PGA Tour's 2022-23 schedule to include 44 regular-season tournaments, record $428.6 million in prize money
With the PGA Tour facing perhaps its greatest threat ever from the LIV Golf Invitational Series, it announced a 2022-23 schedule on Monday that includes a record $428.6 million in prize money in official events and another $145 million in bonuses, including $75 million for the FedEx Cup.
The 2022-23 schedule, which was released by the PGA Tour on Monday, will include 44 official regular-season tournaments, including the four majors, and three FedEx Cup playoff events.
Last week, LIV Golf, which is being financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, announced it will expand its series to 14 tournaments in 2023, with 48 players on four-man teams competing for $405 million in prize money.
LIV Golf has lured away major champions such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed with guaranteed contracts reportedly worth between $100 million and $200 million, in addition to lucrative purses for its events.
The upcoming PGA Tour season will be the last using a wraparound format. The tour is moving back to a calendar-year schedule starting in 2024.
Among other significant changes: Only the top 70 players will qualify for the first FedEx Cup playoff event at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee; 50 in the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields, Illinois; and 30 in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
«We've heard from our fans and the overwhelming sentiment was that they wanted more consequences for both the FedEx Cup regular season and the playoffs, and to further strengthen events that traditionally feature top players competing head-to-head,» PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. «We feel strongly we've accomplished all of these objectives and more,