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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