LIV Golf: What’s next for Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and the big names?

For some players, moving to LIV made perfect sense. Veteran Englishman Richard Bland has invited him to play LIV tournaments as he wins the 2021 British Masters on the One DP World Tour.

He did not receive a signing-on fee but earned around $20 million (£14.8m) in 55 matches.

A total of 105 players competed on the LIV circuit. The lowest earners were England’s Oliver Fisher and Thailand’s Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who each took home $136,000 (£100,000) alone.

When LIV launches in 2022, it has attracted golf’s biggest names with high signing fees. Phil Mickelson has not disputed reports that he was offered $200m (£147m) to withdraw from the PGA Tour.

Smith, Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed (now back on the DP World Tour) and current European Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson were other prized recruits.

In July 2023, PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne told a Senate committee, “If LIV took five players a year for five years, they could take us away.”

Initially, they reached a “framework agreement” with the Saudi PFF to heal the divide. That stopped costly and divisive legal proceedings for both parties.

Donald Trump The broken deal was established in early 2025 when the PGA Tour paid LIV just $500m when he tried to broker a peace deal at the White House during his second term as US president.

The Saudis felt the assessment was ridiculous and withdrew from the talks. Back then, the PGA Tour was more energetic.

It was turning itself into a profitable enterprise as the players qualified for the lucrative equity. The tour is backed by the powerful Strategic Sports Group, which made an initial investment of $1.5 billion.

But with profits now the main reason and the need to cut costs, the move was not without pain. The PGA Tour is cutting 4% of its workforce with 56 job losses.

Although the prize money has gone through the roof. The Cadillac Championship, which starts on Thursday, is one of several $20m. signature events,, External 3.6 million for the winner.

These are LIV numbers. Such is the effect of inflation on the seemingly endless money pit in professional golf.