LIV Golf offered Will Zalatoris $130 MILLION, says Fred Couple, but rising star turned down the money to stay with PGA
According to PGA legend Fred Couples, Will Zalatoris turned down a mouthwatering nine-figure offer to join LIV Golf.
26-year-old Zalatoris has made a name for himself with a second-place finish at the 2021 Masters and last year’s PGA Championship, and LIV apparently took notice.
Talking to the Orange County RegisterCouples claimed Zalatoris had been offered a whopping $130 million — after an initial $35 million bid — but turned down the Saudi-backed competition.
LIV has lured players like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau for reported fees of more than $125 million each ($200 million for Mickelson), and has touted a new push for the sport with its shotgun starts and team roster.
However, some are not impressed by the competition.
“I don’t know anything about the LIV Tour except they overpay them all,” the couples told the Orange County Register.
Will Zalatoris has made a huge impact over the years, finishing second at two Majors
Fred Couples and Zalatoris share an agent, which may explain how he knows about the offer
But LIV’s willingness to spend hasn’t translated into viewership results — at least not yet.
The 2023 debut of the league in Mayakoba reportedly attracted fewer than 300,000 viewers, according to the Sports Business Journal.
“It was on the CW a few weeks ago, or whatever channel everyone laughs at,” Couples said of the competition.
“I turned it on three times. It was so bad that I couldn’t even look at someone I liked. They don’t show them. … Who won the last one? I do not even know.’
Couples also criticized LIV defectors like Mickelson for taking farewell photos on their way out.
“Just go on the LIV Tour, but stop destroying something I’ve been a part of for 42 years,” said the 15-time PGA Tour winner.
‘That’s my problem [with LIV players]. They’re all bashing the PGA Tour, and that kind of hits me.”
LIV’s next tournament is this weekend in Tuscon, Arizona.
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