PGA Tour adds financial incentives for players who lost status

The PGA Tour will provide a financial safety net for some of its full-time pros through two initiatives starting next year, according to a memo sent to players on Tuesday and reported by multiple media outlets.

As the tour will reduce from the traditional 125 to 100 tour cards for earning elite status in 2026, the new programs will assist former fully exempt PGA Tour members and fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour members.

The Member Support Program awards $150,000 in earning assurance to players ranked No. 126 and beyond -- based on the prior season's FedEx Cup points standings -- who were exempt during that season. It guarantees any player who competes in 12 events (combined) on the PGA and Korn Ferry tours a base salary, in a sense, of $150,000 for the entire season. If a player falls short of earning that total by the end of the tours' seasons, the program makes up the difference.

The second program, called the Pathways Player Achievement Grant, is not based on winnings. Instead, exempt members of the Korn Ferry Tour, which is one step below and annually graduates 20 players to the PGA Tour, receive $15,000 grants at the beginning of the season. Designated for the Nos. 21-75 on the previous season's points list, there is no minimum number of events to be eligible, and the players can use money however they want, as compensation or expenses.

Also eligible for this stipend are players Nos. 1-10 on the PGA Tour Americas points list, and the top five available players in the PGA Tour University standings.

The PGA Tour policy board, according to the memo, approved the programs for player development, "rewarding strong performers and supporting both players who are ascending through the system and those returning from the PGA Tour," Golf Channel reported.

The two initiatives are funded through the Earnings Assurance Program created in 2022 that gives advances of $500,000 to fully exempt PGA Tour members at the beginning of each season.

--Field Level Media