"This is kind of a joke" - PGA Tour winner Chris DiMarco sounds off on Jay Monahan, calls on LIV Golf to buy the Champions Tour
PGA Tour winner Chris DiMarco sounded off on the current purse of the Champions Tour, hoping for LIV Golf to buy the Senior Tour to increase prize money. He also slammed PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan for handling things poorly.
DiMarco, a three-time PGA Tour winner who plays on the Senior Tour, was playing at the Hoag Classic Newport Beach last week, which had a $2 million purse. On Golf Subpar's podcast, he expressed his displeasure with the prize money, which was meager in comparison to the PGA Tour Signature events, which have a purse of at least $20 million.
When the podcast hosts asked DiMarco about the Champions Tour's stance on the current PGA Tour-LIV Golf situation, he replied that they are hoping that the Saudi-backed circuit would purchase the Senior Tour.
"Let’s play for a little real money out here," he added. "I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC ( the Players Championship) that made more money than our purses."
The 55-year-old veteran also spoke about Monahan and his approach to negotiating with LIV. He criticized the tour commissioner for initially adopting a 'cut and dry stance,' which he feels is a bit too much.
"Like Rory McIlroy," he continued. "These guys have turned down a lot of money and what do they have to show for it? These guys get to come back and play, I’d be pretty ticked off if I was them."
How many titles has Chris DiMarco won on the PGA Tour?
Chris DiMarco has won three titles on the PGA Tour. His first win came at the SEI Pennsylvania Classic, where he beat Mark Calcavecchia, Brad Elder, Scott Hoch, Jonathan Kaye and Chris Perry by six strokes. The following year, he won his second title at the Buick Challenge against David Duval in a playoff.
DiMarco's biggest win was the 2002 Phoenix Open, which he clinched by trumping Kenny Perry and Kaname Yokoo by a stroke. Since then, he hasn't won on the PGA Tour.
Further, Chris DiMarco has one win on the European Tour. He claimed the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in 2006 after beating Henrik Stenson by one shot. His other wins include the Nike Ozarks Open on the Nike Tour and the Montclair Quebec Open on the Canadian Tour.