Significant purse increases to eight events, including the Sentry Tournament of Champions ($15 million), Genesis Invitational ($20 million), Arnold Palmer Invitational ($20 million), Players Championship ($25 million), Dell Technologies WGC-Match Play, Memorial ($20 million), FedEx St. Jude Championship ($20 million), and FedEx St. Jude Championship ($20 million), are the highlight of the announcement, which was sent to players in a memo before the commissioner's press conference at the Travelers Championship.
The total increase in purses across six events is $54 million. According to Monahan, sponsor contributions will pay for the hikes, with the operating reserve acting as a backup.
In the future, Monahan stated, "We were intending on raising purses to these tournaments." "There's no doubt that one of the things we're seeking to accomplish with the shift we're making at the beginning of 2023 is to make sure that our top events are maximized in terms of both their consequence and the financial investment, and this is an acceleration of that."
The news was seen as a direct response to the Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf program, which had eight events with individual prize purses of $20 million and team prizes of $5 million, which started earlier this month in London.
Monahan also described a new three-event international series for elite players with comparable-sized payouts in the memo. These competitions would take place in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and involve a team component. The structure is still under consideration.
The email also revealed essential changes to how players keep their Tour status, which will take effect in '23 even though the calendar-year schedule's first full year won't start until 2024.
The top 125 teams from the regular-season points list currently qualify for the playoffs and keep their standing for the next season. But only the top 70 players will be eligible for the first playoff event in the 2023 playoffs, which will consist of three postseason tournaments (FedEx St. Jude Championship). Those who finish in the top 50 move on to the second playoff round (the BMW Championship), and the top 30 will compete in the East Lake season finale.
Those who are not in the top 70 will have the opportunity to gain FedExCup points at the fall 2023 events and finish the year inside the top 125, which will guarantee status for the following season.
All players, including those who have advanced to the playoffs, are welcome to participate in the fall. Along with those who will fight for their cards, players who placed outside the top 50 in the playoffs will be able to compete for spots in the international series.
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