San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
$4.75 million payday for golfer Schwartzel
Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel banked $4.75 million on Saturday by winning the richest tournament in golf history, while the event’s Saudi backers faced renewed backlash after a 9/11 victims’ group called for American players to withdraw from the rebel series.
Schwartzel held on for a one-shot victory at the inaugural LIV Golf event outside London to secure the $4 million prize for the individual victory — along with another $750,000 from his share of the $3 million purse earned by his four-man Stinger team for topping the team rankings.
Schwartzel, the 2011 winner at Augusta National, collected more prize money from winning the three-day, 54-hole event than he had from the past four years combined. It came at a cost, though — his having resigned his membership of the PGA Tour to play in the unsanctioned series without a waiver.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we could play for that much money in golf,” said Schwartzel, who had not won a PGA or European tour event since 2016.
Fellow South African Hennie Du Plessis, who was selected for Stinger by team captain Louis Oosthuizen in the draft, earned $2.875 million by finishing second at Centurion Club.
Schwartzel entered the final day with a three-shot lead and did just enough to hold off Du Plessis despite finishing with a 2-over-par 72 for a 7-under total of 203.
It is the first of eight events in the first year of LIV Golf, which began against the backdrop of the PGA Tour banning players who signed up. The European tour has yet to comment on any sanctions for players who jumped to the series without its approval.
Saudi Arabia’s track record of human rights violations has sparked criticism from groups, including Amnesty International, that the country is “sportswashing” its image by investing in signing up sports stars.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, who would not speak to the media at the event, called the series a “force for good” in a speech at the victory ceremony, without addressing criticism of the Saudi project. Sweden’s Linn Grant was flying the flag for the women at the European tour’s Scandinavian Mixed event after producing a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead over Jason Scrivener into the final round in Tylosand, Sweden.
After three rounds of a tournament that sees men and women play on the same course for one prize fund and one trophy, Grant is the only female player in the top 16 at Halmstad Golf Club. Henrik Stenson is third, three strokes behind Grant. Only one other player, Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, is within five shots.