From the moment LIV Golf emerged, Phil Mickelson consistently argued the Saudi-backed league would transform golf’s economic landscape. As LIV’s early advocate, he highlighted the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed” and credited LIV for forcing purse increases and player-friendly changes. He has particularly pointed out LIV’s role in driving financial changes: “There was no leverage before… there were no other options.” When the PGA Tour announced $20 million purses for elevated events in 2023, Mickelson emphasized this wouldn’t have happened “without the leverage that LIV Golf has provided.”

Mickelson’s conviction never wavered. “We’ve made some major disruption to the sport of golf, and have created some really unique opportunities for players and fans,” he maintained, adding confidently, “We’re just getting started.” On the other spectrum of the golf world stood a contradictory force.

“I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf, I hate it. I really do,” Rory McIlroy, a PGA Tour loyalist, said in 2022, and then in 2023, again reiterated simply, “I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does.” Since then, McIlroy seems to be thawing towards the idea of unification. Continuing that thought, it seems like by his own admission about his finances, McIlroy has reiterated what Mickelson had been saying all along.

“Because I look at what I made in 2019 before LIV came around and I look at what I’ve made after LIV came around and it’s very different,” McIlroy revealed at the press conference, addressing his dramatic shift in perspective. “Like I don’t know what to say, I earn more money now than I did in 2019 and if LIV hadn’t have come around, I don’t know if I would have been able to say that.”The numbers emphatically support McIlroy’s claim. His career earnings have skyrocketed from $54.3 million in 2019 to $94.5 million by 2025 – a staggering increase of over $40 million in just six years.

When McIlroy’s admission surfaced on NUCLR Golf’s Twitter post, Mickelson, in his characteristically sassy style, responded with“👍👍,” letting the emoji speak for itself. This is significant validation from Lefty, indeed.

The Northern Irishman once acknowledged LIV’s role in bringing forth signature events. “Like for me, we’ve all done better from all of this. Whether you stayed on the PGA TOUR or you left, we have all benefited from this. I’ve been on the record saying this a lot, like we’re playing for a $20 million prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn’t have come around.” 

LIV’s disruptive force is self-evident when one looks at the evolution of the finances in the game.

Is Rory McIlroy right? Has LIV actually influenced PGA Tour purses?

LIV Golf’s emergence in 2022 forced the PGA Tour into an unprecedented financial arms race. Before LIV’s $25 million per-event purses, the Tour’s biggest regular-season prize pool was The Players Championship at $15 million. The threat of player defections drove rapid escalation—by 2023, the Tour had created elevated events matching LIV’s $20-25 million purses, while The Players Championship grew to $25 million.

The Tour’s defensive response cascaded through professional golf’s entire financial structure. The FedEx Cup playoffs, worth $60 million in 2019, now offer $100 million. Signature events like the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Genesis Invitational saw 67% purse increases from $12 million to $20 million—direct counter-programming to LIV’s guaranteed prize money.

This talent competition transformed player earnings across all levels. Median Tour earnings surged 49.8% from $1.02 million in 2019 to $1.53 million in 2023. Top earners saw even more dramatic increases: Scottie Scheffler’s 2023 earnings of $28.1 million nearly tripled Brooks Koepka’s 2019 total of $9.68 million.

LIV’s guaranteed contracts also forced the Tour to introduce new financial protections. Rookies now receive $500,000 upfront guarantees, while missed cuts come with $5,000 travel stipends—unprecedented measures before LIV’s challenge. The Player Impact Program doubled to $100 million annually, representing another direct response to LIV’s guaranteed money model.

What do you think about McIlroy’s candid admission about LIV’s impact on his earnings? Let us know in the comments section below!