6 Big Issues Facing The Premier Golf League

The proposed Premier Golf League has a lot of hurdles to get over before it becomes a fully fledged golf tour

6 Big Issues Facing The Premier Golf League

The Premier Golf League continues to push ahead with plans to start its F1-style golf tour in September 2022 after reports emerged of $30m offers being sent to some of golf's biggest names.

Whilst the organisation clearly has plenty of ambition and money, it has some huge obstacles to overcome if its plans to shake up the game of golf go ahead.

Below we list six big issues that are facing the PGL...

6 Big Issues Facing The Premier Golf League

The PGA and European Tours

Unsurprisingly, both the PGA and European Tours are dead-set against the PGL.

The Tours now have a strategic alliance and are working together better than ever right now.

Players who defect to the PGL will face bans from both the PGA and European Tours, Tours that they have grown up wanting to play on and are now reaping the career and financial rewards from.

There might be more money on offer from the PGL, but the PGA and European Tours are modern golf's historic and traditional foundations.

One way that PGA Tour players will line their pockets even more is thanks to the newly-revealed Player Impact Program, which will see the top-10 biggest stars earn $40m in bonuses.

Related: Players joining PGL will lose PGA Tour membership

The world rankings

The Official World Golf Ranking currently offers up points to players who will then earn exemptions and sponsor bonuses from them.

The top 50 in the world gain access to the Majors and WGCs, so players who head off to the Premier Golf League could potentially miss out on rankings points.

Why? Because the OWGR is founded by the PGA and European Tours, the R&A, USGA, the PGA of America, Augusta National and the International Federation of PGA Tours (made up of the European Tour, Japan Golf Tour Organization, PGA Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour, who all run the WGCs).

All of these organisations are rooted into the game of golf and will surely be against giving the PGL access to the world rankings.

Saying that, the Guardian did report earlier this year that a big change is coming to the world rankings, so this issue may be slightly different, or completely eradicated, in the future - we don't know enough just yet.

The Majors

Will Augusta National, the R&A, the USGA and the PGA of America allow Premier Golf League players entry into their Majors?

Each of golf's big four has its own qualification or invitational guidelines, and an entry criteria may need to be added for PGL players.

The Ryder Cup

Europeans who join the Premier Golf League will lose their European Tour membership, we understand, and therefore lose entry into the Ryder Cup.

The US-side of the match is run by the PGA of America so their guidelines will be slightly different.

Players earn US Ryder Cup points via Majors, WGCs and PGA Tour events, though, so PGL members may be struggling to meet the criteria.

The PGA Tour will have some influence on the Ryder Cup via its strategic alliance with the European Tour, but it's not clear how much influence it has to tell its members that it can't compete in the match.

One thing we do know is that the Ryder Cup would simply not be the same without the world's best players competing.

Rory

Aside from Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy is the biggest name and voice in the world of golf, and when Rory speaks, the game listens.

The Northern Irishman is against the Premier Golf League, stating last year that he was "out" after revealing he didn't like where the money was coming from or the lack of flexibility that the schedule offered.

McIlroy is also the Chairman of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council and if he remains loyal to the PGA Tour, many of his peers will likely do the same.

He is a figurehead for the game and has fantastic relationships with his fellow golfers, who will want to be competing on the same tour as him.

No Tiger

The biggest name in golf is currently sidelined after his car crash earlier this year and may struggle to make the PGL start date of September 2022 after having a rod inserted into his leg along with screws and pins in his ankle and foot.

Tiger also had his fifth back surgery in December 2020 and would be 46-years-old by the time the proposed tour begins.

He is also just one PGA Tour victory away from being out on his own with 83, one more than his current total of 82, matched by Sam Snead.

It's not impossible, but it's very hard to see Woods recovering in time, agreeing to sign up and then remaining fit for an entire PGL schedule.