PGA Tour announces massive changes to calendar, player payouts — and a new Tiger Woods-backed league — in response to LIV Golf challenge
- The PGA Tour announced new changes to combat the rise of LIV Golf, earmarking 20 tournaments that will have purses from $15-20 million.
- The changes come on the heels of a players-only meeting, led by Tiger Woods, about the future of the Tour.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on Wednesday outlined major changes to the Tour in response to the flood of players joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Beginning in the 2022-23 season, top players (as defined by the Player Impact Program) from the PGA Tour will compete in at least 20 events, including 12 "Elevated Events," with purses ranging from $15-20 million.
The Tour had previously elevated eight events but announced it would add four more to the schedule. Monahan said which four will be announced soon.
The changes come on the heels of a players-only meeting in Delaware last week, led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The meeting, which featured 23 players total, was seen largely about responding to LIV Golf and determining the future of the PGA Tour to bring in more fans.
With the changes, fans will be able to see the world's top golfers compete against each other more often, which was one of the benefits of LIV Golf.
"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.
The commissioner also announced more changes, including:
- The Player Impact Program will now reward 20 players, up from 10, and the payout will double from $50 million to $100 million. The criteria will also change, dropping Q-scores and social media metrics.
- Players now need to reach 20 wins to be eligible for lifetime membership on the Tour, rather than playing 15 seasons, which would now incidentally make Rory McIlroy eligible for life, per golf reporter Daniel Rapaport.
- The Tour is also launching the Earnings Assurance Program for fully exempt members, which guarantees a minimum salary of $500,000. Players must participate in at least 15 events.
- A $5,000 stipend will be given to non-exempt members for missed cuts to help cover travel costs and other tournament-related expenses.
- Players who reach the Tour Championship will receive a two-year exemption.
"Today is a culmination of a strengthened partnership between the Tour and the players, and amongst the players themselves," Commissioner Monahan said. "It's unprecedented for our Tour and a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in."
The sweeping changes are seen as a direct response to LIV Golf, which has lured the likes of Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson away from the PGA Tour with promises of guaranteed money. Mickelson had reportedly been an early proponent of the breakaway tour, believing it was the only way to enact change on the PGA Tour. He told longtime golf writer Alan Shipnuck, in a now-infamous interview:
The Tour also announced a partnership with a new "tech-infused" golf league, set to debut in January 2024. The TGL is the first venture announced by TMRW Sports, a newly formed company backed by Woods, McIlroy and former NBC Sports golf executive Mike McCarley. Plans for TGL include six teams of three Tour players, two-hour events that air in primetime on Monday nights in a tech-infused, virtual course stadium setting — a format that they believe will appeal to a younger fanbase.
"As a big sports fan myself, I'm excited about blending golf with technology and team elements common in other sports," Woods said in a statement. "We all know what it's like to be in a football stadium or a basketball arena where you can watch every play, every minute of action unfold right in front of you. It's something that inherently isn't possible in traditional golf — and an aspect of TGL that will set it apart and appeal to a new generation of fans.'