Report: $10M crypto purse for PGA Tour-LIV duel
The PGA Tour-LIV Golf made-for-TV matchup on Dec. 17 featuring four of the sport’s biggest names will have a purse worth a minimum of $10 million in cryptocurrency, Front Office Sports reported on Wednesday.
The newly named Crypto.com Showdown will see Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy of the PGA Tour compete against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau of LIV in an 18-hole event at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas.
The purse will be paid in CRO cryptocurrency, the sponsor said. It’s unclear how much the winning and losing teams will receive.
The prize money is more than most tournaments on the PGA Tour, other than majors and signature events, which are usually in the $8 million-$9 million range. The winners of PGA events often take more than $1 million.
Crypto.com CMO Steve Kalifowitz told Front Office Sports that the players don’t have to keep the cryptocurrency and can sell or trade their winnings.
The contest, which will air on TNT at 6 p.m. ET, is lined up as a Ryder Cup-style event, with match-play rounds of four-ball, singles and alternate shot.
In a similar event in 2018, Phil Mickleson beat Tiger Woods in the first edition of “The Match” and took home the entire $9 million prize. In February of this year, McIlroy won $2.4 million after beating Max Homa, Rose Zhang and Lexi Thompson.
