(Miami) Faced with the challenge posed by the dissident golf league LIV, the American PGA Tour will increase its prize money for its main tournaments during the 2022-2023 season, it announced on Monday.
Posted at 4:21 p.m.
The PGA will increase the winnings granted for eight of its main invitational tournaments with in particular $25 million, instead of 20 this year, awarded during the Players Championship and $145 million in additional bonuses including $75 million for the FedEx Cup which will only accommodate 70 players instead of 125 previously.
The move comes as the LIV, backed by Saudi funds, has offered the largest prize pools in history to attract the best players on the PGA Tour during a season that is expected to grow from 8 tournaments in 2022 to 14 in 2023.
Players like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Patrick Reed have already joined this championship which started in June.
The PGA, which will adopt a season based on an annual calendar in 2024, has reduced its number of players in qualifying (FedEx Cup playoffs) and increased its prize pools to meet fan demand, said Monday. its president Jay Monahan.
“The general feeling is that the public wanted more impact for both the regular season and the FedEx Cup and also to strengthen the tournaments where players face off against each other,” he said.
In total, the 2022-23 PGA season will feature 47 tournaments, including the three FedEx Cups where 70 players will compete at the Saint Jude Championship in Memphis, 50 at the BMW Championship in Chicago – the prize pools of these two tournaments going for each $15 million to $20 million — and the top 30 at the Tour Championship at East Lake near Atlanta.
After the end of the official season, tournaments will be organized for players not in the top 70 to try to qualify for the next season among them.
The 2022-2023 season will begin with the Fortinet Championship from September 15-18 in Napa, California, followed by the President’s Cup the following week at Quail Hollow, North Carolina.