Harold Varner III during day two of the LIV Golf Invitational – Greenbrier at The Old White Course on August 05, 2023, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. | Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images
Harold Varner III joined LIV Golf for the increased paydays. Now he made a revelation that will irk PGA Tour stars.
Harold Varner III left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf because of the vast financial opportunity the Saudi-backed tour could provide him and his family.
He has admitted this repeatedly since joining LIV, so this is not a new development.
Yet, in a recent interview with Golfweek, Varner III made a new claim that would irk Rory McIlroy and other top stars.
“I think it’s harder to win $4 million than it is to win a PGA Tour event,” Varner III said. “When you get in contention out here, it’s like, [expletive], that’s life-changing money. And I play for money.”
Each LIV Golf event has a $20 million purse, with $4 million going to the winner. The 54-hole competition features no cuts, a shotgun start, and a 48-player field.
Meanwhile, most PGA Tour events feature 156 players, a 36-hole cut, and purses ranging from $7.4 million to $20 million. Groups also go off the first and tenth tees asynchronous.
Of course, McIlroy has been a staunch supporter of the PGA Tour and an avid LIV Golf dissident. He would vehemently disagree with Varner’s comments.
Plus, it is not like PGA Tour stars are not competing for large sums of money. They are.
LIV Golf has more in the bank, thanks to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) serving as its beneficiary. Some reports indicate that the PIF has over $720 billion in assets.
Varner III is aware of this, hence why he jumped to LIV Golf when he had the chance to do so.
Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images
Harold Varner III during day three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Greenbrier at The Old White Course on August 06, 2023, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
“I play golf so I can change the direction of my family’s life,” Varner said in a 2022 interview with the Washington Post. “And that’s it. No other reason.”
Varner III grew up in poverty and wants to ensure his family will be well off.
But besides providing for his family, Varner III has started the HV3 Foundation, which offers affordable access to children to play golf.
“The foundation, we just keep doing what we’re doing,” Varner said to Golfweek. “Keep trying to help kids.”
He is also donated to East Carolina University, his alma mater.
The University is expanding the men’s and women’s golf practice facility, and the lead gift for that project comes from Varner III and his wife, Amanda.
So despite his earlier claim that winning on the LIV circuit is harder than winning on the PGA Tour, Varner III is investing his winnings into great causes.
And in the end, that is what matters most.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
