PGA Tour Appears to Craft Its Own Response to Rival Saudi League
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – The PGA Tour is planning to alter its fall schedule with a series of events that will not be included as part of the FedEx Cup season, with the potential for three overseas tournaments that will pay guaranteed money and have a team element.
The result would mean a return to the calendar-year official season that was scrapped in 2013 in favor of a wraparound season and offer the opportunity for players to have an offseason and not be penalized.
The particulars were presented on Tuesday night at Riviera Country Club during a planned Player Advisory Council meeting that was attended by commissioner Jay Monahan, according to a player who was present who wished to not be identified.
The plan, if approved, would not begin until the fall of 2023, meaning the 2024 season would begin in January.
The PGA Tour has been exploring and implementing ways to better compensate players, especially top players, in response to the potential rival leagues, including one fronted by Greg Norman as part of an entity called LIV Golf Investments, which is backed by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund.
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Among the discussed aspects of Norman’s new league are guaranteed payouts and a team concept.
The Associated Press reported last fall that the Tour was considering a fall “global series’’ with big purses, no cuts and guaranteed payouts based on where players finish in the FedEx Cup.
The series would likely be played in Asia, Europe and potentially the Middle East, to be preceded by six other tournaments that would serve as a place for players who wanted to compete while offering an opportunity to improve their position in the FedEx Cup standings going into the following year. Only those players who finish among the top 50 would be locked in, according to the player who attended the meeting who said numerous details are still to be worked out.
In addition to the change in the fall, the PGA Tour plan is to increase the total FedEx Cup payout from $75 million to $100 million by 2024, with $20 million going to the winner. The Tour wants to increase the Comcast Business Solutions regular season bonus pool from $20 million to $30 million and to up the total Player Impact Program from $50 million to $70 million.
“The numbers are really big, they are impressive,’’ the unidentified player said. “But we’re still really talking about just 10 or 12 guys. A lot of other players have value, too. Way beyond that. And that’s why you keep hearing about these other alternatives.
“We’ve all been asked to consider that question, 'What would you do if you were commissioner for a day?' Would you have 20 tournaments with $25 million purses. Or $20 million purses with 25 tournaments and cut back on the number of exempt players? Would you have fewer exempt spots and get more of the top players competing more often? I don’t know what I’d do.’’
The crux of the proposed new league is guaranteed money, some of it in the eight-figure range that would give certain players “ownership’’ of a four-man team. The purses for the new league would be $20 million per tournament, with 54-hole events and no cuts, another form of guaranteed payment.
The big change in the fall schedule on the PGA Tour would potentially give players the opportunity to take time off, if they desire. One current complaint is that there is virtually no offseason, and those who elect to take time off in the fall find themselves well behind in the FedEx Cup standings when they resume playing.
The proposed league from LIV Golf would consist of 14 tournaments, with 10 likely to be played in North America.
“When there’s only a proposed 14 events, you might pick to play some other events, there seems to be time for a legitimate offseason," said Adam Scott, who added that he’s been approached about the new league but would not offer details.
“I think that’s really missed on the PGA Tour from all aspects but certainly from the top players. I think we would all like to see a break where you’re not penalized for taking a break. I think that’s one of the big things.’’