After his pro-am spherical forward of final week’s LIV Golf Crew Championship in Miami, Brooks Koepka spoke about how everybody from gamers to caddies and coaches to managers have loved their time on the upstart collection in its first yr.
“It’s been enjoyable to see much more smiles on folks’s faces. I feel everybody’s genuinely comfortable,” stated Koepka at Trump Nationwide Doral after his spherical with the membership’s namesake and former President of the US, Donald Trump. “I feel the way in which there’s meals for the caddies, the way in which they’re handled like human beings, I feel that’s good as nicely, as a result of I’ve seen either side, and never everyone’s seen either side.”
The four-time main champion used the identical line on caddies being handled like human beings again in September, and whereas it’s an unfair, oblique comparability to how the PGA and DP World excursions deal with caddies, there’s a stark distinction in a looper’s expertise with LIV in comparison with on the varied excursions.
“You are feeling extra included. The little stuff, like simply having the ability to go into the participant eating and eat, and my spouse can go in there and hang around they usually let her go in all of the Membership 54’s and get some air-con and get a snack, stuff like that,” stated Austin Johnson, brother and caddie for LIV’s season-long champion and 24-time winner on Tour, Dustin Johnson. “The Tour was nice to us, it was an amazing place to work, LIV is simply higher high quality of labor for caddies.”
“I’m the most-spoiled caddie within the historical past of golf, don’t get me improper,” he continued, “however like loads of these guys, to have all of the bills paid for, to point out as much as work and know they’re gonna get a paycheck, it’s life altering. It truly is.
“I’m not attempting to speak dangerous in regards to the PGA Tour, I’m simply attempting to focus on how nice it’s out right here. I sound like a spoiled little child but it surely’s simply good to be executed with the spherical and I can go sit up within the air-con, have lunch with Dustin, have a good meal versus strolling over to some tent and hoping there’s meals in there.”
Journey. Lodge. Shuttles. Meals. It’s all coated by LIV. On the opposite excursions, these caddie bills come out of their very own pocket. In case you and your participant miss the reduce, you’re leaving empty-handed. That life-and-death weekly grind isn’t for the faint of coronary heart, and LIV’s 54-hole, no-cut occasions make for a way more relaxed vibe and work surroundings on the course.
“I feel it’s simply totally different out right here,” stated Chris Rice, who carries the bag for Harold Varner III and spent 9 years on the DP World Tour and 5 on the PGA Tour. “There’s clearly no reduce, which helps. That’s why everybody’s acquired a smile on their face as a result of on the PGA Tour, you’re enjoying to your livelihood, and when you miss the reduce — it’s a bit totally different for the highest guys as a result of they’re at all times gonna make some huge cash, however for the fellows which are decrease down and preventing to maintain their playing cards and pay for his or her household and stuff like that, I feel everybody’s just a bit bit extra relaxed.”
Rice stated the dearth of a reduce takes a number of the strain off, whereas Johnson argued he feels extra strain when he and Dustin are in rivalry in LIV occasions in comparison with after they have been on Tour.
“There’s a lot on the road, the distinction between first and second is sort of $2 million,” he stated. “That’s large. ‘Okay, you didn’t win, you get $2 million,’ however hell, might’ve received and made $4 million.”
Over LIV’s seven regular-season occasions, first place received $4 million, second received $2.125 million.
“The extent of competitors, everybody’s like ‘Oh, there’s no reduce, what’re you nervous about?’ however these guys wish to win, they wish to beat one another,” added Johnson. “We see one another on a regular basis, we tee off on the identical time, eat on the identical time, you assume these guys like watching (expletive) Dustin simply dominate the person factor? Nah man, it’s as aggressive because it might get out right here.”
LIV will transition to its 14-event league format in 2023, and officers are banking on the group facet to commercialize the product and add a income stream it presently doesn’t possess. Whereas followers have been sluggish to get on board, gamers and caddies are all-in on the groups.
“The group facet is my favourite half,” stated Johnson. “We go to group dinners and we’re hanging out collectively, we journey collectively typically after we can. Subsequent yr it’s going to be carried out much more with the group facet. It’s thrilling. It’s enjoyable. It’s been rejuvenating, a breath of recent air.”
“The entire group facet is nice as a result of everybody’s enjoying for one another,” Rice agreed. “It’s not simply enjoying for themselves. Since you’re enjoying for a group. It’s simply totally different to what we usually play for.”
The gamers get larger paydays with LIV, which implies the caddies do, as nicely. Cash is sweet on the opposite excursions, however it will probably’t examine to LIV, the place first place wins $4 million and final (forty eighth) earns $120,000. For comparability, to make that a lot at this week’s PGA Tour cease in Mexico, a participant would wish to complete within the prime 20 (18th – $125,050, nineteenth – $116,850).
“Pat Perez’s caddie, he labored a couple of years out on Tour the place he won’t even have damaged even,” stated Johnson, utilizing Perez’s longtime looper Mike Hartford for instance. “Flying around the globe 30 weeks a yr, sharing motels, sharing rental vehicles, sharing pizzas, working your ass off and shedding cash. That shouldn’t occur in America, particularly not from a company that makes a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} off the fellows on the market working. That’s not proper for my part.”
Hartford has been strolling with Perez relationship again to his first yr on Tour in 2002. During the last 20 years, Perez made $29,103,072 on Tour. Throughout seven LIV occasions, with a finest end of T-15, Perez cleared greater than $8 million in LIV’s first yr.
“It’s life altering. I’m simply glad my participant took me to come back and I’m grateful for that, I really feel grateful to be right here,” stated Hartford after he and Perez helped the 4Aces win the inaugural group championship final week. His expertise with LIV has been optimistic, and it’s extra than simply the cash.
“We’re extra a part of the group. I’m capable of go to the eating with Pat, they care for my resort expense, my journey, airways, all of the transportation is offered, they make you actually really feel such as you’re simply one other participant, which is superior.”
Rice stated caddies are continually asking if jobs are open, and he can’t resist the urge to “wind up the boys” every time after they do. However when it’s time to get critical, he’s sincere about his expertise so far.
“In case you get a chance to come back out right here, it may be life altering,” stated Rice, echoing the same sentiment felt by most LIV caddies. “I feel hopefully down the road, I feel everybody will begin coming collectively. In the interim, we’ll see the way it performs out.”
“I respect the opinions of those that wish to keep away from LIV due to its sophisticated and controversial ties,” an nameless LIV caddie just lately instructed Golf Digest. “That stated, out of my dozen or so closest caddie buddies on Tour, half of them are doing every part they’ll to discover a approach to LIV. To loads of us, it’s a chance we are able to’t afford to cross up.”
That cash versus morals debate has been some extent of rivalry with LIV because the collection was introduced. On account of Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund being its sole backer, LIV Golf has lengthy been criticized as a means for the Kingdom to sportswash its human rights report. Saudi Arabia has been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses, together with politically motivated killings, torture, pressured disappearances and inhumane remedy of prisoners. To not point out members of the royal household and Saudi authorities have been accused of involvement within the homicide of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Submit columnist.
“I don’t actually become involved an excessive amount of, I don’t actually learn loads into it. Everybody’s gonna have their opinion on it and that’s their very own private opinion. I can simply offer you an opinion on how I discovered it since I’ve been right here,” stated Rice. “I feel if anybody will get the chance, they are going to for positive come out.”
“It’s like they acquired a gaggle of caddies collectively and requested them to design a tour,” stated Austin. “I truthfully don’t know what they may do to make it higher, have somebody carry the bag for me is about the one (expletive) factor I can give you.”
Players, fans, the PGA Tour and more: The winners and losers from LIV Golf’s first year
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