20 October 2023 , 16:45
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Brooks Koepka has revealed he received a nine-figure signing bonus to join LIV Golf, after opening up on the main reason behind his decision to join the Saudi-backed league.
Koepka became one of LIV's biggest signings last summer, after the five-time major champion left the PGA Tour to join the breakaway circuit. The Saudi-backed league's mega-money signing bonuses were proving to big to ignore for a number of players, including Koepka.
16 months on from his Saudi switch, the 33-year-old discussed the lucrative signing fee he received to join Greg Norman's breakaway league, which was in excess of £82million ($100m).
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“It [LIV Golf signing fee] was good," he told the BS w/ Jake Paul Podcast. "It was nine [figures]. It was pretty good, I was very happy with it, put it that way.” Those who chose to join the LIV setup faced a whole host of criticism, with the breakaway league labelled the latest cog in Saudi Arabia's sportswashing campaign.
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Many were quick to state that their decision to make the Saudi switch was not one led by money, but instead in the best interest of 'growing the game' of golf. Koepka though was honest in the reason behind his move to the breakaway league, admitting the cash on offer was too good to turn down.
"I’ll be honest with you, I signed for the dough, I’m 100% behind that," he said. "I don't know if tomorrow I can go and get in a car accident and never play golf again, but my family is taken care of and that was a big thing for me. I’m not doing it for anything else.
Brooks Koepka joined LIV Golf last summer (AP)“Everybody else they go to their 9-5, most of them, and don’t like the 9-5 but they are doing it because they get their paycheque, and that is the same thing as us." Koepka was one of a number of high profile names to turn their back on the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed series.
He followed in the footsteps in the likes of Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood but outlined the influence of Phil Mickelson as the man behind the PGA Tour exodus, thanks to his frustration over players' media rights. " A lot of it started with Phil Mickelson," Koepka added.
"He was big on the [media] rights. Owning his own rights. It is tough right, we go play, we never get to capture our moments, the tour owns it so that was his big gripe."