DP World Tour players would, for the first time, receive a guaranteed cheque at the end of the 2023 season. The money would be given to players who participate in 15 or more events in the 2023 DP World Tour season, regardless of the position they finish in the events they compete in. This is according to a new “Earnings Assurance Programme” put in place by the DP World Tour. Each player could receive as much as $150,000 from competing in 15 events. The prize money for next season has also been increased to $144.2 million across 39 events. 

Speaking on the development, chief executive of the DP World Tour, Keith Pelley, said that the move helped to “recognise and reward” player’s achievements, adding that the new scheme provided a certainty of income to players. He said: “I have always believed that it is an incredible accomplishment for any professional golfer to simply gain their playing rights, and this new initiative recognises and rewards that achievement.

“Although we will never lose the magic of the meritocracy and purity of a performance-based structure, this now offers certainty of income to those players who have made it to the pinnacle of the professional game in Europe.”

This latest action by the DP World Tour is coming just months after the PGA Tour also announced an increase in their prize money, with a guaranteed $500,000 at the end of the season. The move was to combat the LIV Golf Tour, which was using money to attract players over from the PGA Tour and other leagues. The DP World Tour could also have thought along that line. 

The new DP World Tour season would begin with the Joburg Open, starting on November 24, and is expected to run till November 2023. 

Leon Osamor