Brooks Koepka won in Saudi Arabia last October
Brooks Koepka only found out his £3.2 million ($4m) prize had been doubled after he had secured his LIV Golf Jeddah title last October thanks to his positioning in the season-long standings.
Koepka is back in familiar territory this weekend at the course where he has twice won since joining LIV Golf. The American won his third LIV title in Saudi Arabia last October, defending the crown he had won in the desert 12 months earlier.
It was by no means an easy victory for the five-time major champion, who had to see off now Smash GC teammate, Talor Gooch in a two-hole playoff. But it came with a huge unexpected financial bonus.
In defending his Jeddah title, Koepka also squeezed himself into third in the year-long standings, which added another £3.2 million prize to his LIV Golf earnings. Seemingly surprised, the American star only found out about his bonus in his post-victory interview.
Asked if he had any idea that he had finished third in 2023 LIV rankings and doubled his prize money for the week, a perplexed Koepka replied with a smile: “I did? Sweet, that is a good feeling. Thanks for breaking the news!”
In total, the former PGA Tour star has won a staggering £23 million ($29m) in LIV prize money in just 22 events, and is only set to add to this tally across the rest of the 2024 campaign. Koepka earned one of the lucrative signing fees offered by the breakaway league too, with his reported to be in excess of £100 million.
In the weeks after his last victory in Saudi, Koepka opened up on the remarkable amounts of money on offer on the breakaway league, and his nine-figure signing bonus. “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.”
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US.
He went on: “I’ll be honest with you, I signed for the dough, I’m 100% behind that. 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.
“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. In joining LIV, the five-time major champ gave up his playing rights on the PGA Tour, after being suspended for making the Saudi switch.
During his time on the Tour, Koepka announced himself as a modern great, with nine wins to his name including his major haul. With impressive performances of course came financial prizes, as the 33-year-old won a total of of £34 million ($43m) in prize money across 178 PGA Tour events.
News Related-
Pedestrian in his 70s dies after being struck by a lorry in Co Laois
-
Vermont shooting updates: Burlington police reveal suspect’s eerie reaction to arrest
-
Grace Dent says her ‘heart is broken’ as she exits I’m A Celebrity early
-
Stromer’s ST3 Urban E-Bike Goes Fancy With Minimalist Design, Modern Tech
-
Under-pressure Justice Minister announces review of the use of force for gardaí
-
My appearance has changed because of ageing, says Jennifer Lawrence
-
Man allegedly stabbed in the head during row in Co Wexford direct provision centre
-
Children escape without injury after petrol bomb allegedly thrown at house in Cork City
-
Wexford gardai investigating assault as man is bitten in the face during Main Street altercation
-
Child minder’s husband handed eight year sentence for abusing two children
-
The full list of the best London restaurants, cafes and takeaways revealed at the Good Food Awards
-
Mazda CEO Says EVs 'Not Taking Off' In The U.S.—Except Teslas
-
Leitrim locals set up checkpoint to deter asylum seekers
-
Ask A Doctor: Can You Get Shingles More Than Once?