'Donjanji' Premier Golf League "Will It Launch in 2022?"

WGG Tempts World Stars with Saudi Funding, Secures $40 Million Bonus to Lock Down PGA Tour

The "Donjanchi" Premier Golf League (PGL) has recently attracted intense attention by recruiting world stars.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The ‘money festival’ Premier Golf League (PGL).

This is a new professional golf tour announced in January 2022 by an organization called the World Golf Group (WGG) based in New York. With a total prize money of $240 million (2.698 trillion KRW) across 18 events, it is only about half the size compared to the current PGA Tour’s 50 events with a total prize money of $400 million (4.496 trillion KRW). The issue is that the number of tournaments is fewer, so the prize money per event is higher. Unlike the PGA Tour, which has about 144 players competing with a minimum prize of $10 million per event and a cut-off, PGL features exactly 48 players competing without a cut-off, and the winner’s prize reaches $5 million (56.2 billion KRW).

On the PGA Tour, only the four major championships and the World Golf Championships (WGC) series offer prize money exceeding $10 million. This clearly shows the intention to recruit only 48 world stars. After slowing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, it has recently resurfaced. The American network ESPN reported that "PGL investors have contacted world number one Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson (all from the U.S.), and Justin Rose (England), among others."

An unnamed agent added that "PGL is still alive" and "has offered players an annual guarantee of $30 million (3.38 billion KRW)." It is important to note that PGL’s funding comes from Saudi Arabia. When the Saudi International was established on the European Tour in 2019, it already boasted ‘oil dollar power’ by offering invitation fees exceeding $1 million (1.13 billion KRW) and 7-star hotel accommodations to players like Johnson, Koepka, and Mickelson.

This is why the PGA Tour has issued a ‘PGL warning.’ Commissioner Jay Monahan strongly hinted at a tough response, saying, "Players who participate in PGL will be permanently banned." They are even considering introducing a ‘Player Influence Index Program’ that distributes up to $40 million (4.5 billion KRW) to popular players. This program ranks players based on public recognition and favorability, Google search frequency, social media followers, and other factors. It appears they are taking serious measures to ‘lock down’ the situation.

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Jon Rahm (Spain) have expressed their intention not to participate in PGL, thereby supporting the PGA Tour for now. Webb Simpson (U.S.) said at the Wells Fargo Championship (total prize money $8.1 million) held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, "It’s not about the money," emphasizing, "I want to challenge meaningful records on the PGA Tour, which has a long history." It remains to be seen whether PGL can penetrate the existing ‘ecosystem’ including the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and world ranking points.