NEW YORK – Two-time Masters champion turned LIV Golf defector Bubba Watson said on Wednesday that he got “paid behind closed doors” while on the PGA Tour to show up at many tournaments, which is a violation of Tour rules.
Watson, 43, made the comments to ESPN about the hullabaloo made by the PGA Tour and critics of LIV Golf about the hundreds of million of dollars being thrown around by the controversial Saudi-backed circuit to lure players away from the US-based Tour.
“It makes me laugh because on the PGA Tour, I got paid behind closed doors to show up at tournaments, many tournaments,” the American said.
“And if Bubba Watson’s not the best, that means the best were getting paid better than me and more than me. And so it’s guaranteed money.
“I miss the cut, I still make money. I make the cut, I make extra money.”
Watson said he was paid by sponsors and tournament organisers.
In a statement to ESPN on Wednesday, the PGA Tour reiterated that it “prohibits the payment of appearance money to players as an inducement to play in a particular tournament” but that when it comes to players’ sponsors, it has no control over what happens.
“We are aware that certain tournament sponsors may contract with a player to perform a sponsor-related activity during tournament week for which they receive nominal compensation,” a statement said. “This is permissible under our guidelines.”
Watson, who won 12 times on the PGA Tour, would not divulge how much he received to play in events on the Tour.
“I’d laugh at (the criticism) because we all had some guaranteed money to show up at places,” he added. “Win, lose, quit, whatever it is, you still got the money. We’ve all been doing that. We’ve all been playing for guaranteed money. The critics, it just makes me laugh because that’s what we’re doing. We don’t want to talk about it on tour, but we are getting it.”
PGA Tour player advisory council member Kevin Kisner rejected the notion, saying Watson is talking about contractual sponsor-related activities, a far cry from pay-for-play.
“If Travelers wants to pay Bubba Watson to go do a tent visit, that has nothing to do with the PGA Tour,” Kisner told ESPN.
“You don’t think Zurich in New Orleans is pressuring guys to play because they’re sponsoring them on their sleeves? That’s not an appearance fee. That’s an off-course endorsement that’s under contract.”
LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman also weighed in on the issue.
He told ESPN: “I’ve been away from the PGA Tour for so long. I have heard those rumours and opinions out there. I can only say that if Bubba is saying that, it’s got to be factual and it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
“Back in my day, we were not allowed to take appearance money. We had to go just play golf, and we earned what we earned, and we spent what we had to spend to go earn that money. It might be different now.”
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf are currently embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit, with a trial set for January 2024. REUTERS
