REVEALED: What stars need to do in return for LIV Golf cash

It’s well-known that many of golf’s top names have been well-paid for defecting to LIV Golf.

Some of the game’s biggest stars, including Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, have been given vast sums to commit to the Saudi-backed circuit.

Less well-known is what is expected of the players in return for the cash winging its way into their bank accounts.

Until now.

Redacted versions of some players’ contracts have now been released by the Wall Street Journal – and they contain some surprising details.

We’ve picked apart the fine print so you don’t have to…

Major bonuses

The amount each player is paid is redacted in the contracts, but it is made explicitly clear that there are bonuses on offer for winning majors. That, according to the Wall Street Journal, is reported to be around $1 million. It remains to be seen how many LIV players will actually be able to play at the majors though, given the series is still not sanctioned to receive OWGR points and the governing bodies have openly discussed altering qualification criteria. This isn’t a totally new concept – Darren Clarke is believed to have earned a seven-figure sum from his sponsor Dunlop for winning the 2011 Open.

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Media rights

This was a key feature of Mickelson’s beef with the PGA Tour – his perception that the tour had profited from use of his image. It is specified in the LIV documents that the players are individual contractors, a claim Mickelson regularly made in his criticisms of the tour. However, in the contracts, the players agree to sign over “exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide” rights to “exhibit, exploit, copy, reproduce and otherwise use” their image.

Requirement to play

On the PGA Tour, as it stands, players are not required to play in every event. That’s not the case with LIV. Talor Gooch’s contract, for example, appears to confirm reports they are required to play in every tournament on the schedule, unless in exceptional circumstances. They are also required to continue promoting the league, serving as captains and carrying out extra duties even if they retire from golf before the expiry of their contracts.

Player recruitment

We already know, thanks to court documents, that Phil Mickelson was suspended from the PGA Tour earlier this year for attempting to recruit players for LIV. Now the contracts have revealed players are required to entice others to join the breakaway league. The documents state they must “assist the league operator in seeking to persuade players to enter into multiyear player participation agreements with the league operator”.

Team apparel

In the three LIV events so far, players have worn whatever apparel they normally would. It seems that is about to change. The contracts stipulate players must wear LIV clothing in both LIV and non-LIV events, with allowances made for one equipment provider’s logo on the right side of their hats. Other non-LIV logos will require approval. Team owners could also elect to have every member of their line-up wearing the same glove and shoe brands, in which case players could be compensated.

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Interview ban

Mickelson’s interviews with Golf Digest and Alan Shipnuck caused separate furores, but such incidents could become few and far between. Stipulated in the players’ contracts is a requirement not to give any interviews relating to the league without “specified approval”. This policy includes posts on social media, suggesting LIV bosses are determined to run a tight ship when it comes to people saying things they shouldn’t.

A documentary?

This year, the PGA Tour has the Netflix cameras in for a fly-on-the-wall documentary – but could LIV do something similar? It looks that way. Hudson Swafford’s contract requires him to “participate in a mini-series/documentary series” should it come to fruition. That would sit alongside regular media requirements.