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Captain Bryson DeChambeau and Crushers GC, first place, Captain Bubba Watson and RangeGoats GC, second place, and Captain JoaquÃn Niemann and Torque GC, third place, celebrate on stage during Day Three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Miami Team Championship at Trump National Doral Miami on October 22, 2023.
In a bold financial move, LIV Golf plans to raise its weekly tournament purse from $25 million to $30 million starting in 2026, according to Sports Business Journal. The updated structure allocates $20 million to individual stroke-play competition–unchanged from 2025–while doubling the team competition purse to $10 million, up from $5 million this season.
This vaults LIV Golf past traditional benchmarks–PGA Tour’s largest signature-event purse tops out at $20 million, with The Players Championship offering $25 million. The change underscores LIV’s aggressive financial strategy as it continues disrupting the golf landscape.
Why the Expansion Matters
First, it enhances team competition appeal. Whereas only the top three teams shared the $5 million pool in prior seasons, the new tiered structure will distribute team payouts across all 13 franchises based on placement–a rare payout equality step in LIV’s current ecosystem. This may help underserved teams like the Cleeks, Iron Heads, HyFlyers, and Majesticks see real revenue–whereas until now they’ve frequently failed to cash in despite competitive play.
Second, it signals a shift in LIV’s broader funding model. With the early lavish sign-on bonuses fading, team captains now bear responsibility for player recruitment and commercial deals. The larger team purse acts as a resource pool to support these efforts and deepen squad-level investment.
Market Signals and Competitive Implications
This move fuels LIV’s competition strategy with the established tours. Offering higher prizes than the PGA Tour’s best events reinforces LIV’s position as a major financial rival in pro golf, and may accelerate player movement or new signings. The increased payouts may also attract rising stars and deepen LIV’s talent base.
However, the league continues to contend with ongoing scrutiny over its public image. Human rights critics and media observers have labeled its Saudi-funded model as sports washing, especially due to involvement of the Public Investment Fund and ties to international controversies. Despite these concerns, LIV’s financing remains robust, and this purse boost further demonstrates its long-term backing and ambition.
PGA Tour Purses: Still Behind the LIV Curve
When comparing tours, LIV’s weekly $30 million purse now exceeds what nearly every PGA Tour event offers. In 2025, PGA Tour signature events carry purses of $20 million, while The Players Championship remains the richest event at $25 million, with a $4.5 million winner’s share.
Even the majors–the sport’s crown jewels—offer less than LIV’s upcoming payouts:
Outside the signature and major events, the average PGA Tour field-level purse in standard events hovers under $10 million. For instance, the 3M Open featured an $8.4 million purse, awarding $1.512 million to the winner, still well shy of LIV’s weekly baseline.
Strategy, Sustainability, and the Audience
LIV Golf isn’t just upping the ante–it’s evolving. The more equitable team payouts, combined with its already eye-popping player prizes, may reshape team competitiveness and market value. Teams previously starved of resources now have added income potential and incentive to invest in infrastructure, analytics, and talent.
For fans and players, this enhances the weekend viewing product. More teams competing for meaningful money encourages intense competition and back-nine drama. From a media and sponsorship standpoint, $30 million events–plus fan festivals and live entertainment–create compelling spectacle for broadcasters, particularly under LIV’s expanding global reach.
Alyssa Polczynski Alyssa Polczynski is a multimedia journalist covering Major League Baseball for Heavy.com. She has experience as an editorial producer for MLB.com and contributed to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). More about Alyssa Polczynski
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