Michael Kim has shed light on the hefty price-tag that comes with playing on the PGA Tour – revealing he shelled out nearly $100,000 for travel and accommodation in 2024.

The 31-year-old pro, currently sitting at 154th in the OWGR rankings, has carved out a respectable career in the sport since turning pro in December 2013. After a two-year stint on the Web.com tour, he joined the PGA Tour in 2016, and has since claimed victory in a single event – the 2018 John Deere Classic, where he beat T2 Joel Dahmen, Sam Ryder, and Bronson Burgoon by a comfortable eight stroke margin.

When it comes to major championships, Kim hasn’t quite hit the mark, with his best performance being a T17 finish at the 2013 US Open. However, his eight-year tenure on the PGA Tour has still been lucrative, reportedly earning him just over $7million to date.

This includes a whopping $1.48million during the 2024 season alone, despite his top finish being a T5 at the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin in October, reports the Irish Star. Despite participating in 30 tournaments and making the cut in just over half of them, Kim has had a challenging year in 2024.

Adding to his frustrations is the staggering amount he’s spent on travel and accommodation throughout the season. Kim took to social media to reveal the hefty price tag of his sporting travels, posting a screenshot of a $92,698.11 bill for flights and hotels for tournaments in 2024.

He said: “This is my spending on flights and hotels for 30 tournaments in 2024. Zero dollars spent on private flights, and rarely business class. Can’t imagine some of the top guys’ costs… At least I’m racking up some CC points!” Kim also mentioned that last year’s expenses were even steeper due to additional travel, saying: “Last yr was a touch higher due to me going to the Open Championship and playing 32 events.”

The revelation follows Kim’s recent declaration that he isn’t keen on the PGA Tour merging with LIV Golf, as world No. 3 Rory McIlroy mentioning that some players prefer to keep the two entities separate. In a candid post, Kim expressed his indifference towards a potential deal, explaining: “Do I want a deal? My short answer is no but I don’t care much.

Michael Kim has explained exactly how much it costs to play on the PGA Tour

Michael Kim has explained exactly how much it costs to play on the PGA Tour ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

“Whether the tour and LIV make a deal or not, it will not affect my bottom line. It won’t change my schedule in the slightest bit and won’t change my earnings. This realistically only affects the top 30ish golfers on the PGA Tour and they’ll probably make more money after this deal.

“You can make the argument that if the players come back, it’ll be better for the PGA Tour, and bring more interest but I find that hard to believe. It’s not gonna be a big mashup, it’s only going to be for a few events with a big purse if I were to guess. How many LIV guys actually affect ratings and events? Phil [Mickelson] Bryson [DeChambeau], [Jon] Rahm?

“Will it increase ratings and earnings by more than 1 per cent? Sure, the first couple events would be cool but after that? I might be totally wrong but that’s my opinion.”

Instead of a merger, Kim believes that the PGA Tour need to invest in television production, but if a deal was to be struck, he also believes PGA defectors who signed with the newer banner should be punished for returning.

He added: “I just think there needs to be a consequence to their decision to leave and sue the tour. You can call that petty but the LIV guys sued the PGA Tour mainly for their PIP (Player Impact Programme) money. The same PGA Tour that was the reason why you even got the big payday in the first place. That’s just as petty in my eyes.”

More than 18 months later, it appears that the final stages of negotiations of a merger have been reached. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that PIF was set to acquire a six per cent stake in PGA Tour Enterprises. The proposed transaction would value PGA Tour Enterprises at an astonishing $12bn.