5 prominent golfers who have publicly supported LIV Golf
LIV Golf has been in the headlines since it was announced. The series has lured golfers by offering them an undeniable amount, as claimed by the PGA Tour.
There has been a battle between golfers who have joined LIV and those loyal to the PGA Tour. Several golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith, have come forward to support the tumultuous series.
They are not the only ones; here is the list of five porminent golfers who have publicly supported LIV Golf.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson, who reached number two in the official World Golf Rankings, shocked fans after announcing he had joined LIV Golf. Mickelson is known for his left-handed swings and has won six major championships. However, he is now one of the strongest supporters of LIV Golf.
Several outlets claimed that Mickelson has received more than $200 million from LIV Golf and believed that the series has helped the PGA Players earn more money.
Last month, when the DP World Tour increased its purse, sports enthusiasts said pro players should send bottles of wine to laud Mickelson for major changes.
Pat Perez
Pat Perez was part of the winning team in LIV Golf's first season. Reportedly, he earned a fabulous amount from the newly formed series and publicly supported it.
The proud member of 4 Aces GC won $18 million in prize money, and he did not worry about dunking on his reputation.
After clinching the trophy in the first edition, Perez said:
"Yeah, all the push-back, all the negative comments, everything we've gotten, at this point, I really don't care. I mean, I don't care. I'm paid. I don't give a damn."
Jon Rahm
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have struggled to be on the same page, but to counter the effects of the Saudi-backed series, the PGA Tour has increased its prize money and made several changes since the rival series' inception in July.
Ahead of the Hero World Challenge, Jon Rahm explained that golfers should be thankful for LIV Golf. In one of his interviews, the golfer said, as quoted by the Mirror:
"I mean, I think on this side of things, we should be thankful that LIV happened."
He further added to his statement:
"I don't know if those changes would have happened if LIV wasn't in the picture. So to an extent, yeah, we should be thankful."
Cameron Smith
Australian golfer Cameron Smith is very confident in his decision to join LIV Golf and strongly supports the series.
Recently, current World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy put shade on Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, and Cameron came to support him.
Rory said that Norman needed to leave his position to settle everything. Although Greg defended himself in an interview with Today's Golf, Cameron Smith also supported him.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Cameron said, as quoted by Golf Monthly.:
"He believes in what he does. Maybe sometimes Greg comes off a little bit abrasive, but he's just trying to get a point across. He really does believe in this thing. I've spoken to him a million times in the last four or five events. He believes in it, and he thinks it's a good product"
Dustin Johnson
What a great season on @LIVGolfInv with the team! Time to rest up for next year. https://t.co/bKqmYd7UrR
The King of LIV Golf for 2022, Dustin Johnson, has witnessed the most successful year of his career since joining LIV Golf. He won the inaugural season of the series and emerged as the highest-earning golfer of the season.
Dustin has reportedly signed a $125 million contract with LIV Golf, earning more than $30 million from the first season. He is happy with his decision to join the series and strongly supports it.
Speaking about his decision, Johnson sarcastically said:
"We talked about this yesterday. I really regret my decision to come here. It's just so terrible. I'm sitting there last night thinking about it, it was really bothering me a lot. Yeah, just can't get over it."