The $3 MILLION Moaner! LIV Golf rebel Talor Gooch laments losing nearly half of his prize money from the inaugural event of Saudi Arabia-funded tour Down Under after Australian taxpayer cashed 47% of his $6 million check
Talor Gooch revealed that his triumph at LIV Golf Adelaide was spoiled by the Australian taxpayer, who claimed nearly half of his winnings.
The American won the inaugural LIV Golf event Down Under last week, shooting a one-over 73 to earn his first victory on the Saudi-backed tour by three strikes from Anirban Lahiri.
The 31-year-old pocketed $6 million (£3.1 million) in prize money, but much of it never reached his bank account with $2.86 million (£1.5 million) claimed by the Australian tax office.
“It was a bit disheartening to see 47.5 per cent because of Australian taxes [do] don’t enter the account,” he told the Fore The People podcast.
“It comes, you know, almost sometimes it’s 48 hours, but usually it’s 24 hours after the direct deposit hits.
Talor Gooch won LIV Golf’s inaugural event in Australia last week when he triumphed in Adelaide
The American claimed a check for $6 million (£3.1 million), but lost 47 percent of the amount in taxes
“It was a big one last week, but yeah, it sucks that unfortunately there was 47.5 per cent withholding for Australian taxes.
“I’m certainly not complaining, but the four [million dollars] [six million in Australian dollars] if you’ve broken it all down, let’s say it’s much less than four.’
All LIV Golf events follow the same structure and payout, with a total prize pool of $37 million (£19.6 million).
The winner will take home $6 million (£3.1 million) and the winning team will share a check for $4 million (£2.1 million). There are a total of 12 teams, each consisting of four players.
On Sunday, Gooch claimed his second $6 million (£3.1 million) check in a week as he became the first player to win back-to-back LIV Golf titles after a playoff hole victory against Sergio Garcia at the LIV Singapore Tournament in Sentosa. Golf Club.
It means the American, who had won just once in 121 PGA Tour starts before defecting to LIV Golf, has amassed $12 million (£6.3 million) in winnings in just over a week – at least before the Australian tax office got its fair share.
And Gooch’s exploits could make his caddy Mal Baker a wealthy man, with the Aussie pocketing $1.2 million (£635,000) for his services if the LIV Golf star gave 10 per cent of the winnings to his caddy , as is usual for professional golfers.
Last week, Gooch credited Baker, who has been on his bag for six years, for playing a key role in his triumph in Adelaide.
“His green reading skills here are incredible,” he said.
“I leaned on him more this week than I have in a long time. He was so perfect in the beginning, and it just gave me confidence in him, and I think it gave me confidence in himself
Gooch credited his Aussie caddy Mal Baker (left) for his win in Adelaide last week
“He’s done a really, really good job of just not hesitating and just being himself and just pretending this is another round of golf, even if it was a huge round of golf for us.”
Should Baker pocket $1.2 million (£635,000), he will make more money in a week than Jordan Spieth made when he finished fourth at the Masters last month.
The figure will be only slightly short of what Masters champion Jon Rahm earned by finishing second to Tony Finau at the Mexico Open on Sunday.
The Spaniard received $1.3 million (£690,000) and has already earned $22 million (£11.6 million) this season thanks to some remarkable form.