PGA Tour announces four 'elevated' events for 2023 with big prize money

The PGA Tour has announced the four additional "elevated" events which will have prize funds of 20million US dollars and guaranteed appearances by top players.

As part of the response to the threat posed by LIV Golf, the PGA Tour’s top players have committed to playing against each other at least 20 times a year.

The 20 events are made up of the four majors, the Players Championship, 12 elevated tournaments on the PGA Tour – eight of which had already been named – and three other events chosen by the players.

The four elevated events announced on Wednesday are the WM Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship and Travelers Championship.

The RBC Heritage takes place immediately after the Masters, while the Travelers Championship is held the week after the US Open.

Speaking at the Tour Championship in August, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: "Our top players are firmly behind the Tour, 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."

The four newly announced events are for 2023 only; four different tournaments could be elevated in 2024.