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Saudis Will Compensate PGA Golfers Who Refused to Jump Ship: Report

A so-called compensation fund is in the works for players like Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, who both refused to be lured away by lucrative offers to join the breakaway LIV league.

Plans are reportedly underway to compensate PGA Tour golfers who turned down eye-watering sums of money to join the rebel LIV Golf organization upon its formation last year—only to have their loyalty thrown back in their faces when it was announced last week that the two competitors would merge to form a larger enterprise. The compensation fund is being put together by LIV’s Saudi investors, and will draw from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, according to sources with knowledge of the matter who spoke with The Times of London. One insider said that the plan will allow PGA’s top players to “level up” financially, while letting players who were lured away from PGA last year—including, notably, Phil Mickelson, who accepted a reported offer of $200 million to jump ship—keep the money they’ve already accrued. Among those who turned down offers to join LIV when it was still a fledgling breakaway organization was Tiger Woods, who turned down what was said to be a “mind-blowingly enormous” offer in the nine digits.