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Today is the day that PGA Tour players, including Tiger Woods, are going to get an email detailing what they'll be paid for their loyalty. The new Enterprise equity stakes are being revealed today, determining how valuable each player's membership has been over the course of their career.
Woods has been one of the most important golfers ever on the Tour. It has been reported that they're using a career points system, and no current PGA Tour player has even close to the number of points he does.
A new report from the Telegraph states that Woods' figure is set to be about $100 million. Insiders predict that his body of work will net him at least twice the amount that the second-most well-paid golfer will get.
That golfer is expected to be Rory McIlroy, who could receive a payment of $50 million. Woods just has a far longer and better career than everyone else, and his refusal to go to LIV Golf will reward him handsomely.
The PGA Tour has wanted to keep all the actual figures confidential, but reports believe Woods and McIlroy will be paid a big amount.
Phil Mickelson would have been a lot closer to Tiger Woods in this scenario, except that he defected. Mickelson has a long and illustrious career on tour, but he left a couple of years ago for LIV, thus voiding all his career points and preventing him from earning a stake in the equity program.
PGA Tour rewarding players like Tiger Woods for refusal to join LIV
There has been ample conversation surrounding rewarding those who stayed loyal. With a possible reunion on the horizon and LIV players potentially being able to come back, much of that conversation has centered around rewarding those who stayed.
Of course, the figures won't quite be comparable. For example, Tiger Woods reportedly turned down $700 million or more to sign with LIV, and his $100 million equity stake is much lower. Rory McIlroy's latest rumored signing was for $850 million (a figure he declined ever hearing about) and his reported $50 million equity stake is again much lower.
The PGA Tour also has vesting options on these stakes, so these golfers can't theoretically cash in on their payday and then bolt for LIV Golf. They'd have to wait years to do that. However, it remains unlikely they would, since most of the 193 eligible players have already turned down LIV's advances.
They will also have to meet some requirements for these stakes to be worth their valuation, so it's not a cut and dry situation. Most of these golfers aren't necessarily looking for the biggest payday, though, since they turned down that payday and remained loyal.
Things will change once the PIF merger with the PGA Tour comes to fruition, which is expected to happen sooner rather than later, but for now, golfers who turned down a chance at millions will get at least some reward. Today, they find out how much that reward can be worth.
