The LIV Golf League's season-long champion will no longer win $18 million in bonus money as the PIF-backed circuit publicly revealed a significant cut to its payout on the eve of the 2026 campaign.
Dustin Johnson claimed the first mammoth payout back in 2022 before Talor Gooch banked it in 2023 and Jon Rahm subsequently scooped the $18 million payout in both 2024 and 2025.
However, whoever tops the tweaked points standings at the end of 2026 is in line for a much lower bonus check - two-thirds less, in fact.
Shared in the LIV Golf 2026 Media Guide, LIV revealed that its overall bonus pool for the individual championship had dropped by $20 million from last year.
Instead of a $30 million total with $18 million for the champion, $8 million for second and $4 million for third, there will now be a $6 million for the man who claims the most points across LIV's 13 events. Then, whoever comes second will take home $3 million while the pro in third will be due $1 million in bonus money.
There will also now be other perks on offer to high finishers in the LIV Golf League from this term after it was announced the OWGR had approved the PIF-backed circuit's application for world-ranking points.
The decision, which arrived 24 hours prior to the opening tee shot of LIV Golf's 2026 campaign, means that anyone finishing in the top-10 spots at LIV events will now pick up OWGR points which are often equivalent to DP World Tour competitions.
Meanwhile, LIV has made a number of other changes to its financial rewards this year which relate to both the individual and team competitions.
Firstly, the overall weekly pot will increase from $25 million to $30 million with every team picking up at least some of the $10 million prize money payout moving forward, based on their finishing position. Until 2026, the team prize money pot was $5 million in total.
Previously, only the top-three teams earned any money at each tournament, with $3 million for the top side, $1.5 million for the team in second and $500,000 for the roster in third.
From LIV Golf Riyadh, however, the winners and runner-up will still take home $3 million and $1.5 million, respectively. But third is now due $900,000 with the prizes decreasing incrementally all the way down to $200,000 for the side in last.
In terms of the season-long Team Championship prize pot, that now stands at $40 million instead of $50 million with $11.2 million going to the triumphant quartet, $6.5 million going to the team in second and $4.8 million heading the way of the side in the bronze-medal position.
Additionally, LIV has introduced a new mini pot of $2.3 million to be allocated to players on the top-three teams at each tournament.
In theory, the prizes of $1 million, $800,000 and $500,000 could be given to the leading player on the corresponding team's roster, but LIV noted that “captains can allocate to their team players as they wish.”
Explaining the decisions, LIV said: "The expanded funding reflects LIV Golf's commitment to building sustainable, valuable team franchises and rewarding every player's contribution to team success."
LIV INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP BONUS PRIZE MONEY
Position |
Prize Money (2025) |
Prize Money (2026) |
|---|---|---|
1st |
$18 million |
$6 million |
2nd |
$8 million |
$3 million |
3rd |
$4 million |
$1 million |
LIV TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP BONUS PRIZE MONEY
Position |
Prize Money (2025) |
Prize Money (2026) |
|---|---|---|
1st |
$14 million |
$11.2 million |
2nd |
$8 million |
$6.5 million |
3rd |
$6 million |
$4.8 million |
4th |
$4 million |
$3.2 million |
5th |
$3.25 million |
$2.6 million |
6th |
$3 million |
$2.4 million |
7th |
$2.75 million |
$2.2 million |
8th |
$2.5 million |
$2 million |
9th |
$2 million |
$1.6 million |
10th |
$1.65 million |
$1.32 million |
11th |
$1.3 million |
$1.04 million |
12th |
$950,000 |
$760,000 |
13th |
N/A |
$480,000 |
LIV GOLF TEAM PRIZE MONEY PAYOUT
Position |
Prize Money (2025) |
Prize Money (2026) |
|---|---|---|
1st |
$3 million |
$3 million |
2nd |
$1.5 million |
$1.5 million |
3rd |
$500,000 |
$900,000 |
4th |
N/A |
$700,000 |
5th |
N/A |
$650,000 |
6th |
N/A |
$600,000 |
7th |
N/A |
$550,000 |
8th |
N/A |
$500,000 |
9th |
N/A |
$450,000 |
10th |
N/A |
$400,000 |
11th |
N/A |
$300,000 |
12th |
N/A |
$250,000 |
13th |
N/A |
$200,000 |
TOTAL |
$5 million |
$10 million |
