DP World Tour to guarantee players $150,000 as 2023 schedule confirmed

The DP World Tour has announced its 2023 schedule with a new Earnings Assurance Programme guaranteeing players $150,000 if the play 15 events or more.

The minimum 39-tournament schedule will visit 26 countries with the Horizon Irish Open, moved this week to September 7-10, coming the week before the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald has yet to confirm when he will announce his six wildcards but with qualifying ending at the Omega European Masters on September 3, it's likely the Irish Open will offer players a chance to impress the skipper should be decide to wait until Wentworth to announce his picks.

Players will compete for an overall prize fund of $144.2million across the tournaments outside the Major Championships and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play including an increased bonus pool of $6million for the leading eight players on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

The new Earnings Assurance Programme was agreed by the DP World Tour's Tournament Committee last week and has been made possible by the DP World Tour's operational joint venture partnership with the PGA TOUR which was announced in June.

Players on the PGA Tour are guaranteed $500,000 of a similar scheme.

Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour's Chief Executive, said: "For us to be able to offer our members record prize funds and enhanced earning opportunities is massive, particularly when global economies are still feeling the effects of the pandemic and with the new challenge of rising inflation significantly putting pressure on costs in all facets of our business.

"Our overall prize fund for the 2023 season represents $50 million more than 2021 and also underlines the strength of our partnership with the PGA TOUR, who are working with us to drive revenue and a long-term growth plan.

"One of the many benefits we have been able to introduce because of this partnership is the new Earnings Assurance Programme, similar to what they already have on the PGA TOUR. I have always believed that it is an incredible accomplishment for any professional golfer to simply gain their playing rights on the DP World Tour 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.

"Alongside the John Jacobs Bursary for the top five players who graduate to the DP World Tour from the Challenge Tour, it will provide security and a strong platform for emerging players in particular as they come through the global pathways we have created."

Included in the DP World Tour's record prize fund of $144.2million is an increase in the tournament prize funds for the first four Rolex Series events of 2023. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Dubai Desert Classic, Genesis Scottish Open and BMW PGA Championship all move from $8million in 2022 to $9million next year, ahead of the $10million season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Four events are marked To Be Confirmed, including three in October-November.

They could include the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at a new venue with Real Club Valderrama rumored to be set to host a LIV Golf event next year.

The DP World Tour's global schedule begins later this month with a double header -- the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and the Joburg Open in South Africa from November 24.

The former is one of two tournaments in Australia on the DP World Tour schedule as part of the Strategic Alliance with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, while the latter is one of six events co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour, also as part of a strategic alliance.

Four new tournaments in Asia are also included on the 2023 schedule, with the Singapore Classic (February 9-12) and Thailand Classic (February 16-19) taking place in consecutive weeks, followed by the Tour's first trip to Japan for the ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP (April 20-23) and a return to Korea for the first time since 2013 (April 27-30).

In Europe, there are dates changes for several tournaments, including the Horizon Irish Open (Sept 7-10), while the Italian Open will take place from May 4-7 ahead of venue Marco Simone Golf & Country Club hosting the 2023 Ryder Cup from September 29 -- October 1.

There is also a new three-week summer break in the schedule following the 151st Open Championship and Barracuda Championship (both July 20-23) which has been introduced following player feedback. Further details about the autumn events will be announced in due course.

The Earnings Assurance Programme will also 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 Tour schedule 2023

Nov 24 - 27 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, Royal Queensland GC, Australia

Nov 24 - 27 Joburg Open, Houghton GC, South Africa

Dec 1-4 ISPS Handa Australian Open, Victoria GC & Kingston Heath GC, Australia

Dec 1-4 Investec South African Open Championship, Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa

Dec 8 - 11 Alfred Dunhill Championship, Leopard Creek CC, South Africa

Dec 15 - 18 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, Mont Choisy Le Golf, Mauritius

Jan 13 - 15 Hero Cup, Abu Dhabi GC, UAE

Jan 19 - 22 ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP, Yas Links, UAE

Jan 26 - 29 DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC, Emirates GC, UAE

Feb 2-5 Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Al Hamra GC, UAE

Feb 9 - 12 Singapore Classic, Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore

Feb 16 - 19 Thailand Classic, Amata Spring CC, Thailand

Feb 23 - 26 Hero Indian Open
TBA, India

Mar 2-5 TBC

Mar 9 - 12 Magical Kenya Open, Muthaiga GC, Kenya

Mar 16 - 19 South African Event,
TBA, South Africa

Mar 23 - 26 Jonsson Workwear Open, The Club at Steyn City, South Africa

Mar 22 - 26 WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play, Austin CC, USA

Mar 30 - 2 Apr NO EVENT

Apr 6-9 THE MASTERS, Augusta National GC, USA

Apr 13 - 16 NO EVENT

Apr 20 - 23 ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP, PGM Ishioka GC, Japan

Apr 27 - 30 Korean Event Confirmed, TBA, South Korea

May 4-7 Italian Open, Marco Simone GC, Italy

May 11 - 14 Soudal Open, Rinkven International GC, Belgium

May 18 - 21 U.S. PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Oak Hill CC, USA

May 25 - 28 Dutch Open, Bernardus Golf, The Netherlands

June 1-4 Porsche European Open, Green Eagle Golf Courses, Germany

June 8 - 11 Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed, Ullna G&CC, Sweden

June 15 - 18 U.S. OPEN, The Los Angeles CC, USA

June 22 - 25 BMW International Open, Golfclub München Eichenried, Germany

June 29 - 2 Jul Betfred British Masters, The Belfry, England

Jul 6-9 Made in HimmerLand, HimmerLand, Denmark

Jul 13 - 16 GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN, The Renaissance Club, Scotland

Jul 13-16 Barbasol Championship
Keene Trace GC, USA

Jul 20 - 23 The 151st OPEN
Royal Liverpool GC, England

Jul 20 -23 Barracuda Championship Tahoe Mt. Club, USA

Jul 27 - 30 NO EVENT

Aug 3-6 NO EVENT

Aug 10 - 13 NO EVENT

Aug 17 - 20 ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics, Galgorm Castle & TBC, N. Ireland

Aug 24 - 27 D+D Real Czech Masters, Albatross Golf Resort, Czech Republic

Aug 31 - 3 Sep Omega European Masters, Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Switzerland

Sep 7 - 10 Horizon Irish Open
The K Club, Ireland

Sep 14 - 17 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Wentworth Club, England

Sep 21 - 24 Cazoo Open de France
Le Golf National, Paris, France

Sep 29 - 1 Oct THE 2023 RYDER CUP, Marco Simone GC, Rome, Italy

Oct 5-8 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland

Oct 12 - 15 acciona Open de España presented by Madrid, Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Oct 19 - 22 TBC

Oct 26 - 29 TBC

Nov 2-5 TBC

Nov 9 - 12 Nedbank Golf Challenge
Gary Player CC, South Africa

Nov 16 - 19 DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI
Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth Course, Dubai, UAE.