The lure of astronomical payouts continues to draw more of the world’s top golfers to the fledgling LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Days after Phil Mickelson officially announced his participation, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed — who have both won majors on the PGA Tour — are the latest to join the Saudi-backed series. So far, nine players with at least one major title have committed to the breakout league.

Now, what started as a trickle has become a wave, as some of the Tour’s top all-time earners compete for LIV’s staggering prize money — including $25 million purses for each of seven regular-season events.

• DeChambeau — who has earned $26.1M on the Tour, 65th all-time — reportedly will receive at least $100M just for joining LIV.
• Reed has made $36.9M, good for 29th all-time. 
• Mickelson’s $94.9M ranks second to Tiger Woods’ $120.9M — and he reportedly received $200M to join LIV.
• Dustin Johnson — who resigned from the Tour Tuesday — is third all-time at $74.3M.

DeChambeau and Reed are expected to play in the first U.S. LIV event in Portland from June 30-July 2. The inaugural 54-hole tournament featuring Mickelson, Johnson, Sergio Garcia, and others begins Thursday at London’s Centurion Club.

The LIV Series’ London event can be livestreamed on LIVgolf.com, YouTube, and Facebook — and at times will go head-to-head with the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open. 

The latter will air on Golf Channel, ESPN+, and CBS/Paramount+.

One of baseball’s next great hitters is emerging — and he’s already being paid like one.

On Tuesday, the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez launched his 17th home run of the season in a 4-1 win over the Mariners. He’s now second in MLB for long balls behind Aaron Judge (22).

Three of those 17 arrived after Alvarez signed a six-year, $115 million extension with Houston — and if the 24-year-old can keep up this production, it’ll be a no-brainer investment.

• The contract is the fourth-largest ever for a player yet to reach arbitration — behind Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 YRS, $340M), Buster Posey (8 YRS, $159M), and Mike Trout (6 YRS, $144.5M).
• Alvarez will make $32M across the three seasons earmarked for arbitration, then $26M in each of the final three of the deal.
• He and SP Lance McCullers are now the only two Astros signed through 2026.

The slugger is just one piece of the young core that has given Houston (36-20) a commanding 9.5-game lead in the AL West — and the third-best record in baseball.

Alvarez has also justified the money with some major accolades for such a short career.

After being named 2019 AL Rookie of the Year, he won the 2021 ALCS MVP with a 1.408 OPS.

The Lakers are on their third coach of the LeBron James era — and they want him to stick.

On his first day as a head coach, longtime assistant Darvin Ham announced sweeping changes — he’s firing three assistant coaches, looking at former All-Star Rasheed Wallace for the staff, and wants to redeem Russell Westbrook.

After L.A. failed to make the playoffs with three superstars and a $164 million payroll, Ham’s appointment — in addition to being approved by King James — looks less of a rebuild than a restoration project. 

• The Big Three aren’t going anywhere — James, Westbrook, and Anthony Davis account for $129.6M of next season’s current payroll ($146.6M).
• The trio only played 21 games together last season due to injuries.
• Ham propped up Westbrook in his introductory press conference, stating that there’s no reason to write him off despite his worst scoring season (18.5 PPG) since 2010.
• James quickly tweeted an effusive stamp of approval for the hire.

Ham could be the right guy to help right the ship. His last stop in 11 seasons as an assistant was with Mike Budenholzer’s Bucks, where he won the 2020-21 title.

But besides instilling confidence in Westbrook, Ham also has to capitalize on having James, an unrestricted free agent next year who, though 37, is miraculously still in his prime — the Lakers just wasted his second-highest scoring season (30.3 PPG). 

So far, oddsmakers remain skeptical that the Lakers will instantly recover their 2020 swagger — they have the 12th-best odds (+2000) to win the 2022-23 title.