Tag: LIV Golf Mayakoba

2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba prize money payouts for each player and team

It pays to play in the Saudi-backed league. Just ask Joaquin Niemann.

It pays to play well in the LIV Golf League, just ask Joaquin Niemann.

Niemann, 25, won for the first time on the Saudi-backed circuit on Sunday after a marathon four-hole playoff against Sergio Garcia at LIV’s 2024 season opener at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Course in Mexico. For his efforts, Niemann will take home the top prize of $4 million after his wire-to-wire victory that featured a course record 12-under 59 in the first round on Friday and a two-stroke penalty after the second round.

Garcia earned a $2.25 million consolation prize for his runner-up finish, with Dean Burmester and Jon Rahm each receiving $1.25 million for their T-3 finishes.

Check out how much money each player and team earned at 2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico.

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Individual prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Joaquin Niemann -12 $4,000,000
2 Sergio Garcia -12 $2,250,000
T3 Dean Burmester -10 $1,250,000
T3 Jon Rahm -10 $1,250,000
T5 Dustin Johnson -8 $700,000
T5 Brooks Koepka -8 $700,000
T5 Charles Howell III -8 $700,000
T8 Tyrrell Hatton -7 $457,500
T8 Louis Oosthuizen -7 $457,500
T8 Cameron Smith -7 $457,500
T11 Richard Bland -6 $370,000
T11 Paul Casey -6 $370,000
T13 Caleb Surratt -5 $320,000
T13 Laurie Canter -5 $320,000
T13 Sebastián Muñoz -5 $320,000
16 Talor Gooch -4 $285,000
T17 Sam Horsfield -3 $255,000
T17 Kevin Na -3 $255,000
T17 Cameron Tringale -3 $255,000
T17 Patrick Reed -3 $255,000
T21 Anirban Lahiri -2 $211,000
T21 Scott Vincent -2 $211,000
T21 Brendan Steele -2 $211,000
T21 Lucas Herbert -2 $211,000
T21 Bubba Watson -2 $211,000
T26 Matt Jones -1 $185,000
T26 Bryson DeChambeau -1 $185,000
T26 Marc Leishman -1 $185,000
T29 Abraham Ancer E $167,500
T29 Martin Kaymer E $167,500
T29 Matthew Wolff E $167,500
T29 Ian Poulter E $167,500
T33 Lee Westwood 1 $149,500
T33 Kalle Samooja 1 $149,500
T33 Eugenio Chacarra 1 $149,500
T33 Jason Kokrak 1 $149,500
T37 Henrik Stenson 2 $141,500
T37 Hudson Swafford 2 $141,500
T39 Kieran Vincent 3 $132,800
T39 Mito Pereira 3 $132,800
T39 Charl Schwartzel 3 $132,800
T39 David Puig 3 $132,800
T39 Jinichiro Kozuma 3 $132,800
T44 Carlos Ortiz 4 $126,000
T44 Graeme McDowell 4 $126,000
T44 Thomas Pieters 4 $126,000
47 Adrian Meronk 5 $123,000
48 Danny Lee 6 $120,000
49 Branden Grace 7 $60,000
50 Andy Ogletree 8 $60,000
T51 Peter Uihlein 11 $52,500
T51 Pat Perez 11 $52,500
T51 Phil Mickelson 11 $52,500
T51 Harold Varner III 11 $52,500

Team prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Legion XIII -24 $3 million
2 Crushers GC -20 $1.5 million
3 Torque GC -17 $500,000

 

Joaquin Niemann wins 2024 LIV Golf season opener at Mayakoba after four-hole playoff against Sergio Garcia

Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII won the team title in their first event.

Despite a two-stroke penalty and a marathon playoff, Joaquin Niemann is a LIV Golf champion.

The 25-year-old from Chile went wire-to-wire to claim his first win on the Saudi-backed circuit at the league’s 2024 opener at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Course in Mexico following a four-hole playoff in the dark against Sergio Garcia on Sunday. Niemann, who shot a blistering 12-under 59 in the first round, made one final clutch to seal the deal for his first win since joining the league.

“Yeah, it was a lot of different days,” Niemann said. “I think it gave me more energy to go out and fight and prove myself that it’s not going to bother me. I’m pretty happy that the day ended up this way, especially how the morning started. I think dinner is going to taste a little bit better than breakfast.”

Few players have played more than Niemann in recent months as the Torque GC captain has attempted to raise his Official World Golf Ranking (No. 66) in order to gain access to the major championships in 2024. Niemann finished fifth at the Australian PGA Championship and then won the Australian Open at the tail end of 2023 before a T-4 finish at last month’s Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.

“It’s hard to tell, especially in this game which is hard,” Niemann, who earned $4 million for the win, said of his expectations entering the week. “But yeah, I was playing great. I was being really confident on the golf course and hitting my shots. I was more excited than anything to start the season, to start playing on LIV and start playing for my teammates. I was just excited to get started.”

The newly formed expansion team Legion XIII, captained by Jon Rahm, won the team title by four shots at 24 under, followed by 2023 team champions Crushers GC (20 under) and Niemann’s Torque GC (17 under). Rahm also finished T-3 on the individual leaderboard at 10 under alongside Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester.

“It’s very nice in a day in which in any normal tournament I probably would have been upset at my finish to actually have something to celebrate,” said Rahm, “and that is one of the big reasons why I decided to transition, to share the stage with those three guys, to share the golf course with all the other teams and compete for something else is what it’s all about. It means a lot.”

“We all come out here pretty much as rookies,” Rahm added. “I know (Kieran Vincent) played one or two rounds for Team Smash last year, and he knew a little bit about what to expect, but three of us didn’t. For us to do what we did and perform and get the win, I’m glad that we proved it to ourselves and everybody that we’re a team to reckon with.”

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Joaquin Niemann hit with two-stroke penalty at LIV Golf Mayakoba

Two days ago, Niemann shot the second sub-60 round in LIV Golf.

Joaquin Niemann’s four-shot lead after 36 holes at the LIV Golf season opener has been cut in half even before he teed off in the final round.

He’ll start Sunday at the El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course with a two-shot lead after being assessed a penalty after his second round in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

LIV Golf posted a message on X about the penalty, saying it involved a drop Niemann took from the cart path at the par-5 13th hole, specifically stating that he failed to drop within one club length.

Niemann is now officially at 11 under with LIV newcomer Jon Rahm and Dean Bermester at 9 under. Sergio Garcia is solo fourth at 7 under.

Niemann started the season with a 59 on Friday, the second sub-60 round in LIV Golf history.

LIV GOLF: Photos | Rosters for 2024

Niemann is seeking his first win on LIV. He won twice while a member of the PGA Tour. In December, he won the ISPS Handa Australian Open on the DP World Tour.

‘A very successful start’: Jon Rahm details his pressure-filled LIV Golf debut

“It was nice to get off the jump, just get going and play good golf,” Rahm said of his 5-under debut.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico —Teeing it up on Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf Course may seem like nothing new for Jon Rahm given his three previous appearances on the Riviera Maya on the PGA Tour from 2014-2016, but the Spaniard felt the nerves on Friday as he made his LIV Golf debut.

“Yeah, I could feel the pressure, but it’s a good thing, right?” said Rahm, who fired a 5-under 66 to sit T-4 one shot behind Sergio Garcia, two shots behind Patrick Reed and a whopping seven shots behind Joaquin Niemann after his historic 12-under 59. “It’s weird; you do get to pick a song for the first tee, and I thought maybe it was going to help. If anything, it gave it a little bit more — the heartbeat went a little bit up just from hearing a song you like.”

“I’m like, I feel confident, but the added pressure that it’s one of my favorite songs,” Rahm said of Bad Bunny’s hit track, Monaco, “but it helped because I hit a great tee shot to start the day. I felt it, but after the tee shot and the second shot and making that putt, it felt like I settled in pretty nicely.”

That’s putting it lightly. Starting on the first hole alongside Cam Smith (Ripper GC) and Talor Gooch (Smash GC) Rahm birdied five of his first seven holes to storm out the gate, which normally would put him at the top of the leaderboard if it weren’t for Niemann.

“I didn’t see him early on, and then when I was 5 under and I was tied for fourth, I was like, ‘Somebody is — I was 5 under through 7, and I was third, so I was like, ‘Okay, clearly everybody is going off.’”

After the turn, Rahm added to his tally with a pair of birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 and was cruising through the back nine until he leaked a bit of oil coming in with two bad bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes.

“I feel like one of those bogeys, 17, was avoidable. 18 was just unfortunate,” he explained. “But it doesn’t take away from how good I played those first 16 holes. It was nice to get off the jump, just get going and play good golf. So far I would say it was a very successful start.”

Seven shots back is quite the mountain to climb, especially with only 36 holes left compared to the 54 that Rahm is used to. Despite the deficit, Rahm is more focused on what he didn’t do to close out his round than what Niemann did to take his lead.

2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba
Captain Jon Rahm of Legion XIII warms up in the practice area during day one of the LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba at El Camaleon at Mayakoba on February 02, 2024 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)

“If anything I’m thinking more about that, my finish, than what Joaco did. Again, I think if the wind doesn’t pick up, we’re going to have to approach a 20-under, which again is doable,” he said. “The greens are in really good shape, and if you can put the ball in the fairway, you can give yourself chances.”

“I played a really good round today,” he added. “If I cleaned up my finish a little bit, could have been a fantastic way to finish.”

Rahm explained his first impressions of LIV as a different vibe compared to what he’s used to on Tour, but noted the music throughout the round wasn’t too different from how he plays at home – if anything the speakers on carts back in Arizona are more powerful than LIV’s, he joked. As the captain of the league’s first expansion team, Legion XIII, Rahm said earlier in the week that it was unusual to be thinking about managing his team seeing as golf is an individual sport. He then found himself watching the leaderboard on Friday to keep tabs on his teammates Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent.

“It’s funny, the first few times I was more interested in how the team was doing than myself, which was definitely something new, and I think Cam caught me looking, he said that; it’s crazy how you might care more about the team than your individual,” Rahm explained. “Yeah, I obviously kept up. There’s three players that I want to see how they’re doing. Not their best start, but still two more days for them to show what they’re made of. Even though it’s still early; we’ve got a barely, barely turned professional player and Kieran who’s now full-time here. It could be expected to have a little bit of a difficult start.”

“But I feel like those two guys and Tyrrell at some point are going to surprise a lot of people,” he added. “Maybe not Tyrrell because he’s done it so many times, but those two guys might play a level of golf that I know they can play but that a lot of people haven’t seen.”

Legion XIII is 4 under as a team and currently sits T-7 alongside Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC entering Saturday’s second round.

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Joaquin Niemann shoots historic 12-under 59 in LIV Golf season opener at Mayakoba

Jon Rahm’s debut was set to be the talk of the first round of LIV Golf’s 2024 season opener.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Jon Rahm and his Legion XIII’s debut was set to be the talk of the first round of LIV Golf’s 2024 season opener, but the big man from the Basque region of Spain took a backseat to Joaquin Niemann on Friday.

Niemann fired the second LIV Golf round of sub-60 in the last seven months on Friday, a blistering and bogey-free 12-under 59 that featured 10 birdies and a hole-out for eagle. It’s the second lowest round in LIV’s young history following Bryson DeChambeau’s 12-under 58 in the final round to win LIV Golf Greenbrier last August.

“I could see 8-, 9-under, but I would confidently say that I would have bet a lot of money against a 59 here this week just because of how narrow the fairways are,” said Rahm of Niemann’s round.

“He owes me money then. How much was it?” Niemann joked in response. “Yeah, I wouldn’t think the same, either. I think the fairways are playing a lot tighter than they used to be. The rough is a lot trickier, too. It’s a little longer, and you’ve got a lot of different lies, which is tricky.”

“But man, I played amazing golf,” he continued. “Whenever I was hitting the ball, sometimes I was getting good lies, good bounces into the fairways, good numbers, so everything came out pretty good during the whole day.”

With the shotgun start, Niemann began his round on No. 2 at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Course and made par before he rattled off seven birdies over his next eight holes. From the fairway on the par-4 11th, the Torque GC captain one-hopped his ball on the green and into the cup for eagle to move to 9 under through 10 holes and put his round on 59 watch.

“I think I hit a great shot on No. 10. It’s always a tricky hole, No. 10, especially with that pin on the left. You don’t want to miss it left,” Niemann explained. “But then on the right, you’ve got the water, and I was able to have a good number. Hit a great 7-iron to like three, four feet, and I think that was the best shot of the day for me.”

Birdies at Nos. 13 and 15 moved Niemann to 11 under with four holes to play on the par-71 track. His birdie putt on No. 16 came up less than a foot short of falling, leading to a disappointing par. From the first cut rough on the 17th, Niemann stuffed his approach inside five feet to set up a clutch birdie to move to 12-under with two holes to play. On No. 18, his second-to-last hole, Niemann pulled his birdie putt left so he had to take par.

“Yeah, I knew I was close. I knew that the course could have been 71, could have been 72. But I didn’t want to do the math and start counting how many par-5s and par-3s there is on the golf course,” said Niemann, noting he didn’t think about the 59 until his penultimate hole. “But then I got to 18, and a few guys were shouting, ‘Come on, Joaco, go for the 58,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m right there.'”

On the par-4 1st hole, Niemann found the fairway off the tee and just missed the green from 110 yards out. Putting from off the green for this third shot he rolled his ball within a few feet of the cup and then tapped in for a historic round 59 that set the course record.

Sergio Garcia had one word for Niemann’s round: amazing.

“Not bad for people that can’t play golf anymore. We have one 58 and a 59. It’s unbelievable,” he quipped. “Like I was out there today, and I obviously started really well. I was 6-under through 8, I think, and I looked and I was like two or three shots back. I was like, ‘What’s going on?'”

“If Joaco goes out there and shoots 3- or 4-under and 3- or 4-under on the weekend, there’s nothing really to do,” he admitted. “It’s not that easy to shoot 8-, 9- or 10-under par on this course.”

It certainly isn’t easy, but nobody told Niemann.

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Jon Rahm makes his debut and scenes from 2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from 2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba. 

The first 36 holes of LIV Golf’s season-opener LIV Golf Mayakoba are in the books and Joaquin Niemann leads at 11 under (in large part to his opening 59 Friday).

Niemann made four birdies and three bogeys around El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course Saturday and was originally leading Dean Burmester and Jon Rahm, who is making his LIV debut this week, by four shots but he was assessed with a two-shot penalty after his round so he will start the final round at 11 under, two in front.

Sergio Garcia is alone in fourth at 7 under, six back, while Charles Howell III, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are tied for fifth at 5 under.

On the team side, Torque GC leads the way at 15 under, with Legion XIII five back at 10 under.

The total purse is $20 million with the individual winner taking home $4 million and the winning team splitting $3 million.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from 2024 LIV Golf Mayakoba.

LIV Golf Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan updates players on potential future investment in PGA Tour Enterprises

The letter comes a day after the PGA Tour secured a $3 billion investment from the Strategic Sports Group.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was first to the table in June of 2023 to negotiate a framework agreement with the PGA Tour to create a new for-profit entity that would alter professional golf as we know it, and has been locked in discussions in the seven months since.

Just hours after news broke that an outside investment group comprised of a consortium of U.S. sports owners had agreed to invest $3 billion to create PGA Tour Enterprises, Greg Norman responded with a letter to the entire league staff that was obtained by Golfweek. The note didn’t just hype up LIV Golf’s third official season – which begins this week at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Course – but also downplayed any negative impact the Strategic Sports Group’s investment may have on LIV’s future.

A day later, Golfweek has obtained yet another letter, this time sent from LIV Golf Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan to players, that took a more measured approach.

Dear All,

Yesterday’s announcement of the formation of PGA Tour Enterprises is consistent with PIF’s longstanding passion to grow the game. PIF continues to discuss and evaluate the possibility of a future investment that benefits the greater game of golf.

PIF remains committed to investing in and supporting LIV and the team golf format that has brought new energy and so many new fans to the game around the world.

The game of golf is only beginning to fulfill its potential. This is the vision we had when LIV was created, and today that is more alive than ever. LIV has transformed the sport, and we will continue to grow the game globally, expand its fanbase, elevate its platform, and maintain incredible momentum.

LIV has a great season ahead. Good luck at Mayakoba. I will see you all on the range soon.

Yasir

LIV Golf Chairman

[5:27 PM] Woodard, Adam

Words matter, and Al-Rumayyan chose his carefully by hedging any guarantee of an investment. He also amplified the PIF’s investment in LIV and made it clear the league plans to continue to grow whether or not a deal is reached, as seen with new player signings and eight of 14 events outside the United States. In the Tour’s announcement of its partnership with the SSG, the release stated PGA Tour Enterprises allows for a co-investment from the PIF in the future, “subject to all necessary regulatory approvals.”

The U.S. government has kept a keen interest in the proposed PIF investment since the initial framework agreement was announced. An optimist would say the inclusion of the SSG investment may dilute any future Saudi investment just enough to make a deal more palatable for the feds. A pessimist could also argue the Tour is attempting to squeeze the Saudis out.

LIV Golf has ventured on after the Tour and PIF’s previous deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, to come to an agreement was missed. The league has poached great players and characters like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton and will host at least four events in 2024 the same week as PGA Tour signature events, including this week in Mexico. While the possibility of an investment in PGA Tour Enterprises is certainly still on the table, Al-Rumayyan’s letter sure makes it seem like the two sides still aren’t close to coming together.

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LIV Golf League makes several key changes to format, prize money for 2024 season

Field size, final round counting scores, points and prize money are all changing for the 2024 season.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Changes are afoot for LIV Golf.

Now in its second year (third unofficially if you include the eight-event invitational series), the 14-event global league led by Greg Norman and financially supported by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will still feature 54 holes, shotgun starts and hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money in 2024. But this year, there’s a twist.

A 13th team – Legion XIII – captained by world No. 3 Jon Rahm with new players like Tyrrell Hatton and 19-year-old Caleb Surratt will debut this week at the season opener at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Course in Mexico, and so will various new elements to the league’s format.

“The competition updates for 2024 reflect a natural evolution of the LIV Golf League format and illustrate our commitment to further enhancing an exciting product for the players and the fans,” said LIV Golf SVP of Competition Management David Benne. “League leadership will continue to work with our world-class players and teams to strengthen LIV Golf competition as we move the sport into the future.”

From an increased field size to tweaks in the final round scoring and prize money distribution, check out all the changes in store for LIV Golf in 2024.

Which LIV Golf events will be held the same week as PGA Tour tournaments in 2024?

LIV will host four events the same week as PGA Tour signature events in 2024.

When LIV Golf held its debut, eight-event invitational series in 2022, the upstart circuit said it wouldn’t host events opposite the PGA Tour’s heritage tournaments like the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial. The same held true for its first 14-event LIV Golf League season in 2023.

As the league enters its 2024 season without a framework agreement deal, the gloves are off once again. Players like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have been poached and four LIV events will now run the same week as PGA Tour signature events, starting with this week’s LIV season opener at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf Course in Mexico and the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

LIV has yet to announce dates or a venue for its regular season finale, which will decide the season-long individual champion, and the same goes for its team championship event. Check out what 12 LIV Golf events will be held the same week as PGA Tour tournaments in 2024.

Greg Norman sends letter to LIV Golf staff regarding $3 billion investment in PGA Tour

“Nothing announced by other tours or investment groups changes LIV Golf’s positive trajectory or future plans.”

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman’s message to his entire staff in relation to the news of the Strategic Sports Group’s $3 billion investment in the PGA Tour to create a new for-profit entity was simple: onward.

In a letter obtained by Golfweek sent just days before the start of the 2024 LIV Golf League season at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Course in Mexico, Norman wrote to his staff to not just hype up LIV Golf’s third official season, but to also downplay any negative impact the SSG investment may have on LIV’s future.

An excerpt from the letter:

As you may have seen, the PGA Tour made an announcement this morning about an investment partner. Let me make one thing very clear: nothing announced by other tours or investment groups changes LIV Golf’s positive trajectory or future plans.

We started LIV Golf with the goal of creating something new, taking the game to a global, diverse audience and driving innovation while growing golf’s fanbase. More investment in golf is a great thing for the game and for us. It’s a positive development for our players, our fans, and for the long-term future of the game.

Golf is now viewed as an asset class. We proved this was possible and are now in a unique position to mold and drive this incredible growth opportunity. This broader interest and commitment to the game, and investment in its future, would not have happened without the emergence of LIV Golf as an innovative force in the golf ecosystem.

Norman said the league was “moving full steam ahead” into 2024 and beyond and that he has “never been more confident in the league, the people involved, and our supporters all over the world.”

Just seven months ago the Tour announced a framework agreement with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create what we now know today as PGA Tour Enterprises. The Tour confirmed in a release on Wednesday that progress has been made in ongoing negotiations with the PIF, LIV Golf’s financial backers, on a potential future investment. That same release also stated that PGA Tour Enterprises allows for a co-investment from the PIF in the future, “subject to all necessary regulatory approvals.”

The previous deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, to come to an agreement was missed, but both sides have ventured on. The PGA Tour now has more money to spend and LIV has new assets in former Tour players like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. As Norman would say, onward they go.

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