Eye-watering LIV Golf final prize money standings as Dustin Johnson pockets mega £30.7m

“I really regret my decision to come here,” Dustin Johnson joked earlier this month after claiming the £16million first place bonus for topping the LIV Golf individual standings.

Johnson is renowned for being one of golf’s most mundane figures but this uncharacteristically sarcastic quip perfectly illustrated the mark that Saudi-Arabia’s oil-riches have made, breezing into a sport that once appeared a closed shop.

The former US Open and Masters champion is one of 13 major winners who defected from the traditional ecosystem to play on the Saudi-funded LIV invitational tour in a year that has shaken the sport to its core.

CEO Greg Norman has guided the contentious LIV venture through a tumultuous inaugural season, where inordinate cash prizes have largely taken precedent over the action on the fairways.

And the season came to a close on the outskirts of Miami on Sunday when Johnson’s ‘4Aces’ team, including Patrick Reed, Pat Perez and Talor Gooch, claimed the Team Championship title.

The quartet each pocketed £3.5m for winning the final LIV tournament of 2022. Johnson ultimately ended up with £30.7m for the season, a remarkable sum considering he has competed in just eight events.

Each individual event has had a prize pot of £22m, while the team finale was played for an eye-watering total of £43m. The prize money will only increase next year in LIV’s fixed 14 event calendar, that is expected to include a stop-off at the famous Valderrama course in Spain.

South African Branden Grace ended his year having claimed £14.5m in prize money, while maligned American Patrick Reed made £10.6m. The highest earning European was Eugenio Lopez Chacarra, the former top amateur who turned professional to join Norman’s fledging series. The young Spaniard claimed his maiden pro victory at the Thailand Invitational in Bangkok.

That Pat Perez took home £7m for 34th, 32nd, 16th, 31st, 40th and 46th-place finishes in his six events showed the importance but perhaps absurdity of LIV’s team format.

Elsewhere, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson, who both jeopardised their chances of ever being involved in the Ryder Cup again to join LIV, earned over a combined £10m.

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson, front and centre of the LIV storm, finished just 40th on the prize money list after claiming £1.6m across the eight tournaments. Mickelson’s form suffered after a four month hiatus where he became the game’s unlikely pariah.

But the chance to win such extraordinary sums will remain an exciting proposition for LIV rebels next year, and seven new players are expected to sign ahead of the 2023 series.

Below is the top 10 players listed in the LIV prize money standings:

1. Dustin Johnson – £30.7m
2. Branden Grace – £14.5m
3. Peter Uihlein – £11.2m
4. Patrick Reed – £10.6m
5. Talor Gooch – £9m
6. Brooks Koepka – £7.2m
7. Charl Schwartzel – £7.1m
8. Pat Perez – £7m
9. Cam Smith – £6.4m
10. Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra – £6m