complete list of payouts each player in the field earned this week.

It’s been a busy few days for the LIV Golf Series.

The breakaway league officially got underway this week in London at the Centurion Club. While the first event seemed like a success, the biggest news from the week may have been the additions they made to their roster.

Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, will be making the move to the Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led league in a few weeks in Portland. Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, is making the change as well.

The big draw for LIV Golf is the sizable paychecks they deal out at the end of the week. Here is a complete breakdown of how much each player made in London.

Charl Schwartzel is 18 holes away from being first LIV Golf Invitational Series winner and a $4 million first-place prize

Charl Schwartzel expanded his 18-hole at the LIV Golf Series opener and enters the final round with a three-shot advantage.

Day two at Centurion Club is finished at the LIV Golf Series opener just outside of London. The Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led league will crown its first winner Saturday. They’ll also hand over $4 million to whoever it is that comes out on top of this three-day, 54-hole tournament. Everyone in the field is guaranteed a payday in this no-cut contest.

Charl Schwartzel woke up with the lead and will go to bed Friday night with an advantage heading into Saturday’s final round thanks to a second-round 4-under 66. Hennie Du Plessis is solo second, three shots back. Peter Uihlein climbed the leaderboard during the second round thanks to a 4-under 66 effort. Uihlein is solo third and five back of Schwartzel.

Oliver Bekker is 3 under for the week and in solo fourth. Scott Vincent, Phacara Khongwatmai, Sam Horsfield, and Dustin Johnson are tied at 2 under and in fifth.

Phil Mickelson, one of the tour’s headliners, shot a 5-over 75 on Friday is tied for 26th along with Kevin Na, Matt Jones, Martin Kaymer and James Piot, among others.

The league is spearheaded by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds.

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