With the FIFA World Cup approaching, LIV Golf SA stars like Branden Grace, Dean Burmester, Louis Oosthuizen, and Charl Schwartzel dominate earnings, while Mbekezeli Mbokazi (pictured) and Gerda Steyn also make significant strides in soccer and ultra running, respectively. Picture: TIM WARNER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
Image: TIM WARNER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
With the FIFA World Cup around the corner, the LIV Golf tour, with its future uncertain, and the cream of the crop of SA runners preparing for the Comrades Marathon next month, you might be wondering how much money is up for grabs for these top sporting stars.
With the usual $4m (R65m) on offer for this week’s LIV Golf Virginia event, there will be four South Africans hoping to expand their already bursting pockets.
It’s no secret that of the four SA golfers (Dean Burmester, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel, and Louis Oosthuizen) who make up the Southern Guards team on LIV, three of them have already earned over half a billion rand since the Saudi-funded tour began in 2022.
Grace, in 53 events, has earned a staggering $40,158,094, which works out to R671,392,994, or well over half a billion rand. Part of this total included an $8m (R133m) bonus for finishing second on the LIV Golf money list in 2022.
Next is Dean Burmester with $32,883,723 from 47 events, which is R549,937,658.
In third among the SA contingent is Louis Oosthuizen after 54 events. The 2010 Open champion has pocketed $30,477,474 or R510,174,223.
Fourth is 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel with his earnings of $27,920,588 or R467,417,425. As the ‘poor man’ of the SA quintet which make up the Southern Guards, Schwartzel is the only player to not yet surpass the half a billion mark.
In a far more popular and accessible sport, Bafana Bafana star Mbekezeli Mbokazi is earning the ‘big bucks’ - even if his earnings don’t compare to the LIV Golfers.
Having joined in January from Orlando Pirates, the star defender signed a four-year deal worth around R50 million. Though his contract runs through 2029, Mbokazi will also have the option to extend the deal for another season.
As for his monthly salary, according to reports, it’s between R1.3m and R1.5m per month.
That means his annual pay will be between R15,6m and R18m.
While it also may appear that’s just because he earns US dollars, the youngster who turns 21 in September is said to be above the top earners in the Major League Soccer.
Then there is Gerda Steyn, the undisputed Queen of ultra running in South Africa, and she will be the heavy favourite for the Comrades Marathon run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on June 14.
Steyn’s confirmed earnings for 2026 currently stand at R380,000, following her victory at the Two Oceans Marathon in April.
She won the race in 3:27:43 to claim the full winner’s cheque, with the 2026 edition offering R380,000 to the champions in the men’s and women’s races.
That figure represents her only publicly confirmed prize money so far this year, although additional bonuses (such as time incentives) are typically not always fully disclosed.
The big financial swing in Steyn’s 2026 season, though, is likely to come at the Comrades Marathon.
For the 2026 race, the winner’s prize stands at R925,000, with the first SA runner bonus also standing at R242,000. That means Steyn could potentially earn R1,160,000 from victory.
And that’s before factoring in additional incentives such as pace bonuses, hot spot primes, or course record rewards — which historically have pushed her total well beyond the base prize.
For context, Steyn earned over R1.6 million from her Comrades victory in 2025 once all bonuses were included, highlighting how lucrative a dominant run can be.
It means Steyn, with her Two Oceans triumph, has R380,000, but with her potential earnings from Comrades, that figure could rise to well over R1.5 million.
As brilliant as Steyn is, and as talented as Mbokazi is, it clearly pays to be on the LIV Golf tour the most - even if the future of the breakaway tour is currently up in the air.