RORY MCILROY AND PGA TOUR STARS TO EARN £1.2BN FOR SNUBBING LIV GOLF

and his comrades are set to discover the size of their financial reward today (Wednesday) for turning down . Some on the PGA, including McIlroy, have resisted the lucrative offers from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf since its inception last year.

Many of these loyal players have been vocal about deserving compensation for not jumping ship to LIV, and it seems their calls have been heeded with a whopping £1.2billion investment deal struck with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) earlier in January.

SSG, which counts the Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group among its members, has joined forces with the PGA Tour to form a profit-driven venture aimed at securing the tour's future against the competitive edge and deep pockets of LIV.

A key feature of this partnership is an equity plan that will allocate shares in PGA Tour Enterprises to the players. On Wednesday, the 193 eligible PGA Tour golfers will be briefed on the value of their initial share grants by the PGA.

The tour's top performers over the last five seasons, such as Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, and seasoned veterans like Tiger Woods, are expected to receive the lion's share of "membership units".

These units will vest across the next eight years, providing a strong financial incentive for players to remain loyal to the PGA Tour and resist the temptations of joining LIV.

"It's really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal," Jason Gore, the tour's chief player officer said in a video set to be distributed to players.

The PGA Tour's Player Impact Program differs from Wednesday's grant award, which will remain under wraps, rewarding players for their marketability rather than this new confidential financial incentive.

In a bid to retain loyalty amidst the LIV Golf controversy, the PGA Tour has decided that any player who defects to the rival tour and later wishes to return will not be eligible for the new equity programme.

The equity distribution sees players categorised into four tiers, with the top echelon, Group 1, comprising 36 players like McIlroy, Woods, Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth, who will share a staggering 80 pre cent of an £600m pot.

Meanwhile, the 64 players in Group 2, consisting of regular tour members and emerging stars, will divide a £60m fund. Group 3, featuring 57 players, will split £24m, and a fourth group of 36 "past legends" will be allocated a share of £60m based on their historic PGA Tour successes.

It's stipulated that only living players in Group 4 are entitled to the equity awards; posthumous payments to family or heirs are not permitted.

Players will only be permitted to sell their equity once it has vested, and they will also face taxation upon doing so. Following Wednesday's equity awards, an annual £80m scheme is set to follow in 2025 for the top 20 players on tour each season.

2024-04-24T10:58:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd