Golf is seeing what can only be considered a civil war as the community is fractured by the tensions between the PGA Tour and the controversial LIV Golf series. Several players defected from the PGA Tour this year to join the Saudi-backed league.
One of the things that LIV Golf is known for is the way it splurges on its players. Golfers were offered exorbitant pay cheques to sign with LIV Golf.
Phil Mickelson had the heftiest signing amount with a whopping $200 million. There are no points for guessing that the purses for all LIV Golf events are massive.In fact, it's the richest purse golf has ever seen.
Right now, the league has eight tournaments and has a cumulative prize purse of $255 million. The upcoming team championships of the debut season, which will be held in Trump Doral, Miami, will offer the winning team a $16 million cash prize.
The league is planning on extending its purse to $405 million for the 2023 season. While the purse is not the only difference between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed series, it is definitely one of the most defining ones.
What is the prize purse of the PGA Tour?
The PGA Tour has been the main organizer of golf events. It employs the traditional golf format. The tour holds several events in a year and the prizes for each vary according to the level of the tournament.
The best payday can be earned by winning the Players Championship. The total prize purse for the event is $20 million, while the winner gets a $3,600,000 payout. Although not an event, the Tour Championship carries the biggest prize purse.
It is considered a bonus pool for golfers for the long season. It carries a $75 million prize pool. The top 30 golfers earn a portion of that, with the winner receiving $18 million.
What is the prize purse of the DP World Tour?
The DP World Tour, or the PGA European Tour, is the main organizer of golf events in Europe. The 2022 season will start on October 20 at the Son Muntander Golf Club in Spain.
This time, the purse of the event is a whopping €1,000,000, which converted into US dollars would approximately be $9,77,060.
While the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are referred to as traditional golf tournaments with an illustrious legacy, the controversial LIV Golf League has heftier prize purses than them.