Dustin Johnson took his LIV Golf on-course earnings to over $35m (£30.7m) this year after his 4Aces team claimed the team title in Miami on Sunday night.
And Pat Perez claimed “everybody can shut up” by shooting a closing par 70 to help the all-American team to victory at Donald Trump ’s National Doral.
Former world No.1 J ohnson won $13.6m in the first seven events in the Saudi-backed breakaway league plus an $18m bonus as the individual winner. And Johnson last night made the winning putt on the final green of the $50m LIV Golf Team Championship Miami to see his 4Aces team claim the $16m first prize - and he banks another $4m.
The two-time Major winner had already agreed a massive signing-on fee of over $100m to join LIV Golf before the first event at The Centurion Club in June.
“It has been amazing,” said Johnson. “This week has been incredible. The whole season has just got better and better and this finale has been unbelievable and this finale has been unbelievable. Coming down the stretch here you couldn’t draw it any better with Cam and I battling it out for the team championship.
The first two rounds at Donald Trump’s National Doral were team match play while the final day strokeplay, with the scores of all 16 players - four on each of the four teams - counting toward a cumulative total. In a finale so close it could have been scripted by the rebel league, the 4Aces held a one-shot lead over the Aussie Punch team going to the final hole.
Johnson and Open champion Cam Smith were playing in the final group but the Aussie could only par the final hole for a best-of-the-day 65 to leave the American to win the title with a two-putt par. The all-American team of Johnson, Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez - who had a combined scored of seven-under 281 - were the No.1 seeds and have won all five team events on US soil in the first LIV season.
Former world No.16 Perez had already earned $4m this season but only $961,000 in the individual events - to finish 49th in the rankings - and $3.06m with the help of his 4Aces team-mates.
He shot a two-under 70 yesterday to take his season’s earnings to $8m after winning $1.2m in 32 events on the PGA Tour last year. Perez, now 46, said LIV Golf was like “winning the lottery” after agreeing a $10m signing-on bonus.
“I feel unbelievable,” he said. “I couldn’t be any happier. I played great today. I had to show up for my team. I get a lot of grief for never [showing] up, I did today so everybody can shut up, which is great."
Former Masters champion Reed also shot a 70 and made a crucial birdie on his final hole to give his team the one-shot lead before Johnson played the last.
“I feel like I let my team down yesterday - I was the only one not to get a point,” he said. “Coming up to the last green I saw the scores were level and I knew it was my turn to make a putt.”
