PGA Players That Went To Liv Golf Series
PGA players that went to LIV are Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Dean Burmester, Paul Casey, Talor Gooch and many more.
Former world no. 1 golfer Greg Norman presented the idea of this new golf league which later got the backing of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.
The LIV Golf Series was announced in 2021 and has quickly emerged as a solid rival to the PGA Tour. Many PGAs golfers have been attracted to the LIV due to its significantly larger prize purses and generous signing bonuses.
Although PGA Tour released a statement saying those golfers who participate in LIV Golf events will not be eligible to play in PGA Tour events, several players joined the Saudi-backed league.
D. Johnson was among the first renowned PGA player to switch sides when he joined LIV in June 2022. The two-time major winner received $150 million as a singing bonus.
Phil Mickelson - 53 Years Old
Phil Mickelson comes top in the Liv golf league players list who previously played in PGA Tour. Mickelson played his first LIV event in June 2022.
In his three-decade-long golf career with PGA, the 53-year-old has won everything except for the US Open, winning the Masters three times, the PGA Championship twice, and clinched the Open Championship in 2013.
In 2022, Mickelson was reportedly offered a substantial amount of $200 million to become a part of LIV Golf, exceeding his earnings throughout his entire career.
A native of San Diego, California, expressed that he decided to join LIV as he sought a new beginning and believed that this fresh direction would bring excitement to his career.
Phil Mickelson gladly shared his appreciation for the innovative structure of LIV Golf and envisioned it as a thrilling experience for viewers.
Dustin Johnson - 38 Years Old
Dustin Johnson is another one of the elite PGA Tour players who joined LIV Golf. He participated in the LIV Golf Invitational Series in June 2022.
The year 2022 was not going well for the 2020 Masters Tournament champion, as he missed the cut at the RBC Heritage and PGA Championship.
However, in May 2022, Dustin made a surprising announcement that he would be a part of an inaugural event LIV Golf. Then on June 7, Johnson declared his departure from the PGA Tour.
Dustin Johnson is a former world number one who has participated in PGA Tour events since turning pro in 2007. Over the course of 15 years, he achieved victory 24 times and earned a prize purse of $75 million.
Although grateful for his time on the PGA Tour, he expressed a desire to start something fresh. Johnson inked a four-year contract valued at $150 million.
Richard Bland - 50 Years Old
Richard Bland announced his departure from PGA European Tour in May 2023. Bland made his LIV Golf debut at the Invitation Series in 2022.
The English professional golfer claimed his first European Tour win at the Betfred British Masters in May 2021, 20 years after his first professional win at Challenge Tour Grand Final.
Besides, Bland has qualified for the US Open and The Open Championship one time each but finished outside of the top 20 in both tourneys.
In June, Richard became a part of the first-ever LIV Golf Invitational Series. However, he faced consequences for participating in the event without permission from the European Tour.
The 50-year-old received fines and was suspended from the tour. Then in May 2023, the European Tour made an announcement that Bland had chosen to resign from the tour instead.
Dean Burmester - 34 Years Old
Among other former PGA players in the Liv Golf league is Dean Burmester. Burmester acquired a LIV Golf membership in February 2023.
Born in Mutare, Zimbabwe, the 34-year-old represented South African golf while growing up before venturing into European Tour after turning pro in 2010.
Burmester is a two-time DP World Tour winner and has been a regular on the European Tour since 2012. In addition to these achievements, he has also secured eight victories on the Sunshine Tour.
Burmester, who recently became a member of LIV Golf, has participated in seven events so far. Dean is a member of the Stinger GC team, led by fellow South African golfer Louis Oosthuizen.
He made his LIV tournament debut at El Camaleón Golf Club in Mexico, and his recent participation was at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, DC, in May 2023.
Paul Casey - 45 Years Old
Paul Casey stands out among the list of golfers on LIV tour who made a move from the PGA Tour. Casey has also participated in the European and Asian Tours.
The English-born golfer climbed his best at the world ranking, #3 in May 2009 after winning two European Tour and a PGA Tour victory at Shell Houston Open that year.
Casey became a member of the LIV in July 2022, competing for Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC team.
The 40-year-old made an impressive debut by securing the 6th spot at the Trump National Golf Club tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey. He received prize money of $648,000 for his outstanding performance.
Additionally, Casey recently earned a substantial prize of $171,200 after placing 21st at the LIV Golf Invitational Boston, at The International Golf Club in Bolton, Massachusetts.
Abraham Ancer - 32 Years Old
Abraham Ancer is a Mexican-American golfer who used to compete in the PGA Tour. Abraham is currently an active member of the LIV Golf.
Ancer announced he has signed with LIV to be a part of the golf events in Saudi Arabia in June 2022 following the US Open. His decision to jump to LIV subsequently led him to a suspension from the PGA Tour.
Ancer has four professional wins in his decade-long career, which includes a PGA Tour at WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in August 2021, European Tour, and Asian Tour at PIF Saudi International in February 2023.
Since making his LIV debut in 2022, the Texas homegrown has appeared in 13 events with the team Fireballs GC led by Captain Sergio Garcia.
Bryson DeChambeau - 29 Years Old
Bryson DeChambeau is the 2020 US Open champion who left the PGA for LIV Golf. Bryson became a member of the LIV Golf Tour in June 2022.
LIV had its eyes on DeChambeau to join their tour right from the start. In February 2022, speculation about him moving the LIV Golf tour arose. However, the golfer from Los Angeles put all those rumors to rest by making a statement that he's sticking with the PGA Tour.
Following his missed cut at the Memorial Tournament, DeChambeau was once again questioned about his involvement with LIV Golf but showed his intention to continue at the PGA Tour.
However, on June 8, 2022, he officially joined LIV Golf after turning down the initial offer to join the circuit. DeChambeau stated that the reason behind his move was purely business and had nothing to do with personal issues.
Talor Gooch - 31 Years Old
Talor Gooch marked his presence at LIV Golf in the May 2022 Invitational Series. Gooch previously competed in PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour.
Following his break into professional golf in 2014, Gooch joined the PGA Tour Canada for two years in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 he partook in Web.com Tour and registered a win News Sentinel Open in August.
With 6th place finish in the money least, Gooch earned his first PGA Tour card for the 2017-18 season. Gooch achieved his initial victory on the PGA Tour in November 2021 at the RSM Classic.
Besides, the 31-year-old recorded his first victory at LIV during the Adelaide event in Australia in April 2023. Talor is a member of the RangeGoats GC team, led by Bubba Watson. His second LIV event win came a week after his first, at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore.
Sam Horsfield - 26 Years Old
Sam Horsfield is a member of Majesticks GC team within LIV Golf. Horsfield played at the inaugural Invitational Series at Centurion Club, London.
He finished in 5th position with a score of -3 and received $975,000 as his first prize purse in LIV Golf events. So far, Horsfield has competed in 11 tournaments, including four this year at Mayakoba, Tucson, Orlando, and Adelaide.
The 26-year-old English golfer has won three times on the European Tour and is currently queued 64th in the world rankings.
After becoming a professional golfer in 2017, he wasted no time making a name for himself. He quickly became known as one of the sport's up-and-coming talents and achieved his first two professional victories in 2020 on European soil and picked his third at Soudal Open in May 2022.
Charles Howell III - 43 Years Old
American golfer Charles Howell III competes in LIV Golf alongside Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, and Anirban Lahiri in Team Crushers GC.
Considered one of the consistent golf players, Howell has amassed $42 million from prize purses during his two decades competing in PGA.
The 2001 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year winner has succeeded in three tours, the 2002 Michelob Championship, the 2007 Nissan Open, and the 2018 RSM Classic.
Howell made the decision to join LIV Golf in July 2022. Then, in February, he achieved great success by winning the Mayakoba event, which marked his very first individual victory in the LIV league.
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