On Wednesday, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced several significant changes to the PGA Tour, which will continue to compensate the best golfers in the world handsomely.
For fans, the best news is that the top players have committed to play more often in the same events.
“I think if you’re trying to sell a product to TV and to sponsors and to try to get as many eyeballs on professional golf as possible, you need to at least let people know what they’re tuning in for,” Rory McIlroy said. “When I tune into a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game I expect to see Tom Brady throw a football. When I tune into a Formula 1 race I expect to see Lewis Hamilton in a car. Sometimes what’s happened on the PGA Tour is we all act independently and we sort of have our own schedules, and that means that we never really get together all that often.”
McIlroy added: “I think having the top players in the world playing together more often and competing against each other more often is what everyone wants. It’s what the players want. It’s what the fans want, most importantly.
“And I think once we solve for that, a lot of the rest of the stuff sort of takes care of itself.”
Here’s what we learned from Monahan’s press conference and the changes that will be implemented to the Tour going forward.
Top players will commit to at least a 20-event PGA Tour schedule (assuming they qualify)
Patrick Cantlay of the United States plays a second shot on the eighth hole during the final round of the BMW Championship at Wilmington Country Club on August 21, 2022, in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
“To me, it’s the headline,” Monahan said.
This is a coup for the Tour and its tournaments, which often didn’t know until Friday at 5 p.m. ET if top players would play the following. It all but ensures that the best players will play against each other more often.
“This is an extraordinary and unprecedented commitment, a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in,” Monahan added.
The 20-event commitment, which begins in the upcoming 2022-23 season, includes the following:
12 Elevated Events
FedExCup Playoffs
FedEx St. Jude Championship – $20 million
BMW Championship – $20 million
TOUR Championship/FedExCup Bonus Pool – $75 million
The Genesis Invitational – $20 million
Arnold Palmer Invitational – $20 million
The Memorial Tournament – $20 million
WGC-Dell Match…
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