LIV Golf has been throwing money around the sport signing the biggest names for extortionate paychecks, but not everyone earns the big bucks.
LIV Golf has shaken up the sport since its inception in 2022, splashing extortionate amounts of cash in order to sign the biggest names in golf – but not everyone on the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway circuit got the same treatment as the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
Shaun Norris joined the breakaway circuit in 2022 and ended up playing seven events, starting with the LIV Invitational Portland – the second event of the controversial tour.
He ended up staying throughout the first year, but then left at the start of 2023 to return to the DP World Tour. Despite the riches thrown around by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, with the likes of Dustin Johnson earning £27million and Patrick Reed pocketing £9.3m in the first year alone, Norris earned a comparably-modest £782,000 for his efforts on the circuit.
For reference, new signing Tyrrell Hatton has already earned £1.5m in the space of just four events since signing earlier in the year.
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Shaun Norris is now back on the DP World Tour circuit
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After leaving, however, Norris had a relatively quiet 2023, only entering a handful of events and failing to make the cut on three occasions. Norris has enjoyed a lightning-fast start to his 2024, however, after returning to the DP World Tour. In his most recent outing, Norris finished tied for second place at the Johnson Workwear Open.
Norris may not have too long to wait before he’ll share the course with his former LIV Golf teammates again, however, as talks continue over a groundbreaking merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf – which would incorporate the DP World Tour.
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Earlier in the week, Tiger Woods met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of the PIF, to play a round of golf and discuss the future of the sport. The meeting was apparently hosted by Woods at the Albany Club in the Bahamas, as the two attempted to discuss the ongoing merger talks.
The golfing world is waiting for the groundbreaking deal to be completed, with a framework agreement reached by the two sides last year. The framework deal would see the end of golf’s civil war, allowing players who defected to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to return.
