Live leaderboard: PGA Championship 1st round

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As the pre-eminent tour in the world, the PGA TOUR is continually evolving to better serve its players, fans, sponsors and media partners. That was illustrated again Wednesday at the TOUR Championship as PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan announced further enhancements to the TOUR and its schedule. Four key items highlighted Wednesday’s announcement, which built upon the innovations introduced earlier this year to bring the game’s top players together more often. Additional Elevated Events for 2023, and a commitment from top players to compete in at least 20 PGA TOUR events per year, were announced, as were an expansion to the Player Impact Program and guaranteed league-minimum earnings for full TOUR members. The addition of four Elevated Events brings the total to 12 for next season. Top players have made an unprecedented commitment to play all 12 events, in addition to the four majors and THE PLAYERS Championship, and add three PGA TOUR events of their choosing to their schedules, Commissioner Monahan announced. “Our top players are firmly behind the TOUR, helping us deliver an unmatched product to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the best players competing against each other in 20 events or more throughout the season,” he said. The additional Elevated Events – which will join the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and the three FedExCup Playoffs events (FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship) — will be announced in the coming weeks and have purses of at least $20 million. An expanded Player Impact Program and the introduction of the Earnings Assurance Program were also part of the announcement. Effective this year, the Player Impact Program will double to award $100 million to 20 players who resonate the most with fans and media. New metrics also will be implemented to better capture awareness from both casual and core fans. The Earnings Assurance Program replaces the previously-announced “Play15” program. All Korn Ferry Tour graduates and above in the TOUR’s priority ranking who compete in at least 15 events will earn no less than $500,000 per year, as the TOUR will fill the gap for players who fail to meet that benchmark. A travel stipend program also will be implemented for non-exempt members (players in the 126-150 category and below). Those players will receive $5,000 for travel and tournament-related expenses when they miss the cut. The stipends will not impact tournament purses. Other changes include added benefits for TOUR Championship qualifiers and enhancements to the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Beginning this year, qualifying for the TOUR Championship will bring a two-year exemption and qualify players for the following year’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. The Sentry will also award 550 FedExCup points to the winner, aligning it with the player-hosted invitationals (Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and Memorial Tournament presented by Workday) and World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Finally, players will earn life membership immediately upon reaching 20 wins (eliminating the requirement for 15 years of membership). “Today is a culmination of a strengthened partnership between the TOUR and the players, and amongst the players themselves,” Commissioner Monahan said. “It’s unprecedented for our TOUR and a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in.” Here is a closer look at Wednesday’s announcements: 1. Top players will commit to at least a 20-event PGA TOUR schedule (assuming they qualify), which includes: A. 12 Elevated Events 1. FedExCup Playoffs A. FedEx St. Jude Championship – $20 million B. BMW Championship – $20 million C. TOUR Championship/FedExCup Bonus Pool – $75 million 2. The Genesis Invitational – $20 million 3. Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard – $20 million 4. the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday – $20 million 5. WGC-Dell Match Play Championship – $20 million 6. Sentry Tournament of Champions – $15 million 7. To be announced: four additional Elevated Events – purses of at least $20 million each B. THE PLAYERS Championship – $25 million C. The Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open Championship D. 3 Additional FedExCup events (of the player’s choosing) 2. For the 2022-23 season, a “top player” will be defined as: A. Players who finish in the top 20 under the current Player Impact Program AND players who finish in the top 20 under the revised PIP criteria 3. Expansion of the Player Impact Program A. Reward 20 players a total (up from 10) for 2022 and 2023 B. Total bonus pool of $100 million (previously announced as $50 million) in 2022 and 2023 C. For 2022, any player on the revised criteria list who is not on the current criteria list will receive a payout equal to 20th position (most likely two or three players) D. Players will receive their PIP bonus at the end of the season after competing in the 12 Elevated Events and three non-elevated events, as outlined above 4. Launch of “Earnings Assurance Program” A. For fully exempt members (Korn Ferry Tour category and above) B. Guaranteed league minimum of $500,000 per player (TOUR funds any gaps in earnings) C. Rookies and returning members will receive money up front D. Must participate in 15 events E. Replaces “Play15” Program 5. Travel Stipend Program A. For non-exempt members (126-150 category and below) B. Receive $5,000 for every missed cut C. Subsidizes travel and tournament-related expenses D. Does not impact tournament purses

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Rickie Fowler takes being called the best player without a major championship as a compliment and would rather be remembered for what he does off the golf course than on it. But don’t mistake that for a lack of drive to win on the biggest stages. Fowler opened the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with an impressive 5-under 66 to tie for the early wave lead with Louis Oosthuizen and Xander Schauffele on Thursday, putting his resume back in the spotlight. The uber popular now 30-year-old has five PGA TOUR wins, including the 2015 PLAYERS Championship, but has had to deal with multiple near misses in major championships. This has seen some claim he may have underachieved. Coming into the 119th U.S. Open Fowler had 10 top-10s in majors to his name without saluting. In 2014 he was inside the top-5 of all four majors. Lately he’s now 20-under in opening rounds at majors since 2017, the best of any player. But so far no trophies. He claims he’s not worried. “Obviously there’s a lot of great players that haven’t won a major. It’s not necessarily something I think about or worry about. I know that when the time is right, it’s going to happen,â€� Fowler said entering the week. “And I’ve been in the position to have a chance and right there in the mix come Sunday. I don’t necessarily put my life on it, looking at what success is. If I don’t win a major, that’s not going to necessarily define me. Do I want to win a major? Yes. I would love to and then knock off some more after that. But it’s not going to define who I am.â€� Fowler is acutely aware Phil Mickelson won his first major in his 30s. Jason Day had nine top-10s in majors before his first win. The examples are everywhere of good players taking time. And the near misses have provided valuable experience as he heads into the next three rounds. He claims he now has a great level of comfort with the nerves. And he’s aware of all the things that can conspire against you. Staying in the moment is important, staying detailed also. If something in the process is off, he will back off and start again. “That gets more and more important, especially when you get to Saturday, Sunday, and things start to speed up,â€� he says. “If you’re walking fast it kind of falls into your swing so the more I can stay at the same pace, breathing the same… It’s a lot easier said than done.â€� Fowler certainly looked calm throughout Thursday’s round hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. He made it look easy at times. “You don’t have to do anything special in majors. It’s just being disciplined and executing the shot that’s at hand,â€� Fowler adds. “It would be nice to see if we can top that, if not just keeping matching it.â€�

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