The PGA Tour is paying out record prize money in response to the onslaught by controversial golf series LIV in the 2022-23 season.
The official tournaments award prizes totaling $415 million. This emerges from the tour calendar published on Monday. In the previous year it was still 360 million dollars.
In addition, there are 145 million in bonus payments, including 75 million for the FedEx Cup Playoffs alone. The PGA significantly increased the prize money in eight invitational tournaments, and the Players Championship now has $25 million to earn – previously the highest-paying tournament at $20 million.
These measures are a clear response to LIV’s bounty, which has signed numerous top players thanks to its financial strength, which can be traced back to Saudi funds. Among them are Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and two-time German Major Champion Martin Kaymer. The renegades were banned from PGA tournaments.
The LIV opening tournament in London was endowed with 25 million dollars. Overall, the LIV Tour lures in eight tournaments this year with an incredible total prize money of 250 million dollars.
