More than Doubled from $8.2 Million Last Year
Measures to Prevent Player Exodus Due to LIV Series
The PGA Tour WM Phoenix Open will open on the 9th (Korean time) at TPC Scottsdale (par 71, 7,261 yards) in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
This year, the total prize money has more than doubled from last year's $8.2 million to $20 million (approximately 25.09 billion KRW). The winner's prize alone is $3.6 million (about 4.5 billion KRW).
The increase in prize money this year is because the PGA Tour designated 17 tournaments as "premier events" for the 2022-2023 season. These 17 tournaments consist of the four major championships, The Players Championship, the three FedEx Cup playoff events, and nine regular tournaments. Last year, when the LIV Series, backed by Saudi Arabian capital, launched and caused top-ranked players to defect, the PGA Tour decided to increase prize money to prevent further departures. The Sentry Champions Tournament held last month had a total prize of $15 million, and all other tournaments have raised their total prize money to over $20 million.
Top-ranked players are virtually required to participate in these premier events. Players who ranked within the top 20 in the PGA Tour Player Impact Program last season are allowed to skip only one of the 17 tournaments. At the Phoenix Open, 18 of the top 20 ranked players, including world No. 1 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), will participate.
Korean players participating include Im Sung-jae (25), Kim Joo-hyung (21), Kim Si-woo (28), and Lee Kyung-hoon (32). Lee Kyung-hoon was the runner-up at this tournament in 2021.
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