Peter Uihlein ‘freer, happier’ and much richer since joining

DORAL, Fla. — Peter Uihlein had been grinding for more than a decade on the PGA Tour when he decided to reach out to Greg Norman. Though winless, Uihlein made a very comfortable living. But for an ultra-competitive professional athlete, frustration had set in.

“In reality is I wish I played better,” Uihlein said about the past four years. “I’m not denying that.”

Then came the conversation with the face of LIV Golf.

Uihlein, who has lived in Jupiter, Florida, for about a decade, says pursuing LIV Golf was not an easy decision and it was not just about the money. LIV offered an opportunity to break a mold — “I’ve always kind of done things differently” — and rejuvenate his career.

“Golf got stale for a lot of these guys and they’re able to let loose and enjoy the team and the atmosphere,” said Chelsea Uihlein, Peter’s wife.

Uihlein, 33, made just more than $4 million on the PGA Tour after turning pro in 2011. That was in 126 tournaments.

Since joining LIV, he has played in seven 54-hole events entering this week’s season-finale at Trump National Doral and earned more than $11.3 million, $7.3 million in prize money plus a $4 million bonus for finishing third in the season-long individual points standings.

“I didn’t get the $100 million or whatever the rumors you hear, the $50 million,” Uihlein said about his two-year contract. “So I knew that I needed to play well to make that kind of money. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that.”

But the decision was not an easy one to make. Uihlein understood the reaction to attaching his name to a league that is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a country with atrocious human rights violations.

Americans ‘do a lot of business with Saudi Arabia’

“There’s criticism to it, which is fine, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion,” he said. “The reality is we, as Americans, do a lot of business with Saudi Arabia.”

Peter warned Chelsea there would be backlash. But criticism is part of the gig. When Uihlein joined LIV, he was No. 311 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“If you asked social media, I’ve been a terrible player,” he said.

Still, it all has been worth it, for many reasons.

“He just wasn’t seeing his full potential on the PGA Tour. It was really difficult, it was really risky. but I think it was the right decision,” Chelsea said Friday as Peter prepared for his head-to-head match with James Piot, which Uihlein won 5 and…