Starting in 2020, the Genesis Open will receive elevated status. This will put Tiger Woods own tournament with the likes of ones ran by two of golfs other greats.
Next year, the Genesis Open is going to start having more on the line after receiving elevated status. For Tiger Woods and the TGR foundation, this means a couple of different things. First, there is going to be more money on the line, as the purse will increase. Currently, the winner receives a two year exemption on the PGA Tour. This will increase to three years.
More from Pro Golf Now
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament
The size of the field will change as well. This year, there are 144 golfers at Riviera. Going forward, the invitational field will be cut down to 120 golfers. Those golfers will have a shot at over 1.6 million dollars if they win, and a part of the overall 9.3 million dollar purse.
Tiger Woods runs the Genesis Open. Well, his foundation that is. He joins the likes of the great Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, as having the tournaments that their foundations run receive the elevated status.
Nicklaus started his tournament a few years prior to Palmer. Back in 1976, he started the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield near his Columbus home. Palmer followed three years later, starting the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 1979. His tournament has been held at Bay Hill down in Florida, albeit under a couple of different names.
Tiger joins the two legends with his tournament gaining the same status next year. It becomes one of only five tournaments that has invitational status, the three mentioned previously, as well as the RBC Heritage and the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Tiger was excited to talk about the new opportunities that the tournament would provide, and the benefits both it and his foundation would be opening up. “We’re just so excited about this opportunity to showcase what we’ve done as a foundation for over 20 years, and this elevation status will certainly help that. It is going to help so many more kids’ lives, and we’re able to do that with a tournament like this.”
Anytime a golfer can be spoken about in the same sentence as greats like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, it’s always an impressive feat. Tiger has been there plenty of times, and is a legend in his own right. As he enters a new stage of his career, his accomplishments continue to pile up.