LIV Golf Pros Speak Out Over Guaranteed Money After Players-Only Meeting

Prior to LIV Golf’s second event of the year last week in Tucson, CEO Greg Norman and COO Gary Davidson led a players-only meeting, according to Alan Shipnuck of The Fire Pit Collective.

The report indicates that LIV Golf was originally scheduled to hold 10 events this year before expanding to 14 in 2024, but the timeline was moved up due to the league considering its eight-event 2022 run a success.

One unidentified golfer told Shipnuck that contracts weren’t adjusted for the change.

“Some guys thought their contracts for this year are for 10 tournaments, not 14. But even with more tournaments, there is no bump in the guaranteed money they signed for,” the golfer said.

A lively players meeting was reportedly held before the second event 😬https://t.co/rfirCkMCym

— Mirror Sport (@MirrorSport) March 20, 2023

There’s also been talk that travel expenses for players and caddies will be slashed.

Last summer, a clip came out of players partying on a private jet from LIV Golf’s event in Portland, Oregon to a pro-am in Ireland, but that kind of covered transportation is already a thing of the past.

It also appears that LIV will be focusing on the team concept more.

There’s talk of paying out the top-five finishing teams instead of the top three. It was documented last year that selling the franchises is how LIV expects to recoup its investment in the league.

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LIV is hoping that the franchise model will sustain the tour. For example, the teams will pay players’ expenses like they do in traditional team sports. To that end, money earned for winning the team portion of LIV tournaments is now going into the team’s fund instead of in player’s pockets.

The anonymous player who spoke up added:

“Last year the players kept their share of the team winnings, but now that money goes back to the team. I heard one guy say, ‘Why are we standing on a podium spraying each other with champagne when we don’t get the money?’”

Kevin Na, whose Iron Heads GC team won in Tucson, told Shipnuck he’s looking at it a different way:

“There is a s***-ton of money out here, and I already got a s***-ton. If you play well, you’re gonna win a s***-ton more. I’m not worrying about the details.”

The speed at which @kevinna915 got the champagne out is impressive 🍾#LIVGolf #IronHeadsGC pic.twitter.com/h1uUqlV2US

— Iron Heads GC (@IronHeadsGC_) March 20, 2023

LIV’s next event starts on March 31 from Orange County National in Orlando, Florida.

Cover Image via Twitter