PGA Tour supercharges player payouts with major equity expansion

In a move set to put even more cash in players’ pockets, the PGA Tour has expanded its headline-grabbing Player Equity Program to reward current form, not just past glories — with the top 50 players in this year’s FedEx Cup standings now joining the party.

The latest update to come out of the PGA Tour was provided by the AP's Doug Ferguson. 

Today's PGA Tour news means dozens more golfers will soon be handed a slice of a scheme that has already blown past the $1 billion mark, making it one of the most ambitious player reward systems sport has ever seen.

The details were reportedly revealed in a memo sent to players on Thursday afternoon by Brian Rolapp, the recently installed CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises. 

The document, seen by the Associated Press, landed just days before preparations ramp up for the delayed start of the 2026 season.

The 2026 PGA Tour season gets underway at the Sony Open next week, but that tournament could soon be coming to an end. 

The equity expansion didn’t come out of thin air. It followed a player meeting at the Rocket Classic — just a week after Rolapp officially took charge — and was later thrashed out again at November’s board meeting before being rubber-stamped.

The result? The number of players receiving recurring equity grants is set to almost double this year.

Rolapp made it clear the message was simple: perform well now, and you’ll be rewarded later.

By widening the scope of the Player Equity Program, he said the PGA Tour was doubling down on recognising competitive excellence and ensuring more members benefit from the Tour’s long-term financial growth.

The equity plan itself was first unveiled nearly two years ago, shortly after the PGA Tour brought in Strategic Sports Group, a heavyweight consortium led by Fenway Sports Group. 

Their initial investment commitment was a staggering $1.5 billion, with the potential for that figure to double down the line.

The first wave of equity was eye-watering.

A total of $750 million was split between 36 players based on career achievements, recent form and star power via the Player Impact Program. 

Another $75 million went to 64 players for performances over the previous three seasons, $30 million was shared among 57 Tour members, and $75 million was handed to 36 past players who helped build the modern Tour.

And that was just the beginning.

A further $600 million has been set aside for future recurring grants, with $100 million handed out every year from 2025 onwards.

The next round of grants will be awarded in April, while players who finish inside the top 50 of this year’s FedEx Cup — finalised after the BMW Championship — won’t see their equity land until April 2027.

There’s a long game at play too. The initial $930 million handed to 193 players comes with a vesting structure: 50% after four years, 75% after six, and the full amount after eight. The annual recurring grants are even stricter, with a six-year cliff before they fully vest.

When the latest batch of grants is added in 2025, more than 213 PGA Tour players will collectively share around $1.3 billion in equity.

Rolapp believes that ownership — not just prize money — is the future.

As investment in sport continues to explode, Rolapp told players their stake in the PGA Tour is becoming a far bigger part of the conversation. 

Unlike any other major tour, this model allows players to benefit directly as the Tour itself grows in value.

Put simply: when the PGA Tour wins, so do its players.

Away from the money, Rolapp is said to have also touched on plans for a future shake-up of the schedule, being explored by the Future Competition Committee chaired by Tiger Woods. 

Ideas on the table include an “iconic” season opener, a stronger presence in major US markets such as New York, Chicago and Boston, and tweaks to reinforce the Tour’s merit-based structure.

But fans hoping for concrete answers will have to wait.

Rolapp stressed discussions remain exploratory and pushed back on fears that his focus on “scarcity” means fewer tournaments.

The aim, he said, is not to slash events but to make each one matter more — for fans, players and partners alike.