Bryson DeChambeau received record prize money for his US Open triumph but is far from the highest earner on the LIV Golf Tour.
The US Open increased the winners’ payout to £3.4m ($$4.3m), the largest purse ever for a major event. The overall pot stood at £17m ($21.5m), only bettered by The Players Championship with £20m ($25m) on the PGA Tour.
This increase in PGA prize money is a reflection of the riches that are on offer as part of the LIV Golf Tour. The breakaway league has 12 regular season events boasting £20m ($25m) prize funds. However, DeChambeau did not sign the most lucrative contract to join the LIV Golf Tour.
The 30-year-old agreed to a multi-year deal with LIV Golf in 2022 that reportedly included a £100m ($130m) signing-on fee. Despite the nine-figure payday, this places him fifth on the overall list of highest-paid LIV golfers.
Bryson DeChambeau - £100m ($125m)
The two-time US Open winner has made a successful start to his time on the LIV Golf Tour, winning two events, each with a £3.1m ($4m) winner’s payout. DeChambeau’s dramatic win at Pinehurst last Sunday propelled him into the world top 10 but it was not enough to earn him a spot on the US Olympic team, given that his LIV performances do not earn ranking points.
Dustin Johnson - £100m ($125m)
Johnson became one of the first big names to join LIV Golf and it has been reported that his deal could rise to a potential £120m ($150m). When asked about his choice, Johnson declared: "The decision to join LIV finally just came down to the offer that they made me.
"Someone offers anyone a job, doing the same thing they're already doing but less time at the office and they're gonna pay them more. Pretty sure you're gonna take it. And something's wrong with you if you didn't."
Brooks Koepka - £102m ($130m)
The former world number one received slightly more than DeChambeau to join the tour in 2022. Koepka has won four LIV Golf League events, worth a combined £12.4m ($16m), and added his fifth major title at the 2023 PGA Championship.
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Phil Mickelson - £158m ($200m)
Until recently, Mickelson had topped the list for the highest-paid golfer on the LIV Tour. Mickelson, the oldest player to win a major, joined LIV Golf as a founding member in 2022 and has been vocal about the PGA Tour ending its feud with the new league.
Speaking ahead of the recent PGA Championship, Mickelson said; "Maybe some of the LIV players won't be missed, but what if none of the LIV players played?" he wrote in a since-deleted post on X. "Would they be missed? What about next year when more great players join? Or the following year. At some point, they will care and will have to answer to sponsors and television."
Jon Rahm - £237m ($300m)
Rahm shocked the sport by confirming he had joined LIV Golf in December 2023. The Spanish golfer is reported to have accepted a $300m deal to leave the PGA Tour, despite claims that he was paid up to £450m
"This decision was for many reasons what I thought was best for me," Rahm said. "Don't get me wrong, it's a great deal. I had a really good offer in front of me, and it's one of the reasons why I took it, right? They really put me in a position where I had to think about it and I did."
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