The 2023 LIV Golf season has reportedly been a bit different than the first.
As Alan Shipnuck of the Firepit Collective has reported, there has been an effort to roll back some of the extravagant expenses that LIV Golf pays for and put the burden of travel and lodgings on the teams themselves. Shipnuck also reports that there’s been talks about even more of the prize money being put towards the team aspect of the competition and less on the individuals.
Shipnuck quoted an anonymous player about these changes.
“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. Last year the players kept their share of the team winnings”—Pat Perez famously won over $8 million on the season despite an average individual finish of 32nd— 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?’ So that’s interesting. And now there is talk that [LIV leadership] wants to put more of the total purse toward the team component. But, again, guys have it in their contract they would be playing for $20 million on their own. So you can imagine there is a lot of conversation right now.”
Shipnuck then commented himself on the differences of the amenities while attending LIV Golf Tucson last week.
“Indeed, the most important barometer is the press room lunch: Last year featured decadent buffets with hot entrees and a cornucopia of desserts, but in Tucson it was the same cold sandwiches and pre-packaged cookies day after day. OK, that’s not the most important barometer, but it is symptomatic of larger belt-tightening.”
Kevin Na, who’s teammate Danny Lee won the individual competition, isn’t worried about how the potential and existing changes will impact his bottom line and called them “first-world problems.”
“It’s a long contract!” he says with a laugh. “I’ll have to ask my agent.” In the perfect coda to this moment in professional golf, Na adds, “There is a shit-ton of money out here, and I already got a shit-ton. If you play well, you’re gonna win a shit-ton more. I’m not worrying about the details.”
LIV Golf’s next event will be in Orlando the week before the Masters.
Source: Golf WRX