Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy Set to Receive Massive Payouts for Staying Loyal to PGA Tour

In total, 193 players will receive a share of the $930 million pot from the PGA Tour, with $750 million going to the top tier of 36 players. The top-tier players were judged upon "career points", such as victories, longevity, popularity, and how often they reached the Tour Championship, among other achievements. Also, $75 million in equity shares will be dished out to 36 retired PGA Tour players for being integral in growing the game over the years.

The new equity payouts are a way for the PGA Tour to thank its players for remaining loyal instead of departing to the rival LIV Golf League and taking money from the Saudi PIF. Players were reportedly notified Wednesday as to what their initial equity is worth.

"It's really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal," Jason Gore, PGA Tour Chief Player Officer, said in a video obtained by Golf.com.

However, a crucial tidbit in the details is that the 193 players will not receive their equity in one-time payouts. Instead, they must remain loyal to the PGA Tour for eight years to receive full equity. Fifty percent of the shares vest after four years, another 25 percent after six years, and the final 25 percent after eight years. The PGA Tour also intends to shell out another $100 million per year to its players.

Given the structure of the payouts, a player would forfeit their stake in the equity if they leave the PGA Tour in favor of LIV Golf in the future. Also, if a deal ever does get finalized between the two circuits, it's assumed that any player who previously defected to LIV Golf will not be eligible for equity shares. This in theory creates a fair path for all the top players to be united once again under a single branch of men's professional golf.

"We obviously realize the game is not unified right now for a reason, and there's still some hard feelings and things that need to be addressed," McIlroy said during a presser ahead of this week's Zurich Classic, where he'll be paired up with Shane Lowry. "But I think at this point, for the good of the game, we all need to put those feelings aside and all move forward together."

With PGA Tour players now owning a piece of the pie, the idea is that they will be more encouraged to continue growing the game and be heavily invested in the PGA Tour's success. Doing that now puts more money into their pockets.

While the numbers still don't compare to what the Saudi PIF has been throwing around, for example, Jon Rahm reportedly signed with LIV Golf for $300 million, it's a step in the right direction for PGA Tour members to accept teaming back up with LIV players under a unified circuit.