PGA Tour star exposes huge cost of being pro – but doesn’t want cash LIV | Gulf

Golf pro Michael Kim has revealed the staggering costs of competing on the PGA Tour, revealing he spent nearly $100,000 (£74,750) on travel and accommodation in 2024 alone.

The 31-year-old, currently ranked 154th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), has had a commendable career since turning pro in December 2013.

After two years on the Web.com Tour, he joined the PGA Tour in 2016 and has since won just one event – the 2018 John Deere Classic. Despite yet to make his mark in the majors, his best performance a T17 finish at the 2013 US Open, Kim’s eight-year stint on the PGA Tour has been lucrative, earning him just over $7m (£5.23m sterling).

That includes an impressive $1.48m (£1.11m) in the 2024 season alone, despite his T5 finish at the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin in October, according to the Irish Star. However, despite playing in 30 tournaments and making the cut in just over half of them, 2024 has been a challenging year for Kim.

Adding to his woes is the amount of money he spent on travel and accommodation throughout the season. Kim shared a screenshot of a $92,698.11 (£69,292.79) bill for flights and hotels for the 2024 tours on social media.

He noted: “This is my flight and hotel expenses for 30 tours in 2024. Zero dollars spent on private flights and rarely in business class. I can’t imagine the costs of the best guys… At least I am. up some CC points!”

In a further observation about the monetary demands of her profession, Kim revealed that her expenses last year were even higher due to additional travel commitments, noting, “Last year was a little bit higher due to the fact that I went to the Open Championship and played 32 events. “

Amid this financial revelation, Kim has recently been clear about his lack of enthusiasm for the PGA Tour being comfortable with LIV Golf, with World No. 3 Rory McIlroy pointing out that certain players prefer to keep the two apart.

Offering insight into his personal conflict, Kim revealed, “Do I want a deal? My short answer is no, but I don’t really care.”

He explained that regardless of any potential merger, “Whether the tournament and LIV do a deal or not, it won’t affect my bottom line. It won’t change my schedule at all and it won’t change my earnings. This is realistic. it only affects the top 30 golfers on the PGA Tour and they will likely make more money after this deal.”

He also questioned the impact on the appeal of the PGA Tour if players from LIV return, casting doubt: “You can argue that if the players come back, it will be better for the PGA Tour and bring more interest, but I find Hard to believe. It won’t be a big mix, it’ll just be for a few events with a big purse if I had to guess how many LIV guys actually affect ratings and events Phil (Mickelson) Bryson (DeChambeau), (Jon) Rahm?

“Will it increase ratings and earnings by more than 1 percent? Sure, the first two events would be great, but after that? I could be dead wrong, but that’s my opinion.”

Kim believes that rather than a merger, the PGA Tour should invest resources in television production. However, should a settlement be reached, he is taking a firm stand, adding: “I think there needs to be a consequence for their decision to go and sue the tournament. You can call it petty, but the LIV guys sued the PGA tour. mainly for their PIP (Player Impact Programme) money The same PGA Tour that was the reason you even got the payday in the first place.

In a significant development, it is reported that for more than 18 months, talks of a merger appear to be entering the high street. Earlier this month, Bloomberg claimed that PIF was on track to acquire a six percent stake in PGA Tour Enterprises. This monumental deal would value PGA Tour Enterprises at $12 billion.