Masters showdown at Augusta exposes enormity of the pay gap in LIV-PGA war

Only 13 LIV golfers have made it to Augusta as the world rankings standoff takes its toll. But you only need to cast your eyes across the prizemoney tallies between the two tours to realise LIV is operating at another level.

Jon Rahm returns to Augusta National for this week’s Masters in a unique role - a defending champion but one of just 13 players from golf’s breakaway LIV tour as the game’s bitter civil war drags on.

Seven of the LIV defectors are past Masters winners with lifetime exemptions in a total field of 85 but courtesy of the world rankings standoff the number of LIV golfers has dropped from 18 last year.

Rahm, who quit the PGA Tour in December after signing a massive $450 million deal to join the Saudi-backed league, is aiming to become just the fourth back-to-back winner in the tournament’s history.

A suspension from the PGA Tour for competing in the LIV league meant Rahm was unable to defend his first three victories from 2023 - the Sentry in Hawaii and the American Express and Genesis Invitational in California.

“I’m not going to lie - for everybody who said this would be easy, some things have been, but not being able to defend some titles that mean a lot to me hasn’t,” Rahm, 29, said last month.

“It’s a decision I made, and I’m comfortable with it. But I’m hoping I can come back, and hopefully I can actually defend. That would be a dream come true.”

While golf’s majors remain a major incentive for every golfer, you only need to cast your eyes across the prizemoney tallies between the two tours to realise LIV is operating at another level altogether.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler has won $32.7m on the PGA tour since the LIV breakaway - a figure that would rank him seventh on the LIV money list where he’d be the only PGA player in the top 10.

Dustin Johnson ($76.2m) and LIV player of the year Talor Gooch ($75.5m) have both pocketed more than double Scheffler’s prize money since defecting to LIV.

But Gooch won’t be at Augusta given his three LIV victories last year did not earn him any Official World Golf Ranking points and he recently cheekily suggested this year’s Masters win would come with an “asterisk.”

“I think the majors have shown that they are not getting on board with LIV,” he said in an interview with Australian Golf Digest.

“I think everybody wins whenever majors figure out a way to get the best players in the world there.”

The number of LIV stars in majors will continue to fall because deserters are unable to earn OWGR points outside the four major tournaments.

LIV chiefs recently abandoned a push to have players receive ranking points from their tournaments.

Talor Gooch won’t be at Augusta this year. Picture: Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Saudi officials met with a PGA Tour delegation in the Bahamas in March led by superstar Tiger Woods and tour chief Jay Monahan to discuss a deal to end the war.

The peace talks are aimed at allowing LIV players to return to PGA Tour events and PGA Tour players who chose not to jump to be financially rewarded as part of the reunification plan.

Rahm remains the world’s N0.3 ranked player thanks to his all-conquering 2023 season but Australian star and 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith has slipped to No.57 in the world, while Brooks Koepka, a five-time major winner, has fallen outside the top 30.

American Scottie Scheffler, who won the green jacket in 2022, has dominated the PGA Tour this season and sits comfortably at the top of the world rankings.

Woods, a five-time Augusta champion, has dropped to 955th because of injury but is expected to compete in his 26th Masters.

This year’s Augusta National winners’ cheque will top $3.3m.

Rahm will host the traditional champions dinner on Tuesday night.

Originally published as Masters showdown at Augusta exposes enormity of the pay gap in LIV-PGA war