Dustin Johnson takes LIV Golf earnings to $36m after team championship win

Watching the last putt of his season roll in, Dustin Johnson pumped his right fist and waited for the party to start.

Another big party. Another big check too.

Johnson drove the green on the 370-yard par-4 16th to set up an easy birdie that gave a little breathing room, Patrick Reed birdied his last hole to put their team ahead for good and 4Aces GC captured the season-closing LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral on Sunday with one shot over Cameron Smith and Punch GC.

Johnson (70), Reed (70), Talor Gooch (71) and Pat Perez (70) shot a combined 7 under 281 on Sunday’s par-72 – splitting $16 million.

“I feel incredible,” Perez said.

Feeling even better, Reed birdied his last hole to give Johnson a one-shot lead to work with.

Johnson was on the par-4 18th green in two when Reed finished, while Smith – the other player in Johnson’s pair – needed a miracle that didn’t come. Already birdie gave his team the lead and two putts from Johnson later it was over.

Already birdie gave his team the lead, and two putts from Johnson later it was over

The four Americans hug after winning the season-ending LIV Golf Team Championship

“I feel great,” Reed said.

The win capped off a monstrous year of winning for Johnson, by far the biggest winner in LIV’s first year. Including his $18 million for winning the season-long individual title, Johnson finished with $35,637,767 in earnings.

That’s 14 percent of the $255 million in purses and bonuses that all players won in LIV’s first year, excluding the signing bonuses, which were huge, reportedly around $200 million for Phil Mickelson, and at least $100 million. each for players like Johnson, Koepka and Bryson De Chambeau.

Smith (65), Matt Jones (70), Wade Ormsby (73) and Marc Leishman (74) finished 6 under for $8 million. Smash GC – Brooks Koepka (74), Peter Uihlein (75), Jason Kokrak (68) and Chase Koepka (75) – finished 4th over and split $6 million.

Stinger GC, the team of Louis Oosthuizen (71), Charl Schwartzel (71), Hennie du Plessis (76) and Branden Grace (80), finished in 10th over dividing $4 million.

Payouts next year, when LIV grows from eight to 14 events, will be $405 million. And as more players join LIV in the coming months, there will also be more signing bonuses.

4Aces GC won on Trump National Doral Sunday with one shot at Cameron Smith and Punch GC

“Next year we’re going to play 14 events, plus… the majors,” Mickelson said during the LIV Golf broadcast on YouTube, knocking on wood for luck before saying “the majors.” “And that’s a lot of golf. I have a lot of golf next year and I really want to get back to the level I know I can play.”

The majors remain in doubt as much of the qualifying process for them revolves around world rankings. For now, LIV players will not receive any points for their Official World Golf Ranking. They have tried to change that.

All 16 players who participated on Sunday ended their LIV year with more than $2 million in revenue, although most of them received much more.

Perez made just over $8 million in seven LIV events, which is more than he had in his last five years on the PGA Tour combined.

Uihlein, who never won on the PGA Tour, finished his LIV season with just over $12.5 million in seven events. That doubled his career earnings in 10 years as a pro.

“We’ve had a lot of headwinds,” LIV CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said in the streamed broadcast ahead of the start of the final round. “We’ve weathered all the storms, and we’re here. We have a great crew of people and we have a great product and we are up and running.”

Victory ended a monstrous year of profit for Johnson, by far the biggest winner in LIV .’s first year