Will The PGA Tour Stars Be Compensated For Not Joining LIV?

Following the news last week that the Saudi PIF will be an investor with the PGA and DP World Tours news is beginning to leak out as to how the brave new world might look.

One of the biggest talking points surrounds money and how it might be divvied up by those players who chose not to jump ship to LIV Golf and stay loyal to the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy reiterated last week that he was never offered anything but Tiger Woods was reported to have been offered between $700-800m.

Hideki Matsuyama, who would open up LIV to the Japanese and Asian market, was reported to have been offered in the region of $400m, a similar number to Jon Rahm, while Will Zalatoris had, according to Fred Couples, $130m waved under his nose.

According to a report in The Times those players who turned down the inordinate sums offered by LIV will receive a payment to 'level up' with those who left their tour. And those who did sign up will get to keep the money that they were paid.

It also claims that that they haven't reached an agreement on what that amount will be which goes along with everything else about how much the players are currently in the dark. Defending US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick said this week in Los Angeles that he was still in the dark about the new arrangement.

"I just don't know what's going on. I don't think anyone knows what's going on. Are we signing with the PIF, are we not signing with the PIF? I have no idea. Even though I guess it is confusing, it's pretty clear that nobody knows what's going on apart from about four people in the world."

One of those four men is Jimmy Dunne who helped broker the deal. He has mentioned that there might be 'a piece of equity for those players who didn't take the money.

McIlroy didn't speak to the media before the US Open this week but he did suggest that there will be some money coming their way with the new deal.

“The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is how does that happen, right? And that's all, that's all a grey area and up in the air at the minute."

Where it all gets faintly ridiculous is when players like Chesson Hadley, the World No. 291, make mention of some sort of reward for their loyalty?

"I would like to be rewarded. I felt those guys didn't do the wrong thing, who went to LIV. They made a business decision. I don't hold that against anybody. But I would like to be rewarded for my decision to stay loyal.

The Times also reported that LIV Golf will be phased out by the end of 2023 and a smaller team event will take its place.