"You didn't come here to f***ing grow the f***ing game": LIV Golf star admits the Saudi-backed league is all about the money

A ton of top LIV Golf members defected from the PGA Tour. Many of them cited different reasons. The schedule is more lax. The worldwide aspect is nice. The opportunity to change the game of golf can't be passed up. There are tons of different reasons each golfer might have decided to jump to LIV.

For Harold Varner III, it wasn't about any of that. The financial aspect was a big reason for his move, and he suspects that's true of almost every single person who defected.

It's no secret that all of them made a lot of money to do it. Phil Mickelson reportedly earned a $200 million signing bonus. Will Zalatoris reportedly turned down over $100 million to defect.

Varner admitted his move was solely a financial one via the Washington Post:

“I play golf so I can change the direction of my family’s life,” says Varner, 32. “And that’s it. No other reason."

He added that others who cite different reasons for their decisions are fooling themselves:

They’re full of s***, they’re growing their pockets. I tell them all the time, all of them: You didn’t come here to f***ing grow the f***ing game.”

Varner went on to say that he doesn't believe there's a real issue between LIV and PGA, adding that the Masters (where many have reunited for the first time) doesn't have any real tension:

“These f***ers aren’t mad. They’re just mad that you’re f***ing with their money. I think some people are jealous, and that’s just the way it is.”

Money has always been important to Varner III, who latched on to the game of golf as a way to give his family a better life. He's open about that and the fact that that drove him to move from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf where the money flows more freely.

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Can LIV Golf star Harold Varner III win the Masters?

Harold Varner never won a major as a member of the PGA Tour. He defected without one, but as long as he qualifies, he won't be denied the chance as a member of LIV Golf. All major tournaments will allow LIV members who qualify to participate.

Harold Varner will play the Masters

However, his odds aren't great to win his first one at the 2023 Masters. According to Forbes, Varner has the fourth-worst odds of winning it all (odds followed by implied percent chance of winning):

• Dustin Johnson 2,500 3.8%
• Cameron Smith 2,800 3.4%
• Brooks Koepka 4,400 2.2%
• Joaquin Niemann 7,000 1.4%
• Patrick Reed 7,500 1.3%
• Mito Peirera 11,000 0.9%
• Bryson DeChambeau 13,000 0.8%
• Abe Ancer 14,000 0.7%
• Louis Oosthuizen 14,000 0.7%
• Thomas Pieters 18,000 0.6%
• Sergio Garcia 19,000 0.5%
• Talor Gooch 21,000 0.5%
• Bubba Watson 22,000 0.5%
• Charl Schwartzel 25,000 0.4%
• Harold Varner III 26,000 0.4%
• Phil Mickelson 28,000 0.4%
• Jason Kokrak 34,000 0.3%
• Kevin Na 42,000 0.2%

Varner is only favored over LIV Golf counterparts Phil Mickelson, Jason Kokrak and Kevin Na, but he's probably not worried about winning the Masters, especially since LIV pays him pretty well.