LIV Golf's top earner on another planet compared to rivals after £2.9m bank boost
Countless players have switched to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour since its inception in 2021, with relaxed schedules and mega-money tournament purses turning the heads of players
Talor Gooch has added a whopping £2.9 million to his bank balance after clinching the title at LIV Golf Andalucia earlier this month. The Oklahoma native showcased his skills on the greens and fairways of Real Club Valderrama, edging out Jon Rahm by a single stroke with an overall score of eight under par.
His team, Smash GC, finished in a respectable T3 position alongside Dustin Johnson's 4Aces, with Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell and team captain Brooks Koepka ending the three-day tournament at even par when combined. Rahm's Legion XIII topped the team standings at five under, closely followed by Sergio Garcia's Fireballs at three under.
Despite the Smash players splitting £371,000 for their performance in Spain, it pales in comparison to the staggering £2.9m Gooch pocketed for winning the individual tournament. LIV Golf, known for its generous prize money and relaxed schedule compared to the PGA Tour, has allowed some of the world's top golfers to amass considerable wealth since its inception.
In 2025, the LIV roster boasts big names such as Bryson DeChambeau, Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood, to name just a few. While each of these golfers has managed to carve out an impressive career under the Saudi-backed breakaway league, no one has been as handsomely rewarded as Gooch.
To date, the 33-year-old has earned a staggering £47.8m, including an incredible £13.3m for finishing as LIV Golf's Individual Champion in 2023, reports the Mirror US. Gooch has participated in 45 LIV Golf events overall, winning four in total.
His first victory came in April 2023, when he clinched the top spot at LIV Golf Adelaide with an impressive score of 19 under par, before doubling down just a week later at LIV Golf Singapore. His third win was at 2023's LIV Golf Andalucia in July, and his most recent win at the same event earlier this month takes his total to four.
For context, before making the move to LIV, Gooch had only one win on the PGA Tour at the 2021 RSM Classic and a 2017 win on the Korn Ferry Tour's News Sentinel Open. His move to a different banner has evidently paid off.
As for the next highest earner on the LIV roster, Johnson has reportedly made £43.6m from 45 events to date, also including his £13.3m award for winning as the 2022 Individual Champion. Elsewhere, Joaquin Niemann, Rahm and Cameron Smith round out the top five highest LIV earners with fortunes of £40m, £36.8m and £34.2m respectively.
Despite a string of successes under the LIV banner, Gooch is yet to clinch his first major title, having not made it into the top 10 of the big four so far. His best shot was at the 2022 Masters, where he managed a T14 finish alongside golfing stars such as Min Woo Lee, Harry Higgs, Kevin Na and Tommy Fleetwood.
LIV players do not earn Official World Golf Ranking points, which puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for major tournaments compared to their PGA counterparts. As a result, Gooch missed out on the Open Championship last weekend.
While several LIV stars did make it to the esteemed major held at Royal Portrush this year, only DeChambeau managed to break into the tournament's top 10 with an overall score of nine under. Tyrrell Hatton secured a T16 finish, Johnson had to settle for T23, and Rahm, Garcia and Westwood ended Sunday's play with totals of three under, finishing at T34.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler ultimately took the crown in Northern Ireland on 17 under, four strokes ahead of second-place Harris English. It marked the 29-year-old's second major of the year following his triumph at the PGA Championship back in May, and the fourth of his career overall.
While he's in a strong position to secure the much-coveted Career Grand Slam at next year's US Open, he'll be keen to put his T7 finish at this year's event behind him - a tournament where many of his contemporaries also found the going tough due to the punishing conditions at Oakmont Country Club.