As if the multimillion-dollar contracts, party jets, and all-expenses-paid travel aren’t enough, LIV Golf is offering players another financial incentive to lure them from the PGA Tour.
The “principal players” of the breakaway golf league’s dozen new franchises will get equity in their teams, sources told Front Office Sports.
That means LIV’s 48 players can potentially participate in revenue and profits as their teams begin selling corporate sponsorships and ownership stakes.
Their cut of team profits could help PGA Tour defectors like Dustin Johnson, who’ve been dumped by sponsors as punishment for joining LIV.
Twelve teams are poised to compete at this week’s LIV Golf Invitational at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
The colorfully named teams include: Phil Mickelson’s “Hy Flyers,” Bryson DeChambeau’s “Crushers,” Brooks Koepka’s “Smash,” and Johnson’s “Aces.”
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is pouring $2 billion into LIV Golf, including monster multi-year contracts for Mickelson ($200 million) and DeChambeau ($125 million).
Despite the charge that LIV is trying to “sportswash” Saudi Arabia’s history of human rights abuses, there’s a lot to like about the rebel golf circuit’s team strategy, said Peter Kostis, the former CBS Sports golf analyst.
The concept of 12 four-man teams will attract fans who enjoy global team competitions like the Ryder Cup, he said. Team competition will also help make LIV “ripe” for sports bettors.
If LIV teams are smart, they will start vigorously selling team sponsorships so players can participate in the profits, he added.
Down the road, Kostis can see LIV Golf stars playing in official team jerseys with the brands of their principal sponsors on the front. Think English Premier League kits.
The LIV Golf Updates Twitter feed previously speculated principal players could get as much as a 25% ownership stake, with the goal of turning their teams into major sports franchises.
On Thursday, LIV announced it will expand to 14 tournaments around the world next year, with a total prize purse of $405 million.
This week’s second U.S. LIV tournament, and third overall, is shaping up to be a big one. Former President Donald Trump plans to tee it up in Thursday’s pro-am, according to the New York Post.
Superstar TNT TV analyst Charles Barkley will also be on hand to discuss jumping to LIV Golf with chief executive officer Greg Norman.
LIV declined to comment for this story.
