PGA TOUR ROLLS OUT BIG BUCKS

By NEVILLE IDOUR

It didn’t take long for the PGA Tour to join the LIV GOLF “obscene” money bandwagon. CEO Jay Monahan who didn’t know Brooks Koepka had gone to LIV Golf until media informed him has announced ground breaking changes to the PGA’s structure, schedule and FedEx Cup in 2024. The standout amongst all of this is money, money, money.

Why? Obviously to keep players from going to LIV Golf. Abraham Ancer is listed in the field for the second LIV Golf event but has backtracked on his move after a chat with Monahan before the announcement. It has worked in his case.

Monahan said “We welcome good healthy competition. LIV Golf is not that. It is an irrational threat.” The various new changes are clearly in response to LIV Golf and some of them mirror LIV Golf’s innovations.

The Fedex Cup will only run from January through August and the playoffs have shrunk to the top 70 players, then the top 50 and then the top 30 make the Tour Championship. Eight events have huge prizemoney increases. One almost doubles to $15 million. Six will offer $20 million while The Players Championship ramps up to $25 million. The numbers have a familiar ring.

The top 50 FedEx Cup finishers will qualify for three big no cut (sound familiar) international events while the other players will have fall events to play in to make the 125 for the next season.

Greg Norman’s response was “ It is overwhelming after one event” and that “free agency has officially come to golf.” We wait with bated breath for what happens next.