The reason John Rahm defected to LIV Golf laid bare as PGA chief's eye watering salary revealed

Astonishing new figures have shone a light on what star golfers earn compared with PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan.

It has been revealed the commissioner was banking more than $9million in bonuses alone. That's on top of a $1.8m salary and $7.4m in non cash benefits upon retirement. And it surely explains Jon Rahm's defection to LIV Golf. In total, Monahan was taking home nearly $19m per year - up from just under $14m the year before, according to Sportico. It's not a good look considering the tour had been requesting more funding from sponsors to stage events, while legal costs had spiralled to 10 times their previous amount between 2021 and 2022.

Spaniard Rahm made the controversial switch to the Saudi backed organisation despite previously speaking out strongly against fellow stars who had made the move. Rahm insisted he was committed to the PGA, but a look at the numbers show that their finances were a cause for concern, never mind being able to come close to matching the riches on offer with LIV.

The Europe Ryder Cup star is set to earn $600m over the course of his four-year deal. He'll reportedly be paid ¢240m up front, while a 10-strong team of chefs and other staff will be on hand to cater for his every need. That means The Masters champion is set to earn more than PGA's entire prize fund for 2023, which was ¢460m.