Report: PGA Tour Pros Who Didn’t Take LIV Money Could Soon Get Saudi Payout

In an interesting twist, a report out of Europe states that PGA Tour pros who resisted money from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to join LIV Golf could get a loyalty payout of sorts from the very same fund.

The Times of London reports that the plan would reward players like Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy with “substantial payments” to “level up” their financial rewards. It states that the signing bonuses given to LIV golfers like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Cameron Smith would also go to them in full.

NEW: PGA Tour members who rejected LIV offers will be compensated under a plan by PIF investors.

The amount has not been finalized, but is meant to “level up” players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour with those who left for LIV Golf per @thetimes pic.twitter.com/kOQVfANkme

— John Nucci (@JNucci23) June 15, 2023

Last week, McIlroy was asked if players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour over the past two years should be rewarded for doing so.

McIlroy said:

“The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is, how does that happen?”

The report in the Times also said that LIV Golf would be phased out and replaced with a smaller-scale “team event” structure.

There seems to be some confusion on the future of LIV, as CEO Greg Norman said it wouldn’t be going anywhere. Dustin Johnson, speaking Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Open, said that he was also told LIV would play a similar schedule in 2024 as it is this year.

Cover Image Via Sporting News