Money grab or family fun? The reasons players gave for joining LIV Golf

Can you believe it’s been three months since LIV Golf announced the long awaited 48-man field for its inaugural event at Centurion Club? Times flies when you’re playing as much golf as these guys.

Since then, each player who has come and gone from the LIV Golf series has continued to get grilled on why they made the switch – despite the entire golf world knowing the exact lucrative reason.

With the likes of Phil Mickelson reportedly banking $140 million for joining LIV, and the series offering $120,000 for its last placed finishers, it doesn’t take much brain power to work out why these guys jumped ship amid the backlash.

But despite the obvious, we’ve continued to hear a variety of reasons why Greg Norman’s assemble of catches joined LIV Golf. From farcical claims to honest admissions, here are the six most common themes…

The ‘family men’

Phil Mickelson: “It provides me to play, compete, bring the sport throughout the world, play less, and have a better balance in life on and off the course. I can [now] be more engaged with the people I really care about.”

Patrick Reed: “Just the quality of life for us as players now. You know, having less events, being able to spend more time at home with the family.”

Bryson DeChambeau: “It’s given me a lot more opportunity outside of the game of golf and given me more time with my family and my future family.”

The ‘grow the gamers’

Dustin Johnson: “I was excited about a new format, a new kind of golf that I think is great for the game, great for the fans, and I think it’s going to be very exciting.”

Kevin Na: “I want to play all around the world. I want to be able to reach fans in all parts of the world, and they can still see me live and play.”

Bubba Watson: “It’s a cliche, but I love growing the game of golf!”

The ‘businessmen’

Abraham Ancer: “If I take the feelings out of it and just as a businessman, it’s not even a question, it’s an absolute no-brainer.”

Henrik Stenson: “Clearly a part of my decision to play in LIV Golf events has been commercially driven.”

Cameron Smith: “It was obviously a business decision for one and an offer I couldn’t ignore.”

The ‘format enthusiasts’

Lee Westwood: “The thing that drew me to this was the concept. I think it’s exactly what golf needs, a team format move often, a shorter format. If you’re asking me to say where I think golf needs to go. It needs to be faster.”

Louis Oosthuizen: “I was excited about this whole tour starting up and being something different. Where I was in my career, you know, it was time for a change.”

Paul Casey: “The team element is something that has really caught my eye. As you know I played college golf, so I’m really looking forward to playing the team element.”

The ‘less golf brigade’

Ian Poulter: “I want to play for as long as I possibly can. Longevity in this game at the age of 46, you know, that’s a factor. I want to play golf for as long as I possibly can.”

Brooks Koepka: “I think having a little more break, little more time at home to make sure I’m 100% before I go play in an event and don’t feel like I’m forced to play right away. That was a big thing for me.”

Sergio Garcia: “There’s several [reasons]. Having more time with the family. Playing a little bit less. And at the end of the day, you feel like you’ve worked pretty much your whole life for something, this was the opportunity that you’ve been waiting for.”

The ‘honest revealers’

Richard Bland: “Most of my career is behind me now as regards playing at the very highest level. I’m 50-years-old in six months. I’m a realist. I have an opportunity to play these events and secure my future and I’d be pretty foolish to turn that down.”

Harold Varner III: “It’s simply too good of a financial breakthrough for me to pass by. I know what it means to grow up without much.”

Martin Kaymer: “I would be lying if I said money wasn’t a motivator. Of course, we’d love to earn a little bit more money in the tournaments that we play. It’s very human.”

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