Topline
The PGA Tour will boost player salaries, increase the number of events its top players must compete in and double its bonus pool for golfers who “resonate” with fans, the tour announced on Wednesday, in a bid to ward off rival LIV Golf, as the Saudi-backed program lands big-name PGA defectors and creates a divide in major golf.
Top PGA Tour golfers committed to playing in at least 20 events per year, according to a statement … [+]
Key Facts
PGA Tour golfers who compete in at least 15 events will receive $500,000 in a guaranteed annual salary, according to a statement from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.
The tour also doubled its bonus pool for 20 players who “resonate the most with fans and media” to $100 million.
LIV Golf, which took off less than a year ago, has already landed six Masters champions, including prominent golfers Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, poached more than a fifth of the PGA Tour’s top golfers and has the backing of former President Donald Trump — although it’s come under fire from families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks who argue the Saudis played a role in it, as well as from golfers like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who turned down a LIV contract worth up to $800 million.
Starting next season, top PGA Tour players will commit to compete in at least 20 PGA Tour events per year, including the FedExCup, The PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and three FedExCup events of players’ choosing—building on an initiative announced earlier this year to increase the number of events its top players must participate in.
The announcement also builds on a November 2021 initiative to boost its average tournament purse to $9.1 million (a 14% increase), and its FedExCup bonuses to $75 million, from $60 million.
Players with at least 20 victories will receive lifetime membership with the PGA Tour, according to the statement, eliminating a previous requirement for golfers to have been members for at least 15 years before becoming eligible for lifetime status.
What To Watch For
Woods and McIlroy also announced the creation of a “tech-infused” golf league called TGL on Monday — a partnership with the PGA Tour, to show primetime team matches, launching in January, 2024.
Key Background
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have traded blows in the six months since the Saudi-backed tour got off the ground. Earlier this month, a group of 11 LIV golfers, including Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, accusing it of acting in a “nakedly anticompetitive manner.” In June, the PGA Tour suspended 17 members who signed with LIV Golf and threatened future suspensions for any PGA Tour players who participate in LIV Golf events—which LIV Golf called “vindictive.” The PGA has since come under investigation by the Department of Justice over alleged antitrust violations to upstart LIV Golf, the Wall Street Journal reported. Earlier this month, a federal judge rejected a separate request for a restraining order against the PGA Tour from three LIV golfers who had been suspended from PGA play and wanted to play in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup last week—marking a legal victory against LIV Golf.
Crucial Quote
“Today is a culmination of a strengthened partnership between the Tour and the players, and amongst the players themselves,” Monahan said. “It’s unprecedented for our tour and a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in.”
Further Reading
LIV’s Astonishing Progress In Just Six Wild Months: A Timeline (Forbes)
LIV Golf: Who’s In And What We Know About The Saudi-Funded League Launching Thursday (Forbes)
Feds Launch Probe Into PGA Over Response To Rival LIV Golf (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/08/24/pga-tour-boosts-player-pay-in-ongoing-battle-with-fledging-liv-golf/