25 February 2024 , 21:48
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Dustin Johnson's £3.2 million ($4m) in Las Vegas this month was almost 11 times bigger than the cash prize handed to fellow LIV Golf star Carlos Ortiz following his victory on the Asian Tour on Sunday.
Ortiz claimed his first main Tour victory since the Houston Open in November 2020, after the 32-year-old saw off two other LIV members in Louis Oosthuizen and his Torque GC captain, Joaquin Niemann, at the International Series event in Oman. The Mexican star carded four rounds in the 60's, topped off with a superb seven-under-par 65 in Sunday's final round.
The victory was an important one for Ortiz, who will pick up some all-important world ranking points amid LIV Golf's wait for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) recognition.
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It of course comes with a cool cash bonus too, winning £284,000 ($360k) after coming out on top. Whilst the venture onto the Asian Tour provides a much-needed rise in the world rankings, Ortiz's victory cheque is a far cry from the riches on offer on the LIV setup, as proven by Johnson's latest win.
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Ortiz finished well of the pace in Vegas two weeks prior to his victory in the Middle East, tying for 39th at level-par across his 54 holes, earning £104,000 ($132k) in the process. In 2023, the Mexican star was the 15th highest earner on the breakaway circuit, banking a cool £6.4 million ($7.9m) in just 13 events.
This took his LIV career earnings to £11.2 million ($14.2m), after making £4.8 million ($6m) in his maiden season with the Saudi-backed series in 2022. Remarkably, the 32-year-old has made almost double the amount of prize money he cashed in nine seasons during his time with the PGA Tour.
Carlos Ortiz prevailed on the Asian Tour in Oman (Getty Images)Johnson meanwhile is one of the breakaway's biggest earners, having cashed more than £39 million in prize money in just 25 LIV events, alongside his mega-money signing bonus to initially make the Saudi switch worth a reported £100 million. Following the initial inception of the LIV setup in June 2022, a number of stars - including Johnson - were criticised for making the move, with money appearing to be the clear incentive over a spot on the PGA Tour.
Whilst many denied the financial drive behind their decision, Johnson provided an honest assessment over his reasoning. "The decision to join LIV, for me it was playing less, making more money. Pretty simple," the former Masters champion said when appearing in Netflix's 'Full Swing' docuseries.
"Someone offers anyone a job doing the same thing they're already doing but less time at the office and they're going to pay them more, pretty sure you're going to take it. Something's wrong with you if you didn't."