With the announcement of the 2022/23 DP World Tour schedule there is also news of a first on the Tour – an  Earnings Assurance Programme

You would have thought with a record $144,2m in prizemoney (Up %$50m on this year) on offer in the 39 events, to be played in 26 countries in the up-coming new seasons that golfers plying their trade on the DP World Tour would not need assistance in earning what would seem a meagre $150,000.

However, if there should a player who does struggle to bank $150,00o there will be access to a Tour-backed ‘assurance’ programme but whatever the Tour hands a player to make up the difference between what he earns and $150,000 he will have to pay it back.

Here is full details of the programme.

Details of the Earnings Assurance Programme

• All members from Category 1-17 will be guaranteed a minimum $150,000 payment if they compete in 15 or more events
• At the end of the season, the programme will fund any gap between actual earnings and the $150,000 minimum (ie it is not $150,000 on top of their earnings)
• Rookies, Challenge Tour graduates and Qualifying School graduates can take up to $20,000 right away to fund long-haul early season travel. This is an advance against earnings
• Members in Categories 18-20 will not be eligible for this, but they will be eligible for a $1,500 pay-out if they miss the cut in an event, to assist with travel costs and other tournament-related expenses.

DP World CEO Keith Perry commented: “I have always believed that it is an incredible accomplishment for any professional golfer to simply gain their playing rights,” Pelley said in a statement.

“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.”