Tiger Woods will receive a loyalty bonus from the PGA Tour on Thursday, which will act as a reward for turning down LIV Golf.
Golfing titan Tiger Woods is set to pocket a whopping £80.4 million from the PGA Tour as a loyalty bonus for resisting the allure of rival LIV Golf’s vast wealth. The 15-time major winner, aged 48, will receive an email from Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, on Thursday, confirming the hefty bonus as part of a £2.4 billion investment into a new non-profit company, PGA Tour Enterprises.
Woods preditable heads a small group of golfers who are set to benefit the most financially, with Rory McIlroy in tow with a £40m pay-out expected. Both Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas follow thereafter, with an expected staggered payment each of £25m.
As reported by The Telegraph, two-thirds of this investment will be shared among 193 golfers. However, a staggering £603 million will be distributed to 36 superstars, including Woods and McIlroy, who are among the top beneficiaries. Yet there appears to be an alarming absence of World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who has also resisted the allure of LIV despite being the unrivalled best golfer on the planet, at present.
Career points, which reflect an individual’s achievements in the PGA Tour, will be the main metric for determining how the money will be divided. This explains the substantial bonuses for Woods and McIlroy, with Woods boasting 82 Tour titles compared to McIlroy’s 24.
The value of equity in the PGA Tour is expected to continue growing, ensuring players will continue to reap significant rewards in the future. However, matching LIV Golf’s short-term appeal may prove challenging, given they offered Jon Rahm a staggering £361.9m to switch allegiance.
Among the new US investors in the PGA Tour is Liverpool FC owners Fenway Sports, who are playing a role in making such enhancements possible.
Discussions are ongoing between the PGA, LIV Golf [PIF] and the DP World Tour, with McIlroy appearing to ease his hardline view on players who have taken the lucrative Saudi-backed LIV Golf offers.
Whispers circulated that McIlroy was tempted by a jaw-dropping £672m offer from LIV Golf following his departure from the PGA Tour’s policy board in November last year, though the 34=year-old quashed such rumours and this week rejoined the PGA Tour’s policy board.
Speaking to BBC Sport, McIlroy acknowledged his brief step back, saying: “It has. Something had to give. There’s only so many hours in the day and so many days in the week and I’ve got a lot going on in my life right now.
“Between trying to be a world-class golfer and trying to be a good husband and a good father, I’ve got a growing investment portfolio that’s taking up more of my time… I’ve got a lot going on.”
Woods has entered only two PGA events this season. He took part in the Genesis Invitational and the Masters, withdrawing from the former at Riviera Country Club due to back issues and flu symptoms.
At Augusta, Woods carded rounds of 73, 72, 82, and 77, totalling 304 strokes [+16], which left him in 60th place.
