PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has ruled out LIV players returning to the circuit if they are enticed by a host of positive changes.
It's been confirmed that the PGA Tour’s elite players have committed to playing against each other at least 20 times a year.
This has also been enhanced by the bonus pool for the Player Impact Programme being doubled to $100 million.
This is elevated by 12 tournaments that will have purses between $15 million and $20 million.
Top players from the PGA Tour are committing to compete in at least 20 events starting next season, including 12 elevated tournaments that will have purses between $15 million and $20 million, commissioner Jay Monahan announced Wednesday. https://t.co/2UKy4zatA4
— ESPN (@espn) August 24, 2022
As reported by The Irish Times, players are also guaranteed minimum earnings of $500,000, which can be taken up front by rookies, while lower-ranked players will receive a travel stipend of $5,000 for each missed cut.
"Our top players are firmly behind the Tour, helping us deliver an unmatched product to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the best players competing against each other in 20 events or more throughout the season," Monahan said.
"This is an extraordinary and unprecedented commitment, a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in."
For the 2022-23 season, a "top player" will be those who finish in the top 20 under the current PIP and players who finish in the top 20 under the revised criteria of internet searches, general awareness, golf fan awareness, media mentions and broadcast exposure.
Asked if LIV Golf players who were impressed by the changes and wanted to return would have their suspensions lifted, Monahan said: "No.
"They’ve joined the LIV Golf Series and they’ve made that commitment. For most of them, they’ve made multiyear commitments.
"As I’ve been clear throughout, every player has a choice, and I respect their choice, but they’ve made it.
"We’ve made ours. We’re going to continue to focus on the things that we control and get stronger and stronger."
The news comes a little over a month to the day that Henrik Stenson was removed from his role as Europe's next Ryder Cup captain.
This came ahead of his expected switch to the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series.
