Tag: LIV Golf Invitational Series

Updated how it started vs. how it’s going: What pro golfers said before joining LIV Golf — and after

Player opinions on the Saudi-backed league seem to have changed after they signed multi-million dollar deals.

It seems like it wasn’t so long ago that some of the world’s top golfers were denouncing the possibility of moving to a Saudi-backed circuit, especially after the comments made by Phil Mickelson that stirred controversy outside of the sports world.

But in fact, many of these conversations came as far back as 2022 (remember that year?) and while they haven’t aged well, they have certainly made for some interesting reading.

With a late 2023 defection of Jon Rahm from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, this seemed like a good time to play everyone’s favorite social media game, “How it started vs. how it’s going.”

Some have changed drastically on their stance. Others have remained consistent. Here’s a look at a few:

Players, fans, the PGA Tour and more: The winners and losers from LIV Golf’s first year

A lot happened in the 143 days that passed between LIV Golf’s first and last events of its inaugural year.

Believe it or not, just 143 days passed between LIV Golf’s first event outside London and its eighth last week at the season-finale team championship in Miami.

The upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has dominated much of the conversation surrounding the world of golf this year, and will likely continue to do so. Despite a three-month offseason between now and when the yet-to-be-released 2023 schedule is slated to start in February, there will still be plenty to talk about from the ongoing court cases to future player movement.

But for now, let’s take a look back at the biggest winners and losers from LIV Golf’s inaugural year.

How much money each player earned at LIV Golf Jeddah in Saudi Arabia

Brooks Koepka took home the $4 million top prize after a three-hole playoff.

A $4 million playoff broke out in LIV Golf’s regular-season finale in Saudi Arabia, and three holes later it was Brooks Koepka who emerged victorious.

The four-time major champion outdueled Peter Uihlein to win for the first time on the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, claiming the top prize of $4 million while Uihlein walked away with $2.125 million. Martin Kaymer and Kevin Na, who both withdrew from the event, pocketed $121,000.

Check out the prize money payouts for each player at the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series event in Saudi Arabia.

Position Player Score Earnings
1* Brooks Koepka -12 $4,000,000
2 Peter Uihlein -12 $2,125,000
T3 Joaquin Niemann -11 $1,275,000
T3 Sergio Garcia -11 $1,275,000
T5 Matthew Wolff -10 $816,667
T5 Dustin Johnson -10 $816,667
T5 Paul Casey -10 $816,667
T8 Bernd Wiesberger -9 $602,500
T8 Charl Schwartzel -9 $602,500
T10 Anirban Lahiri -8 $550,000
T10 Abraham Ancer -8 $550,000
T12 Talor Gooch -7 $289,714
T12 Jediah Morgan -7 $289,714
T12 Chase Koepka -7 $289,714
T12 Lee Westwood -7 $289,714
T12 Graeme McDowell -7 $289,714
T12 Patrick Reed -7 $289,714
T12 Carlos Ortiz -7 $289,714
T19 Charles Howell Iii -6 $210,000
T19 Sihwan Kim -6 $210,000
T21 Bryson DeChambeau -5 $172,500
T21 Cameron Smith -5 $172,500
T21 Jason Kokrak -5 $172,500
T21 James Piot -5 $172,500
T25 Phachara Khongwatmai -4 $164,000
T25 Richard Bland -4 $164,000
T25 Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra -4 $164,000
T28 Branden Grace -3 $156,000
T28 Sam Horsfield -3 $156,000
T28 Laurie Canter -3 $156,000
T28 Louis Oosthuizen -3 $156,000
T28 Ian Poulter -3 $156,000
T33 Harold Varner III -2 $149,000
T33 Hideto Tanihara -2 $149,000
T35 Marc Leishman -1 $144,000
T35 Wade Ormsby -1 $144,000
T35 Phil Mickelson -1 $144,000
T38 Henrik Stenson 1 $138,000
T38 Sadom Kaewkanjana 1 $138,000
T38 Turk Pettit 1 $138,000
T41 Hudson Swafford 2 $131,000
T41 Cameron Tringale 2 $131,000
T41 Scott Vincent 2 $131,000
T41 Shaun Norris 2 $131,000
45 Matt Jones 3 $126,000
46 Pat Perez 6 $124,000
— Martin Kaymer WD $121,000
— Kevin Na WD $121,000

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Full breakdown of LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok prize money payouts

It was a big payday for first-time winner Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra.

It was a big payday for first-time winner Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra.

In his fifth start on the upstart LIV Golf Series, the former Oklahoma State standout found the winner’s circle in Bangkok and pocketed $4 million along the way. He also bagged another $750,000 for being a member of the winning team, the Fireballs, who also have Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz.

Lopez-Chacarra finished at 19 under. Three shots back was Patrick Reed. There was a three-way tie for third at 18 under by Richard Bland, Paul Casey and Sihwan Kim.

Brendan Grace withdrew from the event and still banked $120,000.

Check out the full prize money payouts for each player at LIV Golf Invitational-Bangkok.

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra -19 $4,000,000
2 Patrick Reed -16 $2,125,000
T3 Paul Casey -15 $1,175,000
T3 Richard Bland -15 $1,175,000
T3 Sihwan Kim -15 $1,175,000
T6 Harold Varner III -14 $737,500
T6 James Piot -14 $737,500
T8 Brooks Koepka -13 $602,500
T8 Charles Howell III -13 $602,500
T10 Abraham Ancer -11 $477,500
T10 Laurie Canter -11 $477,500
T10 Ian Poulter -11 $477,500
T10 Mark Leishman -11 $477,500
14 Bryson DeChambeau -10 $270,000
T15 Matt Jones -9 $233,600
T15 Dustin Johnson -9 $233,600
T15 Phil Mickelson -9 $233,600
T15 Carlos Ortiz -9 $233,600
T15 Lee Westwood -9 $233,600
T20 Joaquin Niemann -8 $174,286
T20 Sergio Garcia -8 $174,286
T20 Sadom Kaewkanjana -8 $174,286
T20 Peter Uihlein -8 $174,286
T20 Talor Gooch -8 $174,286
T20 Jediah Morgan -8 $174,286
T20 Kevin Na -8 $174,286
T27 Charl Schwartzel -7 $157,000
T27 Phachara Khongwatmai -7 $157,000
T27 Shaun Norris -7 $157,000
T27 Jason Kokrak -7 $157,000
T27 Turk Pettit -7 $157,000
T27 Wade Ormsby -7 $157,000
T33 Chase Koepka -6 $144,000
T33 Sam Horsfield -6 $144,000
T33 Bernd Wiesberger 6 $144,000
T33 Henrik Stenson -6 $144,000
T33 Martin Kaymer -6 $144,000
T33 Hudson Swafford -6 $144,000
T33 Cameron Tringale -6 $144,000
40 Pat Perez -5 $136,000
T41 Anirban Lahiri -4 $131,000
T41 Cameron Smith -4 $131,000
T41 Graeme McDowell -4 $131,000
T41 Matthew Wolff -4 $131,000
T45 Louis Oosthuizen E $125,000
T45 Scott Vincent E $125,000
47 Hideto Tanihara +1 $122,000
WD Branden Grace — $120,000

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‘It’s holy ground’: As LIV Golf heads to new course in Thailand, one player compared it to Augusta National

“I think in terms of the conditions, it’s pristine.”

After hosting four consecutive events in the United States, the LIV Golf Invitational Series has packed up shop for a two-week trip abroad.

The upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is hosting its first of consecutive events in Asia this week at the newly-opened Stonehill Golf Club, located an hour north of Bangkok, Thailand.  Before the series heads home next week to the familiar Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – the host of the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour – players made sure to heap praise on this week’s course.

One player compared the new track to one of the most heralded properties in the game.

“I think in terms of the conditions, it’s pristine. It’s literally — it’s holy ground. It’s so pure out there,” said Anirban Lahiri, who is making his third start on the series this week. “I would say this is the closest you’d come to maybe comparing to conditions in Augusta, just in terms of the pure turf conditions. It’s phenomenal.”

“It’s ridiculous how good it is,” he added.

Lahiri has played in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club twice, finishing T-49 in 2015 and T-42 in 2016.

Stonehill has been described as a pet project of Sarath Ratanavadi, Thailand’s fourth-richest man, and his son, Saris Ratanavadi. Bloomberg reports that Sarath, the 57-year-old founder and CEO of Gulf Energy Development, is worth $11.1 billion. The tycoon approached LIV Golf this summer and has hinted at other golf tours hosting events at Stonehill.

“I think the good thing is everybody is playing it for the first time, so no one has got an advantage,” said Lahiri, the two-time European Tour winner in 2015 and seven-time Asian Tour winner from 2011-2015. “I think obviously it’s wide open, so you’ve got to hit it good off the tee, but it’s a second-shot golf course.”

“I think I need to eat a lot of curry and pad Thai maybe and help my distance, find another 30 yards before I tee off,” said Kevin Na, who noted the wide fairways will be a bomber’s paradise. “It’s a very, very long golf course.”

“The only thing I feel like that can play in my favor,” explained Na, “there’s good undulations on the green. There’s some runoffs. I feel like you have to putt very well out here, and I think that’s one way that I can make up for the driving distance.”

Na thinks this week’s event will be decided based on how LIV sets up the course

“I hope the rules committee set it up sensible because if you play a back tee every hole and tuck every pin, I just don’t think that’ll be exciting. It won’t be exciting,” said Na, who spoke with rules officials about drivable par-4s and reachable par-5s. “The fans are out here to see birdies and eagles. I’m not saying set it up easy, but I’m saying you have to have a good mixture, and especially with a golf course that nobody has ever played and we don’t know what’s capable.

“I think the first day you have to play it on the safe side and see what happens.”

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Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen pokes fun at Bryson DeChambeau’s recent struggles with ropes

The NFL QB and avid golfer had some fun at DeChambeau’s expense.

Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a late field goal that sealed the deal for a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, 23-20. You might be wondering what that has to do with golf.

After the game, crossover golf and NFL fans may have noticed what Buffalo radio host Nate Geary shared on Twitter: Allen throwing a little shade at Bryson DeChambeau. By now you’ve probably seen a pair of viral videos featuring DeChambeau and a rope line. The first came at the LIV Golf Chicago event where DeChambeau took a rope to the face. The second was DeChambeau trying to make fun of himself with a new rope video.

Watch what happens as Allen approached a rope after the Bills win on Sunday:

How do we know it’s a reference to DeChambeau? We don’t for sure, but Allen is an avid golfer who has competed in both the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Match.

If you watch the video close enough to the end, you’ll see a man in a blue jacket take the rope to the face. Be safe out there, folks.

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Jay Monahan shoots down idea of PGA Tour, LIV Golf coexisting in ESPN Q&A

“I think it’s impractical when you look at the fact that certain players have sued the PGA Tour,” said Monahan.

Last week Phil Mickelson addressed the ongoing battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, saying “the best solution is for us to come together.”

After PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s recent interview with ESPN, Lefty better not hold his breath. Monahan addressed everything from the Presidents Cup to Tiger Woods’ leadership amid the Tour’s struggles against the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Most importantly, he flat-out said LIV Golf and the PGA Tour cannot work together or coexist.

“I think it’s impractical when you look at the fact that certain players have sued the PGA Tour, their employer has sued the PGA Tour,” said Monahan. “It’s not in the cards. It hasn’t been in the cards and it’s not in the cards. I think we’ve been pretty consistent on that front.”

Sources: LIV Golf nears deal to buy time on Fox Sports to air events
More: Mickelson, other LIV players drop from PGA Tour lawsuit

Monahan was then asked point-blank: Why will the PGA Tour outlast LIV Golf?

“Because the game, at the highest level, is about aspiration. It’s about context. And any young kid today, any kid that’s going to be playing the game going forward, ultimately is going to want to win the biggest championships, the biggest tournaments, and put themselves in a position and on a path over the course of their golf journey to get to the PGA Tour and to again, achieve at the highest level. We are going to continue to evolve and get stronger in every single area of that spectrum or of that journey.

And the game itself will continue to evolve from an entertainment standpoint, but it isn’t going to be solely about entertainment. It’s going to be about how do I achieve what Tiger Woods has achieved, or Jordan Spieth or Jon Rahm or Collin Morikawa or Patrick Cantlay or Xander Schauffele?”

As for the future of men’s golf, Monahan said the Tour would “lean into” the changes its made to its schedule and elevated events in order to keep providing players “not only the strongest competitive platform, but also the strongest brand platform.” That two-pronged platform pitch is how Monahan has been keeping the top players from the leaving the Tour in search of greener pastures.

“I focus on where we are and where we’re going. And I focus on two things: What your possibility is from an income standpoint on the PGA Tour, [and] from a competitive standpoint on the PGA Tour, because ultimately what I tell someone depends on what their purpose is. What do you want to accomplish?” said Monahan, who also preached the power of a player’s independence on Tour from where they play to which brands they partner with. “To me, if you want to achieve at the highest level of the game and you want to win the biggest championships in the game, then we have an incredible story to tell on that front.”

According to Monahan, the changes the Tour has made to its schedule will also have a positive impact on the fan experience seeing as they’ll know when and where the Tour’s best players will be in action. He also pointed to the Tour’s presentation on ESPN+ and investment in concepts such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports.

“What we started with will not be where we end up,” said Monahan. “I think you’ll see a lot of progress on that front.”

He also encouraged players to seek out other opinions.

“I’m only one voice, and granted, I’m honored to be able to lead this organization, but I think when you’re making choices like this, you need to know with certainty what you’re getting into,” explained Monahan. “And so I try and provide that certainty on our side and make certain that players understand it as they think about anything that might change.”

Monahan also said he “didn’t make much” of Norman’s recent visit to Capitol Hill, but the commissioner also heaped praise on Woods and McIlroy, who held a players meeting before the BMW Championship in August to discuss the Tour’s battle with LIV.

“When you take two icons of the game and they’re taking responsibility for bringing the guys together and continuing to think of ways to improve the PGA Tour, make it stronger and make commitments that have never been made before, it was a really important moment in time,” said Monahan, who noted how players look up to Woods and listen to him carefully in the same way that Jack Nicklaus still holds a commanding presence in the game.

“His on-course presence is matched by his voice or his off-course presence,” added Monahan.

You can read the full Q&A here.

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‘We’re a team of honor’: Captains Davis Love III, Trevor Immelman address lack of LIV Golf players at Presidents Cup

“All the cards were out on the table, and everybody knew where they stood,” said Immelman.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When looking at the rosters for both the American and International teams at this week’s Presidents Cup, some big names are missing.

Even though players such as Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith, who made the jump from the PGA Tour to Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf, aren’t competing this week at Quail Hollow Club, their lack of presence was felt and addressed ahead of the biennial bout.

“Every single player that I spoke to from early on in this process knew exactly what the situation and the consequences were going to be,” International captain Trevor Immelman said alongside American captain Davis Love III in a pre-event press conference on Tuesday. “And they knew that if they made certain decisions, it was going to be highly unlikely they were going to be able to represent the International team. So that went into their decision-making process.

“All the cards were out on the table, and everybody knew where they stood.”

Meet the teams: Americans | Internationals
Lynch: Americans finally have reason to win event they almost never lose

When Immelman was made captain after the Internationals lost a close match, 16-14, in 2019 at Royal Melbourne in Australia, he said he signed up for a specific set of rules, seeing as the event is owned and sanctioned by the PGA Tour, and that his team plays by those rules.

“We’re a team of our word. We’re a team of honor,” he continued. “So that’s where we’re at.”

A two-time member of the International squad as a player in 2005 and 2007 and an assistant in 2019, Immelman said he was up to speed, and players who made the move to LIV were “open and honest” throughout their decision-making process.

“Am I disappointed that they’re not able to be here? Absolutely,” said Immelman. “But we have the 12 guys here that we love and wanted to be here, and now we get to go. We get to go up against a strong American team. So we’re looking forward.

“When you look at our team, what we’re trying to tap into is the International team represents billions of people all over the world,” he continued. “So we’re trying to tap into that, inspire the youngsters all over, and welcome fans from all of those countries to come on down and support us in some way, shape, or form because we’re their team.”

Love, a two-time Ryder Cup captain in 2012 and 2016, said the Americans miss players like Johnson, who would have been a captain’s pick had he been eligible for the event, but thinks the red, white and blue “pretty much got the guys we wanted to get.”

“We’re really happy with the 12 we’ve got because we know that they’re committed and excited,” Love added. “So, like Trevor, we have a bunch of guys who are excited and ready to play, and there’s no talk in our team room of anybody missing.”

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Greg Norman to visit Capitol Hill to discuss LIV Golf, address Saudi Arabia concerns

The series is on a two-week break before hosting consecutive events in Bangkok, Thailand, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Greg Norman is heading to Washington, D.C. to talk L-I-V.

LIV Golf’s CEO and commissioner is set to visit with members of Congress this week on Capitol Hill to discuss the upstart circuit that features 54-hole tournaments, no cuts, shotgun starts and massive paydays. The news was first reported by Politico.

“LIV Golf is coming to the Hill this week to meet with lawmakers from both parties,” LIV Golf confirmed to Golfweek. “Given the PGA Tour’s attempts to stifle our progress in reimagining the game, we think it’s imperative to educate members on LIV’s business model and counter the Tour’s anti-competitive efforts.”

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf has been criticized as a way for the Kingdom to “sportswash” its human rights record. Saudi Arabia has been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses, including politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners. And members of the royal family and Saudi government were accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.

The ongoing power struggle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour for professional golf supremacy has seen both organizations lobby against the other on Capitol Hill, and it’s a fight that won’t end anytime soon.

Eleven golfers sued the PGA Tour for antitrust violations in August, but only seven remain after four players removed their names. When a judge in California denied the temporary restraining order that would have allowed three LIV players to compete in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, it also was revealed the antitrust case would begin in August of 2023 at the earliest. The United States Department of Justice is investigating the PGA Tour, as well.

Cameron Smith won LIV Golf’s Chicago event Sunday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, by three shots over Peter Uihlein and Dustin Johnson. The series is on a two-week break before hosting consecutive events in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 7-9, followed by Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 14-16.

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Watch: Bryson DeChambeau takes a rope to the face, falls to one knee at LIV Golf Chicago

LIV announcer said “Off with his head” after Bryson DeChambeau tangled with a rope.

Bryson DeChambeau was knocked to a knee in Sunday’s final round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series Chicago.

From video of the mishap posted on social media by Kyle Porter of CBS and others, it appears the former U.S. Open champion tried to walk under a gallery rope at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, but grossly misjudged the rope’s height. He never put his hands up to grab the rope, which also was being lifted by a volunteer of the event. As he went to pass under the rope, he walked right into it and somehow got it stuck under his hat and appears to possibly have hit himself in the eye. Then DeChambeau fell to one knee as the announcers of the livestream groaned.

One of the announcers appears to have said, “Off with his head.”

Wes Brown was at the event and captured the incident from a different angle. This version contains profanity.

Despite the awkward interaction, DeChambeau – who earlier in the week said it was the PGA Tour’s loss that LIV players will not be allowed to play in team events such as the upcoming Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup – was able to finish his round. He finished in a tie for 10th, seven shots behind winner Cameron Smith.

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