Published February 13, 2020 08:04(KST)
Tiger Woods holds a press conference a day before the opening of the Genesis Invitational. Pacific Palisades, California, United States = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits
(Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, golf journalist) ○… “Fact-checking underway.”
“Resurrected golf emperor” Tiger Woods (United States) revealed at a press conference held the day before the opening of the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational (total prize money of $9.3 million) on the 12th (Korean time) that he had “received an offer to participate in the Premier Golf League (PGL).” The PGL is a new golf tour scheduled to launch in 2022. It is known to be financed by Wall Street investment banks in New York, with Las Vegas sports gaming companies also expressing interest in investments.
The total prize money amounts to $240 million (KRW 2.831 trillion) spread across 18 tournaments. While that’s about half of the PGA Tour’s current total prize money of $400 million, the number of tournaments is fewer, meaning the prize money per event is higher. Unlike the PGA Tour, which has 150 players, only 48 players will compete without a cut. This is truly a “select and focus” approach. The winner’s prize pool reaches a staggering $5 million (KRW 590 million), aiming to attract only the world’s top 48 players with massive winnings.
PGL officials have been actively recruiting, playing with veteran Phil Mickelson (USA) in the European Tour’s Saudi International Pro-Am, which ended on the 2nd in Saudi Arabia. World number one Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) has already said he “will not participate”, so success or failure ultimately depends on Woods. Woods added: “We are studying carefully with the team whether PGL is a realistic plan.”
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