Premier Golf League Set To Be Revealed This Week

The Premier Golf League is set to reveal “detailed plans” for the new £250m golf tour on its website this week.

Despite what feels like the entire industry opposing it, organisers of the F1-style league are still pushing ahead with plans to shake up the world of men’s professional golf.

We’ve heard the PGA Tour say that players will be banned if they play in the PGL and high profile figures including Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas have also spoken out against it.

The PGA and European Tours now have a strategic alliance and the PGA Tour’s new £40m bonus scheme, known as the Player Impact Progam, was introduced to keep players on side.

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh also warned players to be careful what they wish for.

One player who would be interested is Lee Westwood, after he said it would be a “no brainer” to accept a £50m offer – if that is what the offer would be.

The league is set to launch in January 2023 with 48 players, made up of 12 teams of four, across 18 tournaments.

Of the 18 tournaments, 12 will be staged in the USA according to the BBC.

The World Golf Group behind the proposed league are said to be worth more than $20bn.

The group’s boss Andy Gardiner spoke to the BBC, where he said he is hoping to speak to the PGA and European Tours and conclude discussions by September.

The league will not begin until the PGL gets assurances that players will not be banned from their tours and will still be able to earn world ranking points and compete in Majors and the Ryder Cup.

Gardiner says that the PGL is proposing to “gift half of the league,” in an attempt to work with the leading tours and not against them.

“Individuals shouldn’t live in fear of exclusion of not being able to work,” he told the BBC on the PGA Tour proposing to ban players who join the PGL.

“Competition law exists to ensure there is a level playing field and everybody in these circumstances can compete for the services of the best players in the world.

“Different bodies create their own sets of rules to protect what they have and then it’s a question of whether the rules that they have in place are fair and that’s when you look at the relevant law.

“Imagine the reaction of the sponsors and the broadcasters if the world’s best players were all of a sudden banned. Common law in the US says that is a punishment, that’s not a protection.”

Gardiner says that he has been talking to players who wanted purses to be set at $20m per event, which is what they now will be.

The events will feature shotgun starts and be played over three days in five-hour TV slots.

There is also talk of women’s events taking place the week before each men’s tournament as well as junior events.