Story byAssociated PressThu, January 8, 2026 at 8:36 PM UTC·3 min readThe PGA Tour is expanding its Player Equity Program to reward current performance, adding the top 50 in the FedEx Cup this year to those receiving recurring grants from a first-of-its-kind program that has topped $1 billion in equity for more than 200 players. Brian Rolapp, the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, laid out the expansion in a memo to players Thursday afternoon, a week before the late start to the 2026 season. The Associated Press has viewed the memo, which included updates on the progress of a new schedule model by a committee chaired by Tiger Woods. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe expansion to the top 50 in the FedEx Cup was a result of a player meeting at the Rocket Classic, one week after Rolapp took over as CEO of the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises. It also was discussed at the November board meeting before being approved. This will roughly double the number of players who will be receiving recurring grants this year.“By broadening the Player Equity Program, we are reaffirming our commitment to recognizing competitive performance and ensuring more of our members have the opportunity to share in the PGA Tour’s long-term success,” Rolapp wrote in the memo. The tour announced the equity program nearly two years ago when it brought in Strategic Sports Group — a consortium of North American sports owners led by Fenway Sports Group — as a private investor that made an initial pledge of $1.5 billion with a chance for the investment to double. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe initial steps of the program awarded $750 million in equity grants to 36 players based on career performance, the previous five years and the Player Impact Program that measured star power; $75 million for 64 players based on the previous three years; $30 million for 57 players who are PGA Tour members; and $75 million for 36 past players instrumental in building the tour. The program featured an additional $600 million in recurring equity grants for future PGA Tour players, to be awarded in amounts of $100 million annually starting in 2025. Those 2025 grants will be awarded in April, while the top 50 in the FedEx Cup this year — that list is finalized after the BMW Championship — would get their grants in April 2027. The initial $930 million to 193 players are 50% vested after four years, 75% after six years and fully vested after eight years.
