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Phil Mickelson is the highest paid athlete for 2022…and LIV pros dominate the top 10 golfer list

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2 years ago

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Whatever the thoughts on LIV Golf, and there are quite a few out there, one thing is for sure – it has put a lot of money into quite a few bank accounts.

On Friday, Forbes revealed the list of highest paid golfers for 2022, and according to the hugely respected financial report, the organization has boosted the top-10 golfers’ income by around $370 million!

The recent third LIV event concluded last night at Bedminster, with recent recruits Charles Howell III and Jason Kokrak starting the final round 14 and 15 shots behind fellow newcomer Henrik Stenson.

Much of the golfing world believes some players are being dishonest about the reasons for joining the Saudi-backed tour – many wanting confirmation it is all about the huge money offered rather than more free time, playing conditions etc. – and Howell was at pains to point out the same as many of his fellow players.

Even with over $40 million in the bank via a long PGA Tour career, that amount could be chicken-feed if Forbes are right about the difference LIV can make.

Bryson DeChambeau may say he wants to be part of a revolutionary tour from the beginning, but according to Forbes, his $62 million upfront payment has lifted him to third on the golfer’s earnings list and 11th in the list of highest paid athletes.

Bryson’s supposed big rival, Brooks Koepka, who beat him senseless in a grudge version of The Match, is listed just one place behind his foe in 4th place, whilst Tiger Woods – ‘The GOAT’ for many golf fans – lags at number 5 after refusing what Greg Norman called a “mind-blowingly enormous” offer.

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson “pocketed $97 million in the last year, including an estimated $62 million signing bonus from LIV in May.” That takes him to second for golfers and fifth on the athlete’s list, and DJ isn’t shy in mentioning why he left – “Play less golf, play for more money—it just made sense.”

However, despite ‘Shipnuck-gate’ and the fact he has done very little in three LIV events so far, three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson leads the way.

Joining LIV as a way of “leveraging” against the PGA Tour, Forbes reports Lefty to have received half of his $200 million agreement upfront, contributing to a yearly income of $138 million and putting him on top of all other athletes in the rich list.

As well as DJ and Lefty, other Green Jacket-holders/LIV jumpers make the rankings for top-10 earning golfers.

Patrick Reed, Charles Schwartzel and Sergio Garcia have made huge amounts of money since their leap to LIV, whilst two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson is ready to play his first event over the next few months. Rumors also persist that fellow Masters champions Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama are ready to join.

For the LIV team, nabbing Matsuyama would be a huge plus in their efforts to take their idea worldwide, with the Asian market – and in particular Japan – being seen as big enough to have reportedly offered the biggest incentive to date.

Should the world ranked number 15 agree, Forbes may well need to revise their list.

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19th Hole

Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’

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1 hour ago

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Apr 22, 2024

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After Justin Thomas’ third round of the RBC Heritage, the two-time major champion went in the broadcast booth alongside the CBS crew.

While Thomas was watching Scottie Scheffler play on the back nine of his third round, he wondered aloud why Scottie uses high numbered golf balls.

“Does anybody else think it’s weird that Scottie uses high numbers? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an elite player use high-numbered golf balls.”

Amanda Balionis who was on the grounds chimed in, reporting that analyst Dottie Pepper had wondered the same thing earlier that day?

“I’ve been going about this wrong my whole life,” Thomas jokingly said.

Given Scottie’s incredible results this season, it may be a good idea for Titleist to stock up on high numbered balls for what figures to be a popular purchase for golf enthusiasts this summer.

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Golf fans left bemused at Jim Nantz over his Nelly Korda fail during RBC Heritage broadcast

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1 hour ago

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Apr 22, 2024

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During the final round of the RBC Heritage, Jim Nantz referenced Nelly Korda’s major championship win at the Chevron Championship on Sunday, which was her 5th straight victory.

However, Nantz mistakenly referred to Korda as “Kelly Norda” during the broadcast, leaving many golf fans puzzled.

Korda became the third woman to ever win five starts in a row, joining Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam in the exclusive club.

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TaylorMade signs 15-year-old AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year to an NIL contract

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3 days ago

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Apr 19, 2024

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This week, TaylorMade Golf announced that they’ve signed AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Miles Russell, to an NIL contract.

In a statement, TaylorMade called Russell “nothing short of remarkable”.

“Miles’ record setting success at his young age is nothing short of remarkable and we are excited he chose us to support him in his growth as a golfer to continue to accomplish his career goals. Identifying and developing the top junior talent in the world has always been a priority for us at TaylorMade. Miles and his family epitomize the type of athlete and human being we are looking to add to Team TaylorMade.”

Russell has broken plenty of records in recent months. This season, he was named American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Boys Player of the Year, making him the youngest male player to receive the award. The record was previously held by Tiger Woods who was about 10 months older than Russell at the time he received the award.

At age 14, J he became the youngest player ever to win the Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass at age 14.

The 15-year-old also played in his first Korn Ferry Tour event on Thursday, the LECOM Suncoast Classic, and shot a first-round 68.

In the aftermath of the agreement, Russell released a statement.

“I have had a great relationship with the team at TaylorMade for years now and couldn’t be more excited to continue to work with them in the future. TaylorMade has a history of developing the top junior talent in the world to help reach their goals of becoming PGA TOUR and major championship winners. I am looking forward to working with the team to reach those and other goals I have laid out for my career.”

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