PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced on Wednesday that there would be more events with $20 million purses and an increase in base salary.
This will put more money for the golfers, as well as a means to appreciate them for remaining loyal to the tour and committing to compete for them during the new season. This notion is expected to incentivize current players to keep their talents with the PGA Tour instead of bailing to rivals, such as LIV Golf.
Should they be eligible, the top players who commit will compete in the four newly elevated events as well as the four majors, which include the Players Championship, three FedEx Cup playoff events, Genesis Invitational (Riviera), and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. There are also three additional PGA Tour tournaments that golfers can choose to participate in during the season.
In a news conference before Tour Championship, which will be held at East Lake Golf Club this week, Monahan said that their top players, like Tiger Woods, were loyal to the Tour.
“Our top players are firmly behind the Tour, helping us deliver an unmatched product to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the best players competing against each other in 20 events or more throughout the season,” Monahan said.
“Those players rallied together to strengthen the tour platform, recognizing that if fans are going to invest in the PGA Tour, it means a hell of a lot more if they know the players are investing right back.”
Jay Monahan praised those at the player meeting last week, who "rallied together to strengthen the PGA Tour platform." Many of the ideas which have been reported are being enacted almost immediately, going into effect for next season's schedule, which begins in just a few weeks.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) August 24, 2022
Alongside Woods, PGA Tour player-director Rory McIlroy also hosted BMW Championship last week to rally the top players around the PGA Tour throughout the ongoing fight against LIV Golf.
“We’ve all made a commitment to get together more often to make the product more compelling,” McIlroy said. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think everyone in that room felt this was the best way to move forward.”
The 20-tournament commitment is scheduled to start in January 2023 along with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. Reports said that the top players were presumed to be eligible to participate.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf officials gave their response to the PGA Tour’s current development in a statement, saying, “LIV Golf is clearly the best thing that’s ever happened to help the careers of professional golfers.”
Doubling the reward
The PGA Tour is also reported to double its Player Impact Program (PIP) from $50 million to $100 million in 2022 and 2023.
It’s set to reward the top 20 players “who resonate most with our growing fan base” based on measurement criteria and data. Monahan also said the top finisher in PIP would receive $15 million.
Additionally, the circuit also launches an Earnings Assurance Program, which guarantees a $500,000 league-minimum salary for each fully exempt player. Those who receive this amount of money are required to participate in 15 events. Rookie players and returning members are reported to receive the money when the season starts.
As for non-exempt members, the players who were 126th to 150th in the FedEx Cup points standings and below would receive $5,000 for every missed cut and subsidized travel as well as tournament-related expenses.
McIlroy said that this was done to make the tour better for every player who participated.
“This isn’t some sort of renegade group trying to take some sort of power grab of the PGA Tour,” McIlroy said.
“This is, ‘OK, how can we make this tour better for everyone that’s going to play on it now and everyone that’s going to play on the PGA Tour going forward.’”