‘Is That Sustainable?’ – Pro Questions PGA Tour Player Impact Program
Richie Ramsay has questioned whether the PGA Tour can continue paying huge sums in the annual award
This year's Player Impact Program saw its fund doubled to $100m, with $15m going to winner Tiger Woods as the money was distributed among the 20 players who resonated most with fans and the media.
However, DP World Tour pro Richie Ramsay has questioned whether that level of funding can continue as the PGA Tour tries to combat the threat of LIV Golf. Ramsay wrote on Twitter: “Serious $ when it was stated they won’t fight money with money. Is that sustainable????”
Serious $ when it was stated they won’t fight money with money. Is that sustainable???? https://t.co/bwC6JC4w22November 23, 2022
LIV Golf is famously cash-rich, with this year’s $225m prize fund set to be dwarfed in 2023 with $405m available across its 14 tournaments as it looks to secure a place at the top of the game's ecosystem. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has previously admitted that the organisation cannot compete financially with LIV Golf.
Speaking shortly after LIV Golf’s first event in June, Monahan said: “I am not naïve. If this is an arms race and if the only weapons here are dollar bills, the PGA Tour can't compete. The PGA Tour, an American institution, can't compete with a foreign monarchy that is spending billions of dollars in attempt to buy the game of golf.”
However, the PGA Tour has certainly tried to incentivise players to remain with it over the lure of its rival. As well as the increased PIP fund, several tournaments have been awarded elevated status for 2023, meaning they will have a minimum purse of $20m. There are also guarantees for lower-ranked players via the Earnings Assurance Program, which will mean all Korn Ferry graduates, and fully exempt Tour players who compete in more than 15 tournaments, will earn at least $500,000 per year.
Ramsay isn't the only player to query the huge sums of money in the game following the PIP result. Fellow DP World Tour Pro Eddie Pepperell also used Twitter to criticise the $2m bonus given to three players, including Hideki Matsuyama, who failed to make the top 20, writing: "In normal times, a $2m bonus for doing nothing extra would be considered a bit mad. But golf has entered a strange place.”
The 2023 PIP award will have the same prize-money as this year, albeit with a stipulation that 75% of the money will only be paid after obligations are met by players, including competing in elevated events. Whether that is a sign that the PGA Tour is ensuring it doesn't overstretch financially is unclear, but as far as Ramsay is concerned, there are at least questions to be answered on the sustainability of future PIP payouts.
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Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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