PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan speaks for the duration of a press conference prior to the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Ga.
Cliff Hawkins | Getty Visuals
The PGA Tour on Wednesday declared prize will increase, expanded gains and participation commitments from prime gamers as it faces competition from the upstart LIV Golfing league.
The Tour explained it is including 4 elevated events that will each and every have purses of at the very least $20 million, doubling its total reward pool dollars and elevating its certain least earnings for whole associates. Major players are committing to contend in at least 20 events a year, it claimed.
The improvements arrive after the Tour suspended players including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson for participating in the Saudi-backed LIV Golfing, which has been luring gamers with generous prizes and assured money. Before this month, LIV members which includes Mickelson filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, alleging that the association is restricting LIV’s potential to relatively contend with the tour.
“Our top gamers are firmly driving the TOUR, aiding us supply an unmatched products to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the most effective gamers competing in opposition to each and every other in 20 gatherings or a lot more in the course of the year,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan mentioned in announcing the alterations.
The Tour reported its top players will take part in 12 overall elevated events, four major tournaments, the Gamers Championship and a few tour events of their choosing. The 4 new elevated functions have not nevertheless been declared.
“At times what’s occurred on the PGA TOUR is we all act independently and we kind of have our individual schedules, and that usually means that we never ever definitely get together all that generally” two-time FedEx champion Rory McIlroy said an announcement. “I feel what came out of the conference final week and what Jay just was up listed here asserting is the truth that we have all built a commitment to get alongside one another extra frequently to make the product or service more powerful.”
As aspect of the alterations, all players who graduate from the developmental Korn Ferry Tour and earlier mentioned are guaranteed a $500,000 league minimum amount. The whole bonus pool for its prize fund will double to $100 million.
Qualification into the PGA Championship will now consequence in a two-period PGA Tour exemption, permitting players to guarantee their tour card for the in the vicinity of upcoming.