John Daly Explains Why He 'Begged' To Join LIV Golf, But Ultimately Got Turned Down

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John Daly looks at LIV Golf as an opportunity to make money, and lots of it. That's why he begged LIV CEO Greg Norman to let him join the Saudi-backed tour, but unfortunately, he was told it was full.

LIV Golf has added some high-profile players thanks to offering sign-on fees, guaranteed paydays, and huge tournament purses. Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Patrick Reed are just a few notable names to make the move to LIV Golf.


A BAREFOOT JOHN DALY CASUALLY RIPS DRIVER OVER A HIGHWAY ONTO A FOOTBALL FIELD


Tiger Woods turned down an offer between $700 million and $800 million to be the face of the new league. With that kind of money being tossed around, Daly sort of figured the Saudis may have a few bucks to throw his way too.

The 56-year-old Daly said he "begged" Norman for a spot before he was told LIV Golf isn't giving out more spots and that he's "too old."

"We don't play for a lot of money on the Champions Tour," Daly told Piers Morgan. "I almost feel like I'm not getting a lot out of this. What are we doing? I'd rather play with amateurs than the pros sometimes, but we've got to get compensated for that, and the LIV Tour is giving players that."

"They play pro-ams. It's a big party. They play for a lot of money, which these guys that are on that tour deserve that money. And I think there's a lot of other guys that deserve that money, especially this old man."









John Daly Golf Cart

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)



Playing for a lot of money in a "big party" setting is certainly up Daly's ally. He'd honestly be fun to watch with LIV Golf, not having a care in the world and ripping darts on his way to a sizable payday.

When it comes to the compensation on the Champions Tour, most tournament purses are around $2 million with majors having larger purses. LIV Golf events this year carry a $20 million individual purse with the winner taking home $4 million alone, and those numbers are only increasing next year.

Daly has earned just more than $110,000 over the course of 11 starts on the senior circuit this season.






Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.