PGA Tour Emergency "Is a New Golf Tour Being Established?"

WGG 2022 PGL Opening Moves "18 Tournaments Total Prize Money $240 Million Money Festival Ahead"

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "The key issue is money."

The global golf community is suddenly abuzz. Major foreign media outlets such as the US Golf Channel reported on the 29th (Korean time) that "a group called World Golf Group (WGG) in New York, USA, will launch the Premier Golf League (PGL) in 2022." The PGL will feature 18 tournaments with a total prize money of $240 million (2.831 trillion KRW). It is known that Wall Street investment banks in New York are funding it, and even Las Vegas sports betting companies have expressed investment intentions.

Compared to the current PGA Tour's total prize money of $400 million, it is about half, but since the number of tournaments is relatively small, the prize money per tournament is higher, which is noteworthy. Especially unlike the PGA Tour, which has about 150 participants, only exactly 48 players will compete without a 'cut off.' It is truly a matter of 'selection and concentration.' With a winner's prize of as much as $5 million (5.9 billion KRW), it blatantly aims to attract only the world's top 48 players by offering huge earnings.

The PGA Tour is naturally on high alert. Regarding the PGL establishment movement, it expressed displeasure by saying, "Whether real or illusory, we do not comment on other tours." This statement contains hope that the PGL will not materialize. Commissioner Jay Monahan recently met with 16 members of the players' committee and showed a tough stance by saying, "We will not allow players to participate in both the PGA Tour and PGL," increasing vigilance.

The problem is the concern that if top-ranked players immediately respond positively to the PGL, the PGA Tour could quickly become a minor league. Golf.com pointed out, "The biggest motivation for professional players is money," and asked, "Aren't world stars participating in the European Tour's Saudi International (which offers huge appearance fees) during this week's PGA Tour Phoenix Open?" This suggests that the emergence of a new professional golf tour is entirely possible.

Players are already unsettled. A PGA Tour member who requested anonymity said, "The offer for 48 players to earn big money over 18 tournaments in 8 months is definitely a tempting lure," and predicted, "In fact, title sponsors and broadcasters would find it cost-effective if the 'top 48' are guaranteed to participate." Many players, including Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), revealed that "WGG officials have been proposing joining the new tour since the end of last year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.