A document US$20 million (S$27.3 million) prize purse, a venue often known as the purest check in golf to host the strongest subject for any occasion and a showpiece billed because the gold commonplace for the PGA Tour.
Welcome to the Players Championship from March 10-13.
When Justin Thomas rolls up on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass to defend his Players title, it’ll coincide with unprecedented occasions for elite golfers as there’s money, money and more money to be received on Tour.
There’s a lot extra to play for than ever earlier than and it’s not solely on the Players, which is the Tour’s flagship event and crown jewel, however throughout the opposite 47 tournaments staged throughout a jam-packed season.
The FedExCup bonus pool has gone up by US$15 million to US$75 million, with the brand new No. 1 taking dwelling a princely US$18 million; the Comcast Business Tour top-10 has doubled to US$20 million; and the brand new Player Impact Programme, which rewards main gamers who transfer the needle base on a mix of metrics, can pay out a hefty US$50 million.
All the will increase coincide with the Tour debuting a landmark home TV rights offers starting from this 12 months by means of 2030, and the typical event purse has risen to US$9.1 million from US$8 million. Players will now shoot for a grand whole of US$427 million in official prize cash.
But cling on a minute… it actually isn’t simply all about cash which makes the golf world go spherical.
Chasing golf historical past, creating legacies and making constructive change on a platform well-known for its philanthropic endeavours to affect communities – over US$3 billion has been raised for charity since 1968 – are frequent threads amongst the present stars of the sport.
They know you possibly can’t pocket thousands and thousands by merely displaying up and are as a substitute ready to compete in opposition to deep fields like on the Players to earn their place in golf’s annals, and observe the legacy began by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Rory McIlroy, the 2019 Players champion and a 20-time PGA Tour winner, has been vocal in taking on the elder stateman’s position within the sport regardless of being solely 32.
“I would like to be on the right side of history,” mentioned the Northern Irishman, whose profession earnings stands at almost US$60 million.
“I feel like this is the best place to play golf if you’re an elite professional golfer. Every time I walk out of a meeting or walk out of any sort of interaction with them (Tour leadership), I’m always very confident the Tour’s headed in the right direction.”
Spaniard and World No. 1 Jon Rahm, who has earned over US$31 million on the PGA Tour, defined what motivates him within the recreation.
“I think the best legacy I can accomplish will be with the PGA Tour. I don’t do this for the money,” mentioned Rahm.
“I’m in this game for the love of golf and the love of the game and to become a champion. I grew up watching many great players play great events and there’s history and legacy to those things. That’s something that has a lot of appeal to me.”
World No. 2 Collin Morikawa grew up idolising Woods, a joint document holder of 82 PGA Tour wins, and is aware of precisely the place he must be in seek for his golf fulfilment.
“I’m all for the PGA Tour. My entire life, I’ve thought about the PGA Tour, I’ve thought about playing against Tiger, beating his records, but I’ve never had another thought of what’s out there, right? I’ve never thought about anything else, it’s always been the PGA Tour.”
Woods, who’s on the highway to restoration from a single-car accident greater than a 12 months in the past, deserves loads of credit score for producing extra worth than ever earlier than to the skilled recreation together with his international enchantment.
When Chilean rising star, Joaquin Niemann received the Genesis Invitational, a event hosted by Woods and with a historical past which dates again to 1926, the 23-year-old was gobsmacked at what he had achieved.
“I want to compete with the best players in the world, I want to be No. 1 one day. I think there’s nothing better like what I’m feeling right now. Winning a PGA Tour event, getting a trophy, having Tiger there, all the history behind, there’s nothing that can compete with this,” mentioned Niemann, who’s a two-time winner.
This 12 months’s Players Championship will have a good time its forty seventh version and marks the fortieth anniversary that the distinguished occasion is being performed on the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course. With the roll of honour that includes the likes of Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Nick Price, Fred Couples and naturally Woods, the achievement in profitable the Tour’s flagship event wasn’t misplaced on final 12 months’s winner, Justin Thomas.
“It’s a huge championship, very special. It’s a tournament I’ve wanted to win, a tournament that I truly did feel like I was going to win at some point, and hopefully multiple times. Just a great test of golf, that’s why it’s a Players Championship,” mentioned Thomas, who’s a 14-time Tour winner.
“I mean, the reason I play golf is to create a legacy and win as many times as I can on the PGA Tour.”
Note: Chuah Choo Chiang is Senior Director, Marketing & Communications – APAC for the PGA Tour and relies in Kuala Lumpur.
*Catch the world’s greatest gamers competing on the Players Championship on Mola and GolfTV powered by PGA Tour.
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