Here’s a clue from a story about the three players announcing today. One of them was Eugenio Chacarra, a top amateur:
What they are describing is a two year contract with an option for a third year. Which means that Chacarra is getting guaranteed appearance money.
https://golf.com/news/matthew-wolff-and-top-amateur-join-liv-golf-portland-field/?amp=1
If that’s how they are dealing with amateurs, it stands to reason that every player has a similar deal. The amounts will differ - sometimes dramatically - but every player is guaranteed a minimum level of fairly extreme wealth in exchange for the Saudi’s controlling their career for the next two or three years.
This also tells me that what we have speculated about is true - the “competitions” are nothing more than exhibitions where they divvy up the pre-negotiated salaries. It’s not a pure exhibition, in the sense that, over time, players can presumably win more than they have been guaranteed - or, as is the case with Chacarra, they can be given a contract extension based on performance. But it’s pretty damn close.