The PGA has announced that the Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship and Travelers Championship will now all have $20m prize purses for next season, as the US-based tour continues to enhance its offering to its members in response to the threat posed by LIV Golf.
The four events come on top of the 13 previously announced ‘elevated’ events, all of which will have increased purse sizes and guaranteed appearances from top players. The other events include the four Majors, The Players Championship, the three FedExCup Playoff events, the three invitationals (Genesis, Bay Hill and Memorial), the WGC Match Play and the Tournament of Champions.
Although the PGA Tour has a ‘strategic alliance’ with the DP World Tour, no European events are elevated for 2023, with the Scottish Open remaining a co-sanctioned event.
The concept of elevated events was first announced in August and aims to bring the PGA Tour’s best players together 17 times a season. The PGA Tour’s top players must play in all 17 of these elevated events and must enter a minimum of three other PGA Tour tournaments, taking their total commitment per season to 20 events.
Next year’s LIV Golf Series will comprise 14 events, each with total prize funds of $25m, with $4m going to the individual winner, plus a $5m team prize which is split four ways between the top three teams at each tournament.
“Our top players are firmly behind the tour,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. “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. This is an extraordinary and unprecedented commitment, a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in.”