As the PGA Tour moves forward with a new two-series scheduling model beginning in 2028, there will be more money in its top circuit of tournaments than ever before.
PGA Tour Championship Series events will have purses of at least $20 million. There are expected to be 15 of those in the regular season, in addition to the four major championships and the PGA Tour-operated Players Championship, which will continue to have an even higher purse ($25 million for the past four years).
But the rising cost for companies to financially back one of these new Championship Series events moving forward raised some concerns for one of the PGA Tour’s most popular players.
“There’s going to be certain events that might lose their stature if a sponsor doesn’t pony up $30 million,” Rory McIlroy said at the U.S. Open, citing the most commonly reported number for a top-tier annual tournament naming rights deal, which typically covers the prize money and includes a minimum media ad spend, among other guarantees.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said he was “very confident” that those $20 million-plus purses can be sustained in this new economic model.
