Amid the hanging merger between the PGA Tour and PIF, unexpected news has stirred a plethora of questions within the community. It has been reported that the 15-time major champion Tiger Woods will receive an email from Sawgrass HQ indicating that he could potentially receive up to $100 million as compensation for his loyalty to the PGA Tour. Woods was also kept in the dark about Tour’s merger with PIF, and it garnered a lot of attention. Many thought that it would lead to Woods holding a grudge against the Tour officials but that did not happen, and the 5x Masters winner is still standing strong with the PGA Tour.
Furthermore, to reward the golfers for letting go of substantial LIV Golf offers, reports suggest that the PGA Tour may offer $50 million to the #2 golfer, Rory McIlroy. This sum will be an incentive for the Northern Irishman to not join the Saudi-backed league. Just a few days back, the 4x major champion shunned his defection rumors and made everyone aware that he sees his future with just the PGA Tour. Although he did feel like a “sacrificial lamb” once the merger was announced, that didn’t nudge to defect.
If reports are to be believed, the emails consisting of “ultra-personal messages” will be personally sent by Jay Monahan. This communication has been eagerly awaited since Strategic Sports Group pumped $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises, three months ago.
Nevertheless, after this news emerged, Commissioner Jay Monahan and his management team could face backlash. Why? Well, because, as per reports, Monahan has been working very hard to keep the breakdown that would be awarded to the golfers a secret. It is reported that “approximately two-thirds of that figure will be divvied up as equity to 193 golfers” and that the allocation of the $750 million among the top 36 golfers will be based on perceived merit.
The instance indicates that the majority of the reward will be given out to Woods and McIlroy, hinting at a huge disparity in what will be offered to other golfers. It could raise questions regarding fairness within the Tour, with concerns that other golfers may not receive the same level of compensation as Woods and McIlroy. Following the emergence of this news, speculation regarding whether the Northern Irishman’s potential decision to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board influenced this choice could also arise.
Rory McIlroy could join the PGA Tour policy board
In November, McIlroy decided to depart from the PAC due to his professional and personal commitments. The golfer acknowledged that from his array of responsibilities, “something had to give.” However, recent speculation has arisen indicating that the 35-year-old might be considering rejoining the policy board after Webb Simpson’s resignation. There has been no official confirmation from the pro himself. Nonetheless, such a decision could potentially benefit the PGA Tour.
Even after resigning from the PGA Tour Board membership, the Northern Irishman remained committed to the Tour. Moreover, he firmly refuted rumors linking him to the Saudi-backed league. With rumors circulating about Woods and McIlroy receiving compensation from the tour, particularly following the potential rejoining of the 35-year-old with the policy board, numerous questions have arisen, eagerly awaiting responses from the pros.
