For almost as long as it has existed, professional golf has had a clear hier­archy. Major championships have been the pinnacle of the game, and the US-based PGA Tour has been the world’s strongest and most exclusive professional golf circuit, attracting the best players in the world.

The DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, was second on golf’s small pyramid, attracting many of the world’s best Euro­pean players, and was often used to kickstart careers — such as those of Rory McIlroy and Sergio García. South Africans have also been particularly successful on this circuit.

These tours have decades of history, and a legacy built by some of the world’s greatest golfers competing year after year.

Yet, when a new tour arrived, with money unlike anything ever seen in the game, history and legacy went out the window. 

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hoists the FedEx Cup. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Gallo Images)

The elephant in the room

The LIV Golf Invitational Series, which recently completed its first season, is a professional golf circuit funded by Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund, reportedly worth $500-billion.

The season consisted of eight LIV events. The first took place in early June at the Centurion Club in London, and the season finale concluded at the Trump National Doral golf course in Miami, Florida, at the end of October.

Headed by Greg Norman, LIV aggressively pursued some of the biggest names in the game and gave players huge signing-on fees. Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson were both paid more than $100-million just to join, whereas most other defectors signed on for tens of millions.

The LIV “tournaments” were invitational only, and consisted of a field of 48 players playing 54-hole stroke play for the indivi­dual title. Participants were split into 12 teams of four, with prizes on offer.

There was no cut, each round had a shotgun start and the first season of events did not offer participants world ranking points. What caught the world’s attention was the money. 

Cameron Smith. (Photo: Daniel Pockett / Getty Images)

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South Africans cashed in

Each event had a total purse of $25-million, with the individual winner taking home a cool $4-million.

A number of notable players signed with LIV Golf over the course of the season, despite facing a complete ban from the PGA Tour, including major champions Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Mickelson and Cameron Smith.

South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Shaun Norris not only made the jump but quickly found success.

Schwartzel won the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational in London, with a one-shot victory over compatriot Hennie du Plessis. As a result of his win, combined with the all-South African Stinger GC winning the team competition, he netted $4.75-million, nearly double the $2.7-million Scottie Scheffler took home for winning the 2022 Masters.

At the next event, in Portland in the US, South Africans shone again, and Grace claimed a two-stroke victory over Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz.

Grace went on to finish second to Johnson in the season-long Order of Merit. For this, he received an $8-million bonus, which took his season earnings to $16.6-million. For reference, Grace’s career earnings on the PGA Tour amount to just over $12-million.

Yet, despite success for a number of players financially, 2022 marked a decline for South African golf on the world stage.

Oosthuizen is currently the only South African in the top 50 of the world rankings, sitting at number 49. The 2010 Open champion ended 2021 ranked 10th in the world.

In December, Oosthuizen briefly slipped out of the top 50 for the first time in more than a decade, but was helped by a tie for seventh at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in Mpumalanga — with LIV golfers still allowed to play DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour events.

Schwartzel’s tie 10th finish at the Masters was the only top 10 in a major for a South African this year, and there are now just four players from South Africa inside the world’s top 100 — down from nine in February.

Thriston Lawrence (26) had a stellar first season on the DP World Tour, claiming two victories en route to getting the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award — the first South African to win it. He has since added another victory, the South African Open, and is at a career-high of 63rd in the world.

Dean Burmester, plying his trade on the PGA Tour, had his best major finish with a tie for 11th at the Open Championship, and is ranked 55th. 

Thriston Lawrence celebrates winning the Investec SA Open Championship. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Gallo Images)

Rory is back on top

As he became the face of the PGA Tour in its fight with LIV, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy returned to the summit of the world rankings by winning the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup and the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai — becoming only the second player after Henrik Stenson to complete the double.

McIlroy won three times on the PGA tour and finished in the top eight of all four majors — although a first major championship title since 2014 eluded him.

At the Masters, American Scheffler was in control from the get-go, unflappable en route to a three-stroke victory over McIlroy to claim his first major.

McIlroy carded a final round 64 (-8), which included holing a bunker shot on the 18th, for his best finish at Augusta. With four wins in the season, Scheffler was PGA Tour Player of the Year and briefly held the number one spot in the world rankings.

At the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, Justin Thomas secured his second major title after coming from seven shots back at the start of the day to defeat Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff.

Chile’s Mito Pereira, who took a three-stroke lead into the final round, had a one-stroke lead playing the final hole, but hit his drive into a water hazard and ultimately made a double bogey, missing the playoff by one. No South African was inside the top 50.

England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick won his first major at the 2022 US Open, at Brookline. He secured a one-stroke victory over Zalatoris and Scheffler after a final round 68. MJ Daffue was the highest-placed South African, in a tie for 31st. 

The Open Championship

Cameron Smith, who enjoyed a breakout year in 2022, won his first major at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews after shooting 64 (-8) in the final round to claim a one-stroke victory over PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Cameron Young, who shot 65 (-7) in the final round. McIlroy was a further shot back in third place. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.