Time flies when you’re having fun and winning lots of money. It doesn’t seem that long ago since the controversial LIV Golf teed off in Hemel Hempstead, and here we are once again at Centurion, where Charl Schwartzel pocketed an eye-watering $4.75m a little over 12 months ago.
The South African and his fellow Stinger GC team members have been speaking ahead of LIV Golf London, and the former Masters champion casted his mind back to last year’s opener, one that proved particularly healthy for his bank balance.
Asked for his thoughts on scooping such a huge prize, Schwartzel replied: “At this stage coming in, trying to win a tournament, I wasn't thinking of the money. But then when everything sinks in afterwards and you're celebrating with the guys and you start thinking, wow, that was a lot of money I just won.”
Schwartzel won the 2011 Masters and with it a cheque for just shy of $1.5m. The prize money on LIV Golf, however, dwarfs those seen in other other professional Tour events around the world. In fact, not including his signing on fee, Dustin Johnson has already banked over $40m in LIV Golf prize money.
“Everything we do in life is for money, too,” said Schwartzel, who also described his huge payday as “surreal”. “People say they do it for the love; we do it for the love because we love playing the game, but you also do it to support your family. You want to make money.”
LIV Golf players have had their competitiveness questioned over the last 12 months, many suggesting that they would no longer be sharp enough to compete at Major Championships. Schwartzel, who has qualified for this month’s Open at Royal Liverpool, doesn’t agree.
“I think what you see out here is guys, because we play less tournaments, and then obviously less holes, 54 holes, guys still come out on a Monday night, and it seems like preparation now is a little bit more prepared for the tournaments than what we were when we played more golf and more holes.
“Guys come and spend more time. I think their games are sharp when they do start the tournaments, and I think we can see why the scores that are being shot, the guys are playing really good out here. What it does is it's broken up nicely for us so you can stay sharp.”
“We saw Brooks [Koepka] obviously win the PGA, and a lot of the LIV guys have done pretty good. The guys are staying sharp, so I think playing out here definitely doesn't give you a disadvantage in playing Major tournaments.”
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