The 12 elevated events will be the three FedExCup Playoffs, the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament, WGC-Dell Match Play, Sentry Tournament of Champions and four events to be announced; top golfers will play a minimum of three other regular PGA Tour events
Wednesday 24 August 2022 16:35, UK
Golf's "top players" have committed to playing at least 20 PGA Tour events a year, commissioner Jay Monahan has announced.
The 20 events include the four major championships, the Players Championship and 12 "elevated" tournaments on the PGA Tour which will have an average purse of $20million (£17million).
The three FedExCup Playoffs, the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament, WGC-Dell Match Play Championship and the Sentry Tournament of Champions had already been confirmed as elevated events, while Monahan said four further elevated tournaments would be announced at a later date.
Players will then choose a minimum of three other PGA Tour events to add to their schedules, as the Tour bids to combat the threat posed by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.
"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 in a press conference ahead of the Tour Championship.
"This is an extraordinary and unprecedented commitment, a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in. To now have our top players rally around this organization and commit to a portfolio of tournaments like never before, I think our fans, our partners, our players are going to love it. I promise you, there's more to come."
The Tour's announcement came just a week after Tiger Woods flew to Delaware ahead of the BMW Championship to lead a players-only meeting, with Rory McIlroy also a key figure.
"Everyone in that room realised that this is the best way forward," McIlroy said. "We have all made a commitment to get together more often to make the product more compelling.
"I don't care if they [players] leave [the PGA Tour] or not, it's not going to make a difference to me, but I would at least like people to make a decision that is completely informed."
Asked if LIV Golf players who were impressed by the changes to the PGA Tour would be welcomed back, Monahan said: "No. They've joined the LIV Golf Series and they've made that commitment and many have made a multi-year commitment.
"I've been clear throughout, every player has a choice and I respect that choice. I think they understand that."
Monahan added: "Where we're competing [with LIV] is with our product, and our product is our schedule. We've made some strong enhancements to that for top players and for our entire membership, coming into this year and certainly as we go into 2023.
"When you look at being a member of the PGA Tour and you look at the financials moving forward, you can have a tremendous career. You're doing it in a way where you're preparing yourself to achieve at the highest level of the game. You're competing for trophies that matter. You're competing for history and legacy.
"When you're dealing with a non-economic actor [LIV Golf], you have to come back to the core of who you are, and if the core of who you are is providing the single greatest competitive access and opportunities for players, and pipeline, then how do you make that stronger? And that's what everything starts with."
The PGA Tour confirmed an expansion of the Player Impact Program, launched to financially reward the game's biggest names, with the bonus pool doubled to $100million and 20 players to be recognised instead of the previous 10.
PIP criteria will be adjusted to remove previous the Q-Score and social media criteria and expand "awareness criteria" to capture the awareness from casual and core fan base, although a golfer must compete in all the elevated events to be eligible for the bonus pool.
Guaranteed financial security will be secured under the "Earnings Assurance Program", where both PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour Players will be guaranteed to earn $500,000 a year regardless of performance. The PGA Tour will fund any difference below $500,000 not earned in prize money, providing a player participates in 15 or more events.
A system has also been created to assist non-exempt members outside the top-125, with players set to receive $5,000 for every missed cut and also be supported with subsidized travel and tournament expenses.
Who will win the FedExCup? Watch the PGA Tour's Tour Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Golf.
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