(Los Angeles) More money and more rewards will be at stake in the 2022/2023 golf season, in return for which the best players will play more tournaments, the PGA Tour announced on Wednesday, anxious to respond to the fierce competition from LIV Golf.
Posted at 2:55 p.m.
The best members of the North American circuit have committed to participate in at least 20 events from next season, including 12 called “high level” (“Elevated Events”), bringing together eight existing tournaments including the playoffs of the FedEx Cup and four others on an alternating basis.
Their total endowments will be between 15 and 20 million dollars, said the general commissioner of the PGA Tour, Jay Monahan.
Added to the list are the four Majors (Masters, PGA Championship, United States Open, British Open), the Players Championship considered as the 5e Grand Slam, and three other competitions.
“Our top players are strong supporters of the PGA Tour and help us deliver an unparalleled product to our fans who are guaranteed to see them compete in 20 or more events throughout the season,” Monahan said. .
It is not their results, but their popularity with the public, especially on social networks, which will determine their ranking in the Player Impact Program (PIP), whose allocation in the form of bonuses will increase from 50 to 100 million dollars. Lower-rated players will receive a guaranteed purse of $500,000 if they participate in 15 tournaments during the season.
The players’ commitment to the PGA Tour follows a meeting they took part in last week, initiated by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who were tasked with convincing them not to give in to the temptation of LIV Golf , the dissident circuit financed by Saudi funds, which has already made a bloodletting by attracting stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau or Brooks Koepka.
Woods and McIlroy launch semi-virtual golf for TV
In addition, Woods and McIlroy announced the launch of a series of semi-virtual golf competitions, called “Tech-infused Golf League”, on connected practices, in rooms, to attract a younger audience.
In a two-hour TV-friendly format, six three-player PGA teams will compete over a 15-game regular season between January and April, leading to a semi-final and a final.
The longest shots will be played on a simulator and broadcast on giant video screens, while the approach shots and the putts will be played “in real life” and therefore in public, in the chosen room.
This new approach, based on technology, will allow Woods to play on Monday nights, “prime time”, without suffering the consequences of his big car accident in early 2021.