ST. ALBANS, England (Reuters) – Former Masters winner Charl Schwartzel won the wealthiest tournament in golf ever on Saturday, earning $4.75 million. Still, the event's Saudi sponsors faced more criticism when a 9/11 victims' organisation urged American players to quit the dissident series.

Schwartzel won by one shot at the first LIV Golf event outside of London, earning $4 million for himself and an additional $750,000 from his portion of the $3 million prize pool collected by his four-person Stinger team for finishing first in the team standings.

The 2011 champion at Augusta National, Schwartzel, took home more prize money than he had in the previous four years by winning the three-day, 54-hole event. It came at the expense, though, as he had to quit his PGA Tour membership to compete in the unofficial tournament without a waiver.

Schwartzel, who has not won a PGA or DP World Tour tournament since 2016, stated, "Never in my wildest fantasies did I think we could compete for that much money in golf."

Hennie Du Plessis, a fellow South African who was chosen for Stinger in the draught by team captain Louis Oosthuizen, earned $2.875 million by finishing second at Centurion Club, which is located between Hemel Hempstead and St. Albans. Schwartzel had a three-shot lead going into the final day and, despite shooting a 2-over 72 for a 7-under total of 203, did just enough to hold off Du Plessis.

It's the first of eight events in LIV Golf's inaugural season, which began with the PGA Tour barring players who joined. The DP World Tour has yet to comment on any penalties imposed on players who joined the series without permission.

Twenty players have already left the PGA Tour, with Patrick Reed, the most recent former Masters champion, joining LIV Golf as the final round was being played on Saturday.

The rich benefits of participating in the series, which Saudi Arabia's national wealth fund backs, have not been enough to attract any of the world's top ten players.

Reed has won about $37 million on the PGA Tour over the last decade and is ranked 36th. The 2018 Masters was the 31-year-old American's only major victory.

Reed's decision could make him ineligible for selection in the future after appearing in three Ryder Cups and being one of the most outspoken members of the American team.

Reed said he would make his LIV Golf series debut on June 30-July 2 in Portland, Oregon.

Pat Perez, a 46-year-old American ranked 168th in the world, joined the breakout on Saturday, stating that after 21 years on the PGA Tour, he wants to travel less. On the LIV live broadcast, he did not mention the wealth on offer. Saudi Arabia's history of human rights crimes has prompted accusations from organisations such as Amnesty International that the country is "sports washing" its image by signing up athletes.

In a speech at the victory ceremony, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, who refused to speak to the media at the event, dubbed the series a "force for good" without addressing criticism of the Saudi enterprise.

LIV Golf makes a big deal out of the fact that it has a lot of money. On stage, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, announced a prize of $54 million for any player who could hit an improbable 54 at a LIV tournament.

For many Americans, Saudi Arabia will be permanently connected with the collapse of the World Trade Towers and the deaths of over 3,000 people on September 11, 2001. All but four of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens, and Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader and mastermind of the attack, was born in Saudi Arabia.

9/11 Families United's national chairperson, Terry Strada, has written to representatives of LIV Golf stars, urging them to reconsider their participation in the series. Her husband, Tom, died when a hijacked airliner crashed into the World Trade Center.

Given Saudi Arabia's role in the deaths of our loved ones and those injured on 9/11 — your fellow Americans — we are outraged that you are so eager to assist the Saudis in burying this history in the name of respectability.'" Strada accused the players of violating US interests in his letter.

Reed's agent and agents for Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Kevin Na received Strada's letter. When you work with the Saudis, you are complicit in their deception and assist them in gaining the reputation cover they desire — and are ready to spend a lot of money for, according to Strada.

The Saudis seem unconcerned about golf's long history of sportsmanship or its roots as a gentleman's game based on mutual respect and personal integrity. They want to use professional golf to clean up their image and pay you to assist them.

Despite Saudi Arabia's government's statement that any allegation of cooperation in the terrorist attacks is baseless, victims' relatives are attempting to hold the country accountable in New York.