PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has announced wholesale changes to combat the ongoing and future threat posed by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.
Speaking ahead of the FedEx Cup Playoffs finale at East Lake, Monahan highlighted a number of key changes which are designed to “bring the game’s top players together more often.”
Monahan announced the introduction of four elevated events for the 2023 season, taking the total to 12. These events will carry a minimum purse of $20m each, approximately a $46m addition to the total purse for 2022/23.
The elevated events, which will be announced in due course, will join the FedEx St Jude Championship, BMW Championship, Tour Championship/FedEx Cup, The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Memorial Tournament, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship and the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
The Commissioner proudly announced that PGA Tour “top players” have committed to compete in at least 20 PGA Tour events per year. With 12 of the tournaments now classed as “elevated events” it leaves room for the four Major championships, the flagship Players Championship and additional FedEx Cup Playoff events (assuming the player qualifies). As per the announcement in June, the 2023 Players Championship will carry a total purse of $25m.
“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.
For the 2022/23 season, a “top player” will be defined as one that finishes in the top-20 of the current Player Impact Program and players who finish in the top-20 of the revised criteria; which was also part of his announcement.
Effective this year, the Player Impact Program will increase to $100m, double the initial offering, and will be awarded to the 20 players that “resonate the most with fans and the media.” The PIP criteria will be adjusted to replace the Q-Score and social media metrics with an “expanded awareness criteria to…
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