Tag: Peter Uihlein

Pair of LIV Golf trades ends teammate feud between Brooks Koepka, Matthew Wolff

Bubba Watson also traded away his two best players after the entire roster was set to return in 2024.

If the relationship between former LIV Golf teammates Brooks Koepka and Matthew Wolff was a marriage, the two had been separated for months with a divorce in the works. On Thursday morning the Smash GC split was finalized.

Koepka traded Wolff to Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC for 2023 individual champion Talor Gooch, who will play for his third team in three years. Watson also traded Harold Varner III to Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC for Peter Uihlein. That means the RangeGoats, who finished runner-up at the 2023 team championship, have now traded their top two players from last season, who finished first (Gooch) and seventh (Varner) in the season-long standings. Uihlein was 12th and Wolff 27th.

After Pat Perez was re-signed last month, the trio of Johnson, Varner and Patrick Reed will make the 4Aces a favorite once again in 2024. The one-two punch of Koepka and Gooch on Smash might be the best in the league. Jason Kokrak is a solid third and the team still has a spot to fill after Chase Koepka was relegated. The RangeGoats were one of four teams set to return their entire squad for 2024 before Watson traded away his two best players. A foursome of Watson, Uihlein, Wolff and Thomas Pieters is, on paper at least, a step-down.

This week also marks the beginning of the inaugural LIV Golf Promotions event, held Dec. 8-10 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club which will see the top three players earn status on a team for the 2024 season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=451198867]

Playing with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, LIV Golf’s Peter Uihlein firmly in hunt at DP World Tour event

Were there any juicy discussions between Al-Rumayyan and Slumbers about Saudi involvement in the future of the game?

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Not since the bold Maurice Flitcroft tried to hoax his way into Open qualifying back in the day by using fake names and false mustaches has there been such intrigue whipped up by a golfing nom de plume.

Here at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the pseudonym “Andrew Waterman” had appeared on the drawsheet for the $5 million Pro-Am contest only to be altered at the last minute to reveal the true identity of the amateur player in question.

It was Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Not quite a humble crane operator from Barrow like Flitcroft then, but the man in charge of the colossal purse strings of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) which bankrolls the LIV Golf Series.

It was fitting, therefore, that Peter Uihlein, one of four LIV rebels competing this week, ended up in a share of the lead after the first day of the event. He added a 72 on Friday and now sits five shots behind leader Matt Fitzpatrick.

Uihlein, invited to the event by Dunhill Links supremo Johann Rupert, had Al-Rumayyan as his amateur partner in a group that also included the R&A’s chief executive, Martin Slumbers.

So, were there any juicy discussions between Al-Rumayyan and Slumbers about Saudi involvement in the future of the game as they ambled up towards their respective balls in the mounds of Miss Grainger’s Bosoms on the Old Course’s 15th?

We will never know because a stern-faced private security guard swiftly intervened when the small gathering of golf writers approached Al-Rumayyan for a quick blether at the conclusion of the opening round.

Al-Rumayyan did manage to say, “It’s a great thing,” before being carted off. Presumably, that was about the opportunity to play the Dunhill Links. Or perhaps he was just expressing delight at escaping from the pesky golf scribblers?

As for Uihlein? Well, he let his clubs do the talking. A rebel with a cause and all that. It was on the Old Course 10 years ago that Uihlein came within a whisker of a magical 59 on his way to a second-place finish in the Dunhill Links Championship. A lot has happened since then.

Along with a host of global big guns, Uihlein sacrificed his PGA Tour membership to defect to the breakaway LIV Series last year as the golfing landscape at the top of the professional game was rocked by the kind of earth-shattering event that was akin to the impact of the mega-meteor that obliterated the dinosaurs.

In the turbulent months that followed, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the PIF, which is governed by Al-Rumayyan, announced an armistice and unveiled plans to work together. On the eve of the Dunhill Links, the aforementioned Rupert was reported to say that, “sport is supposed to unite people, not divide, we need to get peace.”

Uihlein, a former DP World Tour rookie of the year when he was cutting his teeth in Europe, agreed with those sentiments. Asked if the professional game could leave the rancor and division behind, he said: “I hope so. I think Mr. Rupert nailed it in his quotes. Golf brings people together. Time will tell.

“I’m not privy to what goes on behind closed doors. It’s nice that Johann extended an olive branch and he (Al-Rumayyan) is here.”

Uihlein’s cracking opening round on the Old Course included four birdies in his first five holes as well as a raking birdie putt of almost 50 feet on the 14th.

“I’m just trying to make the most of a good opportunity,” added Uihlein, who was 10th here a year ago.

As for partnering with his Saudi paymaster?

“All the other LIV boys were on the other courses so it was nice to have a bit of comfort out there,” he smiled. “I didn’t feel like the only one.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=451198440]

Bryson DeChambeau removes his name from lawsuit with the PGA Tour, all 11 of the original players who filed the suit now are out

“Bryson wants to solely focus on competing at the highest level week in and week out.”

The LIV Golf 11, who sued the PGA Tour, are down to none.

Golfweek has learned that Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Jones, who were the last players still to have their names in the lawsuit between LIV and the PGA Tour after Peter Uihlein removed his name last week, have opted to do the same.

“Bryson has made the decision to remove himself from the ongoing litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour,” DeChambeau’s agent Brett Falkoff confirmed in a text. “Bryson wants to solely focus on competing at the highest level week in and week out. He will continue to support the growth of golf and its expansion on a global scale, contributing both on and off the course as a positive influence on the game.”

When reached at this week’s LIV Tour event, DeChambeau, who is captain of the four-man team known as the Crushers, added, “I have a responsibility to grow the Crushers, grow my team, and I really need to focus on golf for the most part. It has been a bit of a focus of mine, but it has gotten to a point where it’s going to happen, no matter what. They’ll resolve it, it’ll be figured out one way or the other, and it’s not my fight. That’s my thought on it.”

Matt Jones, who was also prepping for this week’s LIV event, was asked by Golfweek why he elected to withdraw from the lawsuit now. “No reason at all,” he said.

The original lawsuit, which was issued for attempting to monopolize the sport and discourage competition from other leagues like LIV Golf, was filed in August of 2022 by Phil Mickelson and went on to include 10 other players. LIV Golf, which is almost exclusively financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, joined as a plaintiff but has since taken the lead and now stands alone. The wealth fund, organized in 1971 as a means for the Saudi Arabian government to invest in various projects and companies, has been estimated to be worth over $650 billion.

It was just a few months ago that DeChambeau explained that he remained committed to the lawsuit because the Tour owed him $1.75 million from his Player Impact Program bonus, or half of the $3.5 million he said he should have earned for finishing fifth in 2021.

“It’s not about the money; it’s about the principle,” he told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. “It’s the way you deal with situations.”

Uihlein removed his name from LIV Golf’s antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, according to a Thursday filing in the U.S. Northern District of California.

LIV is back in action beginning Friday with LIV Golf Tulsa at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

A PGA Tour spokesperson declined to comment at this time.

Cameron Jourdan added reporting to this story.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]

Peter Uihlein removes name from LIV Golf antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour

Only Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Jones remain as the final two player plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Peter Uihlein removed his name from LIV Golf’s antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, according to a Thursday filing in the U.S. Northern District of California, leaving just Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Jones as the final two player plaintiffs.

The original lawsuit was filed in August of 2022 by Phil Mickelson and went on to include 10 other players, but has since been taken over by LIV Golf, which is almost exclusively financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The wealth fund, organized in 1971 as a means for the Saudi Arabian government to invest in various projects and companies, has been estimated to be worth over $650 billion.

The Tour then filed a countersuit against LIV. In February, the court ruled the Tour could add the PIF and Al-Rumayyan as defendants in its countersuit, dragging the financiers deeper into the judicial weeds.

The upstart circuit has suffered a pair of major legal setbacks over the last month, first via a United Kingdom arbitration panel, and second via Judge Beth Labson Freeman. Judge Freeman ruled in the U.S. Northern District of California court that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund – as well as its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan were both subject to discovery and depositions.

UPDATE: What’s next for LIV’s antitrust case against the PGA Tour?

On Thursday evening, a New York Times report also claimed the United States Department of Justice has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for records regarding former President Donald Trump’s ties to LIV Golf.

LIV will be back in action next week with LIV Golf Tulsa at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, May 12-14. Uihlein is currently second in LIV Golf’s season-long points race thanks to a runner-up finish at LIV Golf Mayakoba in the season opener.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=451198867]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f5k5vfbhv59szck1 image=]

Talor Gooch, Peter Uihlein tied for lead at LIV Golf Mayakoba after second day

The season-opening LIV Golf League event is up for grabs.

There’s a congregation of Oklahoma State Cowboys at the top of the LIV Golf leaderboard in Mayakoba.

Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein are tied for the lead after the second round, sitting at 9-under 133. Gooch’s day included five birdies and no blemishes on his scorecard, and Uihlein had seven birdies, but he bogeyed two of his final three holes in the season-opening event for LIV Golf in Mexico.

Uihlein replaced Gooch on the 4Aces this season, with the latter going to play for the RangeGoats, and now they’ll be in the final group come Sunday.

Fellow former Cowboy Charles Howell III is third at 8 under. Meanwhile, Matthew Wolff, who won the NCAA individual national title for Oklahoma State in 2019 and the team title in 2018, is T-6 at 5 under.

LIV Mayakoba: Photos

Paul Casey, who led after the opening round, is T-4 at 6 under after signing for an even-par 71.

In the team competition, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers are at 14 under with Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces two shots behind.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]

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.

Report: Dustin Johnson adds top-three LIV Golf player to 4Aces team just days after winning team title

DJ is shaking up his squad just two days after they won the team championship.

Just two days after winning the $50 million LIV Golf Team Championship with his 4Aces, Dustin Johnson is already making changes to his squad for 2023.

According to an ESPN report, Johnson is dropping Talor Gooch and adding Peter Uihlein to the team that won five of the eight events over the upstart circuit’s first year.

Uihlein finished runner-up in two of LIV’s last three regular-season events, as well as fourth at the opener in London, to come in third on the season-long points list. Over the course of the regular season, the 33-year-old made $7,314,786 in on-course earnings, but picked up an addition $5.5 million – $4 million for his third-place season finish and $1.5 million for Smash GC’s third-place showing at the team championship – to bring his first-year total to $12,814,786. The former top-ranked amateur in the world and 2010 U.S. Amateur champion made just more than $4 million on the PGA Tour after turning pro in 2011 over 126 tournaments.

Gooch is reportedly bound for Bubba Watson’s Niblicks GC, where he’ll most likely slot in alongside Harold Varner III and Hudson Swafford.

Ahead of last Saturday’s semifinal matches at the team championship at Trump National Doral, LIV Golf officials met with select members of the media to lay out its plans for the future, which included a transfer window similar to professional soccer where players will move between teams in a period of time directly after the team championship and before the start of the following season.

LIV’s goal is for teams to be locked by the end of this year, and this appears to be the first of a few inter-team moves, with upwards of six new names potentially joining in 2023 when the series transitions to the 14-event LIV Golf League.

[listicle id=778303570]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Peter Uihlein says he’s ‘freer, happier’ since joining LIV Golf Series. And much, much richer

“This is the first time in my entire career I’ve had a guaranteed place to play.”

DORAL, Fla. — Peter Uihlein had been grinding for more than a decade on the PGA Tour when he decided to reach out to Greg Norman. Though winless, Uihlein made a very comfortable living. But for an ultra-competitive professional athlete, frustration had set in.

“In reality is I wish I played better,” Uihlein said about the past four years. “I’m not denying that.”

Then came the conversation with the face of LIV Golf.

Uihlein, who has lived in Jupiter, Florida, for about a decade, says pursuing LIV Golf was not an easy decision and it was not just about the money. LIV offered an opportunity to break a mold — “I’ve always kind of done things differently” — and rejuvenate his career.

“Golf got stale for a lot of these guys and they’re able to let loose and enjoy the team and the atmosphere,” said Chelsea Uihlein, Peter’s wife.

Uihlein, 33, made just more than $4 million on the PGA Tour after turning pro in 2011. That was in 126 tournaments.

Since joining LIV, he has played in seven 54-hole events entering this week’s season-finale at Trump National Doral and earned more than $11.3 million, $7.3 million in prize money plus a $4 million bonus for finishing third in the season-long individual points standings.

“I didn’t get the $100 million or whatever the rumors you hear, the $50 million,” Uihlein said about his two-year contract. “So I knew that I needed to play well to make that kind of money. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that.”

But the decision was not an easy one to make. Uihlein understood the reaction to attaching his name to a league that is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a country with atrocious human rights violations.

Americans ‘do a lot of business with Saudi Arabia’

“There’s criticism to it, which is fine, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion,” he said. “The reality is we, as Americans, do a lot of business with Saudi Arabia.”

Peter warned Chelsea there would be backlash. But criticism is part of the gig. When Uihlein joined LIV, he was No. 311 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“If you asked social media, I’ve been a terrible player,” he said.

Still, it all has been worth it, for many reasons.

“He just wasn’t seeing his full potential on the PGA Tour. It was really difficult, it was really risky. but I think it was the right decision,” Chelsea said Friday as Peter prepared for his head-to-head match with James Piot, which Uihlein won 5 and 3.

The season could not have been scripted any better for Uihlein. His game is the best it’s been in years and he cherished the team aspect. Especially his team.

Uihlein plays for Smash, which is captained by Brooks Koepka. Uihlein has known Koepka for about 16 years and when he moved to Jupiter, the two shared a house. Uihlein, who plays out of Medalist, was born in Massachusetts and went to high school in Bradenton.

When Koepka defected to LIV and was anointed a team captain, he surrounded himself with familiarity selecting Uihlein and his brother, Chase, along with Jason Kokrak.

“Known him for years … and obviously got closer and closer,” Koepka said of Uihlein. “It’s good to see him playing well and returning to capabilities that I know that he can do.”

Uihlein spearheaded Smash’s victory Friday over Niblicks on the Blue Monster, allowing them to advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

Koepka’s team advances, but Brooks loses

Smash won two of the three head-to-head matches, with the lone loss coming when Brooks Koepka who was easily handled by Harold Varner III, 4 and 3.

Eight teams remain in LIV’s season-finale with the champion being crowned Sunday. Each of the remaining teams are guaranteed of splitting at least $3 million. The winning team receives $16 million.

“I love it,” Uihlein said about the team events. “There’s interaction but you’re out doing your own thing. You’re out competing, you’re out trying to beat that person.”

Uihlein and Brooks Koepka were tied for the individual lead entering the 54th hole at the LIV Saudi Arabia event this month. At stake was the $4 million first place individual prize. After hitting their tee shots, Kokrak and Chase Koepka were being shuttled to scoring when Brooks called them over. He asked where the team stood.

After learning they had a five or six shot lead and guaranteed the $3 million first-place team prize money, Brooks and Uihlein returned to concentrating on beating each other.

The two went to a playoff, which Koepka won. Uihlein had to settle for the $2.125 million runner-up check.

Uihlein was asked what has changed with his game. He mentioned adjustments to his swing, working with Jason Baile at Jupiter Hills.

But then there was this:

“The other part of it is I’m happier,” he said. “That could play a little bit into it. I feel better. I feel freer, I feel happier. And then the reality is, this is the first time in my entire career I’ve had a guaranteed place to play for the next year or the following year. I’ve never had that in my career. I don’t know if that’s another reason but I’ve never experienced that.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Here’s how LIV Golf’s $50 million season-ending team event at Miami’s Trump National Doral will work

Peter Uihlein has made more than $11.3 million this year. He made just more than $4 million since joining the PGA Tour in 2011.

LIV Golf may be winding down its inaugural season next week at Trump National Doral, but in reality, the controversial tour is just getting started.

LIV’s final event will be held Oct. 28-30, a three-day extravaganza on the Blue Monster that will determine the series’ season-long team champion and include a $50 million purse, double the prize money for each of the first seven events. The winning team will split $16 million and all 12 teams receive prize money.

Former President Donald Trump will play in the Pro-Am — closed to the public — on Oct. 27.

LIV, financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, will be rebranded as the LIV Golf League next year and include 14 events. The league will stick to its 54-hole, no-cut format.

The most recent event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, won by Brooks Koepka, determined the season-long individual champion.

Dustin Johnson captured the $18 million bonus by claiming the individual title, followed by Branden Grace ($8 million bonus) and Peter Uihlein ($4 million bonus). All three reside in Jupiter.

Uihlein, 33, has pocketed more than $11.3 million in prize money and bonuses. He made just more than $4 million since joining the PGA Tour in 2011.

“Just a lot happier out here than I have been the last five years playing on Tour,” Uihlein said following the final round of the event in Saudi Arabia in which he lost to Koepka in a playoff.

“The team aspect of it I like. I was never really a fan of the lone wolf kind of thing that we had to do. But being a part of the team, practicing, hanging out, kind of like college. It resonates with me and sticks with me. I really like it.”

Each event in the LIV series included 12 four-man teams. Those teams will be seeded for Doral based on their finish at the first seven events.

2022 LIV Golf Chicago
Dustin Johnson plays his approach shot to the 17th green during the first round of a LIV Golf tournament at Rich Harvest Farms. (Photo: Jamie Sabau/USA TODAY Sports)

Dustin Johnson’s team leads LIV standings heading into finale

4 Aces, captained by Johnson and including Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez, leads the team standings with 152 points. Johnson’s team has won four of the seven events.

Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau leads a team that includes Anirban Lahiri of Palm Beach Gardens, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III. They are second with 96 points and have three runner-up finishes and a third place in seven events.

Fireballs is third with 93 points and includes captain Sergio Garcia along with Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer and Eugenio Chacarra.

The all-South African Stinger team captained by Louis Oosthuizen and including Jupiter’s Branden Grace, Palm Beach Gardens’ Charl Schwartzel and Hennie Du Plessis, is fourth.

Smash, captained by Brooks Koepka, is fifth with 62 points after winning the team competition at Jeddah. Koepka’s team includes Uihlein, his brother Chase Koepka of West Palm Beach and Jason Kokrak.

“We’re excited for Miami,” said Brooks Koepka, who finished eighth in the season-long individual standings. “I think everyone is playing really well and that’s what we need.”

Top four seeds get first-day bye

The top four seeds receive a bye at Doral and the 5th through 12th seeds will compete in head-to-head match-play competitions on Friday, Oct. 28. For each head-to-head team match-up, three matches will take place: two singles matches and one alternate-shot foursomes match.

The four winners from Friday will join the top four seeds for the same format Saturday. Four teams earning two points will advance to Sunday’s team championship.

All 16 players will compete in twosomes Sunday, with team captains playing together. All four scores count towards the team’s score and the team with the lowest score is the LIV Golf Invitational Series Team Champion.

With no individual component for the Doral event, the only players on the course each day will be those from the teams scheduled to compete.

Following the $16 million first-place prize, the runner-up team will split $10 million, third place receives $8 million and fourth place takes home $4 million. The next four teams each split $2 million and the final four teams each split $1 million.

When the winning team is crowned, the season will end with LIV having awarded $225 million in prize money, plus another $30 million in bonuses.

That does not include around $1 billion in signing bonuses handed out by CEO Greg Norman and paid in yearly installments.

The Doral event begins Friday, Oct. 28 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 30 with the shotgun start each day at 12:15 a.m. Gates and fan village open at 9 a.m. each day starting Friday.

[listicle id=778056090]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Brooks Koepka defeats teammate Peter Uihlein in three-hole playoff to win LIV Golf Jeddah in Saudi Arabia

Koepka and Uihlein’s Smash GC claimed the team title and $3 million prize at 33 under.

LIV Golf’s regular-season finale in the Kingdom couldn’t be decided with just 54 holes.

Smash GC teammates Brooks Koepka and Peter Uihlein squared off in a $4 million playoff at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Saudi Arabia after both players finished Sunday’s final round tied at 12 under. Repeating the 18th hole until a winner was decided, each player made birdie on the first two playoff holes before Koepka sealed the deal the third time around after Uihlein’s shot from the greenside bunker found the water.

Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia finished T-3 at 11 under with Matthew Wolff, Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey T-5 at 10 under.

On the team side, Koepka and Uihlein’s Smash GC claimed the team title and $3 million prize at 33 under. Garcia’s Fireballs GC finished second, six strokes back at 27 under, with Crushers GC and 4 Aces GC T-3 at 26 under.

The series will return stateside for the LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami at Trump National Doral, Oct. 28-30, where teams will compete for $50 million.

[listicle id=778299916]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]