Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson were guaranteed nine-figure sums to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, the Saudi-funded upstart league with deep petrodollar pockets and political controversy. Despite Tuesday's surprise announcement of a partnership between the warring tours, some risks remain, with many PGA golfers criticizing the tour's leadership and potential regulatory problems on the horizon.
While many details of what the new tours will look like are still unclear, it appears that Johnson, Mickelson and their LIV colleagues have already won on this one. The PGA Tour has announced its intention to work with LIV to establish a "fair and objective process" for re-entry into the tour ranks, which will likely end the ban on defectors. And it looks like they'll get to keep their high wages, too.
Besides starting an unkind war in the sport, the astronomical signing bonuses have also reshaped the fortunes of top players. Advance payments from LIV boosted the earnings of the 18 highest-paid golfers by more than SEK 5 billion, with hundreds of millions more to come if the guarantees are paid out in full. In total, the most dominant income earners reached almost SEK 11 billion, according to Forbes estimates. The value of the top 10 increased by 16% in the past year, although some of the LIV signing bonuses were also reflected in the Forbes 2022 list of the highest paid golfers and are included here for a fair comparison of the golfers' total compensation.
The PGA Tour countered LIV's bottomless coffers – it is backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, which controls assets worth 6.2 trillion kroner – by increasing its total prize money by 25% to 5.38 billion kroner for this calendar year, more than doubling the Player Impact Program bonus pool to 1 billion kroner and trim the field for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
But the PGA's hard line against LIV and the shocking reversal, led by commissioner Jay Monahan, has left many players who had the opportunity to earn big with LIV looking like losers. Tiger Woods was reportedly offered around 8 billion kroner to drop out and Rory McIlory, who became the PGA Tour's strongest support throughout the saga, is also believed to have received a significant offer, which he denied this week ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.
"It's hard for me not to feel like a sacrificial lamb," McIlory told reporters, when asked if players who turned down big money from LIV should be compensated financially by the PGA Tour. "I put myself out there and this is what happens."
Assuming golf's hasty marriage passes regulatory scrutiny — and final terms will be finalized in the coming months — there's a lot to sort out in the sport's new world order. Mainly, how much control will be in the hands of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which will become a "premier corporate sponsor" of the PGA Tour and a major co-investor in the newly formed entity. The future of LIV is uncertain, although CEO and commissioner Greg Norman has reportedly told his staff that the league will continue.
One thing is for sure: A lot more money will flow into the sport, which means players who have learned to hit long and putt for money will soon be playing a whole new game.
The world's 18 highest paid golfers in 2023
#1 • SEK 1.22 billion Dustin Johnson
On the track: SEK 1.16 billion | Outside the track: SEK 54 million | Age: 38
Johnson's sponsorship portfolio shrank significantly when he became the first major star to switch to LIV Golf, but the move has only increased his earnings. As captain of LIV
first season championship which earned him 198 million kroner.
#2 • SEK 1.18 billion Phil Mickelson
On the track: SEK 1.16 billion | Off the track: SEK 22 million | Age: 52
Despite a reduced number of sponsors, largely due to his controversial comments about Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the move to LIV Golf, Mickelson has been busy outside of the game. He co-founded the coffee supplement company For Wellness and joined an investor group that recently bought a large tract of land outside of Phoenix. Mickelson, captain for LIFE
Hy Flyers team, reportedly received a guarantee of 2.18 billion kroner to join the tour, half of this was received upfront.
#3 • SEK 882 million Rory McIlroy
On the track: SEK 441 million | Off the track: SEK 441 million | Age: 34
McIlroy won a thrilling FedEx Cup championship at the end of last season, which earned him SEK 198 million. Off the court, he has also built a successful investment business with investments in health monitoring device Whoop, health app LetsGetChecked and TMRW Sports, which he co-founded with Tiger Woods.
#4 • SEK 849 million Brooks Koepka
On the track: SEK 782 million | Off the track: SEK 66 million | Age: 33
Koepka, another LIV defector, led the 2023 Masters by two strokes entering the final round before losing the green jacket to Jon Rahm. Koepka didn't have to wait long for redemption, winning the PGA Championship in May.
#5 • SEK 837 million Cameron Smith
On the track: SEK 763 million | Off the track: SEK 66 million | Age: 29
In 2022, Cam Smith turned victories at the British Open and the Players Championship into a lucrative guarantee from LIV Golf, reportedly around SEK 1.09 billion.
#6 • SEK 818 million Tiger Woods
On the track: SEK 163 million | Off the track: SEK 654 million | Age: 47
It's unclear when — or if — Tiger Woods will return to the golf course after ankle surgery in April. However, he has a lot going on in the meantime. Last year, Woods and McIlroy founded TMRW Sports, a technology-focused company with plans to launch a new golf league called TGL.
#7 • SEK 771 million Bryson DeChambeau
On the track: SEK 763 million | Outside the track: SEK 11 million | Age: 29
Before joining LIV in June 2022, DeChambeau had a wide range of sponsors, including Cobra Puma Golf and Bridgestone.
#8 • SEK 583 million Patrick Reed
On the track: SEK 550 million | Outside the track: SEK 33 million | Age: 32
During his 11-year PGA career, Patrick Reed earned more than SEK 418 million. In the last 12 months as a LIV golfer, he has earned nearly a third of that in prize money.
#9 • SEK 572 million Jon Rahm
On the track: SEK 297 million | Off the track: SEK 275 million | Age: 28
Rahm stormed into 2023 with wins at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express Golf Tournament in January, as well as a win at the Genesis Invitational in February, capped off by his first Masters win in April.
#10 • SEK 550 million Scottie Scheffler
On the track: SEK 385 million | Off the track: SEK 165 million | Age: 26
After a heartbreaking loss in the FedEx Cup last year, Scheffler bounced back in 2023 with wins at the Phoenix Open and The Players Championship, as well as 11 top 10 finishes.
#11 (shared) • SEK 517 million Jordan Spieth
On the track: SEK 187 million | Off the track: SEK 330 million | Age: 29
Jordan Spieth narrowly missed repeating victory at the RBC Heritage Classic in April, losing to Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff.
#11 (shared) • SEK 517 million Sergio Garcia
On the track: SEK 484 million | Outside the track: SEK 33 million | Age: 43
Garcia qualified for the 2023 US Open the old-fashioned way, finishing fourth in the 36-hole qualifier, just weeks after failing to qualify for the PGA Championship.
#13 • SEK 473 million Joaquin Niemann
On the track: SEK 440 million | Outside the track: SEK 33 million | Age: 24
Niemann was a late addition to LIV
#14 • SEK 451 million Talor Gooch
On the track: SEK 418 million | Outside the track: SEK 33 million | Age: 31
Gooch became the first LIV golfer to win back-to-back events in April.
#15 (shared) • SEK 451 million Abraham Ancer
On the track: SEK 429 million | Off the track: SEK 22 million | Age: 32
LIV Golf bosses hailed the signing of Ancer last year, saying he "brings the Mexican crowd with him".
#15 (shared) • SEK 451 million Bubba Watson
On the track: SEK 418 million | Outside the track: SEK 33 million | Age: 44
Injuries have taken their toll on Bubba Watson in recent years, delaying his LIV Golf debut until 2023.
#17 • SEK 385 million Branden Grace
On the track: SEK 374 million | Outside the track: SEK 11 million | Age: 35
Branden Grace pulled in just over SEK 132 million on the PGA Tour, which pales in comparison to his earnings as a LIV golfer.
#18 • SEK 374 million Xander Schauffele
On the track: SEK 253 million | Outside the track: SEK 110 million | Age: 29
After three tournament wins in 2022, Schauffele has yet to claim a PGA victory this season. But his consistent play has him ranked No. 6 in the world.
Methodology
This year's list of the world's highest-paid golfers tracks earnings over the past 12 months, starting with the 2022 US Open. On-course earnings include prize money and bonuses, as well as advance payments golfers received for signing with LIV Golf. Based on conversations with a dozen industry sources, Forbes estimates that top LIV players received half of their guarantees upfront while lower-ranked players received smaller sums in bulk. Bonuses from the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program are also included in course earnings.
Off-track earnings are estimates from sponsorship deals, appearance fees, and memorabilia and licensing revenue over the past 12 months, plus cash returns from businesses in which the athlete has a significant interest. Forbes does not include investment income such as interest or dividends but does take into account payouts from stock shares the athlete has sold. Forbes makes no deductions for taxes or agency fees.