'Donjanchi' Premier Golf League "Announces Launch in January 2023"... What About the PGA Tour?

Showing off massive funding with a total prize of $20 million and a $4 million winner's prize per tournament "Power game start with PGA Tour"

The 'Donjanchi' Premier Golf League officially announced its launch in January 2023, marking the beginning of a full-scale power game with the PGA Tour.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Launching in January 2023."

The ‘money party’ Premier Golf League (PGL) has finally surfaced. On the 9th (Korean time), PGL announced a ‘message to the global golf community’ through its official website and social media channels. Starting in 2023, there will be 18 tournaments each season, with 12 of them held in the United States. Most notably, the total prize money per tournament is $20 million (22.4 billion KRW), with the winner’s prize reaching a staggering $4 million (4.47 billion KRW). Even the last-place prize is $150,000 (170 million KRW).

PGL is a new professional golf tour created by the World Golf Group (WGG) based in New York. To compete with the existing PGA Tour, it inevitably requires massive funding. In fact, on the PGA Tour, only the four major championships, the ‘fifth major’ The Players Championship, and the four World Golf Championships (WGC) events offer prize money exceeding $10 million. This is similar to how the WGC series initially increased prize money to attract global stars.

It is interesting that PGL has denied rumors about Saudi Arabian capital involvement, stating it is "completely separate." They explained, "There have been many rumors so far," and emphasized that the purpose is "to improve professional golf for fans, players, and the entire golf community." They also said, "We will respect the schedules of the four majors and the Ryder Cup," and stressed that the goal is "to make golf more accessible and enjoyable for a larger audience." Golf.com in the U.S. evaluated that "the success of PGL ultimately depends on how many players participate in the league."

The PGA Tour’s response is another point of interest. It has already indicated a strong stance by threatening "lifetime bans for those who participate in PGL," while also preparing various incentives such as the ‘Player Impact Program,’ which distributes $40 million among popular players. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Jon Rahm (Spain) have expressed their intention not to join PGL, thereby supporting the PGA Tour for now. The full-scale ‘power game’ among existing organizations like PGL, PGA Tour, and European Tour has begun.

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