PGA Tour to INCREASE PRIZE MONEY to keep Premier Golf League at bay

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan plans on significantly increasing the prize money at The Players Championship and FedEx Cup, in a bid to fend off the current threat from the Premier Golf League.

Jack Seddon's picture
Wed, 11 Mar 2020
PGA Tour to INCREASE PRIZE MONEY to keep Premier Golf League at bay

While the debate around the proposed Premier Golf League continues, the PGA Tour's financial growth looks as healthy as ever and the Tour's commissioner Jay Monahan has revealed plans to further increase prize money at certain events.

According to Monahan, the PGA Tour has plans to increase the purse at The Players Championship to a huge $25 million, while the total prize fund for the FedEx Cup could exceed $100 million.

This year, The Players Championship has a total purse of $15 million, with the winner set to take home $2.7 million, while the current total fund for the FedEx Cup is $60 million.

Both The Players and the FedEx Cup are two of the biggest trophies a player can win during their career on the PGA Tour and by increasing the prize pot by such large sums, it could certainly stop the Tour's biggest players from joining the proposed Premier Golf League.

Earlier this week, the PGA Tour secured a new long-term broadcasat deal, making Monahan very confident about the future of the Tour.

“Here we were excited to move to a $15m purse, I see us getting to $25m,” Monahan said. “There’s a day in the not too distant future where the [FedEx] Cup will be worth significantly more, perhaps $100m or more. That’s not a commitment but that’s generally speaking the kind of growth that I expected for us to see for our athletes.”

Monahan also praised Rory McIlroy's "leadership" after he spoke out against the PGL, stating he didn't like where the money was coming from.

“I think at this point I have somewhat of a responsibility, not just for myself but for the other players," said McIlroy. "I’ve been around the top of the game for a long time now, over a decade, and am at the stage of life where I’m a lot more comfortable in my own skin and in my own beliefs and values and convictions. I guess I want to be a voice out there that can at least put forth some good commentary and a decent opinion on things, and that’s what I try to do.”