Golf analyst Eamon Lynch disagrees with PGA Tour Champions golfer Chris DiMarco regarding his recent remarks about the low purses for senior golf events.

DiMarco made a shocking comment, stating that the Champions Tour’s event purses are notably lower than PGA Tour events, and even proposed that LIV Golf should “buy the Champions Tour.”

Chris DiMarco shared his views on the Subpar podcast, saying (as quoted by Golf Week):

“We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour, to tell you the truth. Let’s play for a little real money out here. This is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC [Sawgrass] that made more money than our purses.”

Lynch, in his recent article, criticized DiMarco’s argument, considering recent changes in the PGA Tour. He stated that many veteran golfers who play on the Champions Tour are upset with how the current generation is treating the PGA Tour.

“They (Champions Tour players) are pissed at how the PGA Tour they helped build is being treated by the current generation as wholly their asset to remortgage, at how naked greed is trumping any sentiment about the greater good of the game,” wrote Lynch.
Lynch also noted the difficulty in commercializing the Champions Tour due to its primarily senior player base, resulting in meager viewership mainly comprised of older individuals. Speaking of the same, Lynch wrote:

“Television viewership is meager, worryingly so since a decent percentage of those watching could be in danger of expiring during the broadcast window.”
However, Lynch provided a glimmer of hope by suggesting that once legendary golfer Tiger Woods joins the Champions Tour, potentially after December 30, 2025, when he turns 50, the viewership dynamics might change, making it easier to increase the viewership.

Purses of Champions Tour events

The PGA Tour event purses usually range from $4 million to $10 million, while the Signature events purses are around $20 million and above.

However, compared to the PGA Tour events, the purses of the Champions Tour are pretty low. It ranges from $2 million to $4 million. Most of the events on the Champions Tour have a purse of around $2 million, while some have $3 million and $4 million.

It’s important to note that LIV Golf events offer significantly high prize money. The circuit is financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, one of the top 10 richest investment firms in the world.

Each event on LIV Golf boasts a purse of $25 million, with $20 million allocated for individual events and $5 million for team events. Over the past two years, numerous players from various golf series worldwide have joined LIV Golf, attracted not only by the prize money but also by signing bonuses for joining the series.

LIV Golf and the PGA Tour were engaged in a legal battle until last year when Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a surprising merger between them, which is yet to be finalized.

Given the whopping prize money offered by LIV Golf, Chris DiMarco has mentioned that the Saudi circuit should buy the Champions Tour.