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"As I told the players (on Tuesday), let me be clear, I am not
naive. If this is an arms race, and if the only weapons here are
dollar bills, the PGA Tour can't compete with a foreign monarchy
that is spending billions of dollars trying to buy the game of
golf," Monahan said in Cromwell, Conn., referencing the LIV Golf
Series.
"We welcome good, healthy competition. The LIV Saudi Golf League
is not that. It's an irrational threat, one not concerned with
return on investment or true growth of the game."
The PGA Tour elected to reduce the number of members who are
fully exempt each season and added a three-stop series of
international events.
The memo sent to the players included purse increases to the
Sentry Tournament of Champions ($15 million), Genesis
Invitational ($20 million), Arnold Palmer Invitational ($20
million), Players Championship ($25 million), Dell Technologies
WGC-Match Play ($20 million), Memorial ($20 million), FedEx St.
Jude Championship ($20 million) and BMW Championship ($20
million).
"These increases will be funded by sponsor support and
supplemented in the short term by the operating reserve,"
Monahan said in the memo. "Please note these amendments to the
Resource Allocation Plan do not affect previously announced
prize money increases at other events."
Additionally, the memo detailed a return to a calendar-year
schedule with the FexExCup contested from January to August,
culminating with the playoffs and fall events to determine the
top 125. The first full year of this system will be 2024.
Under the current system, the top 125 finishers qualify for the
first playoff event. The top 70 in the standings progress to the
next event, and the top 30 from there make the elite Tour
Championship.
Next season, the top 70 players in FedEx Cup points will qualify
for the first playoff tournament, the FedEx St. Jude
Championship. The top 50 will then advance to the BMW
Championship, with the top 30 players moving on to the Tour
Championship at East Lake.
--Field Level Media
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