PGA Championship Drama Nearly Delivers a Major Boost to LIV Golf
A wild and chaotic PGA Championship—both on and off the course—concluded with a dramatic finish Sunday evening as American standout and PGA Tour loyalist Xander Schauffele birdied the final hole to defeat LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke, securing his first major championship. Schauffele’s victory at Valhalla Golf Club earned him $3.3 million,…
A wild and chaotic PGA Championship—both on and off the course—concluded with a dramatic finish Sunday evening as American standout and PGA Tour loyalist Xander Schauffele birdied the final hole to defeat LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke, securing his first major championship. Schauffele’s victory at Valhalla Golf Club earned him $3.3 million, bringing his total earnings for 2024 to just under $11 million. This puts him in second place on the PGA Tour money list, trailing only Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who has amassed more than $19 million in earnings this year.
Scheffler finished tied for eighth at the PGA Championship—a commendable result considering the off-course drama he faced. On Friday morning, he was nearly disqualified after being arrested following an incident just outside the golf course. Scheffler faced four charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer, a felony. However, reports suggest these charges are likely to be dropped.
The drama surrounding Scheffler’s arrest could translate into high viewership numbers for ESPN, which covered the early rounds. Additionally, the combination of Scheffler’s off-course saga and a tight leaderboard featuring both PGA Tour and LIV players on Sunday could boost CBS’s ratings for the final round.
What’s Next for LIV and the PGA Tour?
With two majors completed this year, the score stands at PGA Tour 2, LIV Golf 0. Players from the rival tours will face off twice more this year, next at the U.S. Open in the second week of June. Before then, LIV will host a tournament in Houston the prior week, while the PGA Tour has three tournaments scheduled over the next three weeks, including a $20 million signature event at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.
Despite the recent off-course twists and turns, significant progress on negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia seems unlikely. However, given the unpredictable nature of recent events, nothing can be ruled out until a deal to unify the professional game is reached.