PGA Tour Announces Major Changes to Its Designated Events in 2024
The PGA Tour announced major changes to its designated events in 2024, with the changes being made official after the Players Championship board ratified the new plan on Tuesday night.[0] The new schedule will include a reduced field size of 70 to 80 players, with no halfway cut, in the designated events, while the four majors, The Players Championship, and the FedEx Cup playoffs will remain unaffected.[1]
The fields in designated events will be comprised of the top 50 players who qualified for the BMW Championship during the previous season’s FedEx Cup playoffs, plus the top 10 players not otherwise eligible on the current FedExCup points race.[2] Five spots will be acquired by way of performance in non-designated events.[3]
The new schedule aims to provide clarity to fans, players and sponsors, while delivering substantial tournaments to the fans at important intervals throughout the season.[4] And to make sure the fields are studded with elite names, there are eligibility parameters that emphasize the upper portions of both the FedEx Cup points list and the world rankings.[5]
The move has been met with approval from players, with Rory McIlroy, a player director on the Tour’s policy board, commending the effort to get the top players versus the ‘hot’ players, providing a more compelling product.[6] McIlroy noted that the product provides an opportunity for players to make their way into the big events without having to wait an entire year for their good play to be rewarded.
Golfweek reported that the Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament will be one of the designated events, with the amateur portion being shortened to two days and played on Thursday and Friday only over two courses.[7]
The Tour’s changes have also been met with approval from LIV Golf, with the start-up league tweeting, “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Congratulations PGA Tour. Welcome to the future.”[5] Richard Bland, a long-time DP World Tour member who now plays with LIV Golf, however, had his reservations, questioning how the changes will help the alliance between the European and PGA Tours.
The Tour’s changes are sure to keep fans, players and sponsors engaged and excited, while providing a more competitive and compelling product.
0. “LIV Golf's Lee Westwood LAUGHS at Brandel Chamblee's “antiquated” CUT comments!” Golfmagic.com, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.golfmagic.com/pga-tour/liv-golfs-lee-westwood-laughs-brandel-chamblees-antiquated-cut-comments
1. “PGA Tour's radical but intriguing changes for 2024 include smaller fields, no cuts” Desert Sun, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/golf/2023/03/02/pga-tours-radical-but-intriguing-changes-for-2024-include-smaller-fields-no-cuts/69960646007/
2. “PGA Tour approves radical schedule changes, reducing fields in elevated events and ending cuts” Golfweek, 1 Mar. 2023, https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/03/01/pga-tour-approves-radical-schedule-changes-elevated-events
3. “PGA Tour moves to reduce fields, eliminate cuts at designated events beginning in 2024, per report” CBS Sports, 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/pga-tour-moves-to-reduce-fields-eliminate-cuts-at-designated-events-beginning-in-2024-per-report/
4. “McIlroy defends PGA Tour changes but LIV rebels are quick to mock” The Guardian, 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/mar/01/rory-mcilroy-pga-tour-changes-liv-quick-to-mock-golf
5. “Rory McIlroy, Max Homa among top PGA players in favor of tour changes” The Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/01/rory-mcilroy-pga-tour-changes
6. “Super for the stars, but not all are pleased with the Tour's designated details” Yahoo Sports, 1 Mar. 2023, https://sports.yahoo.com/super-stars-not-pleased-tours-162745973.html
7. “Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be designated event in 2024, may reduce amateur, celebrity portion, per report” CBS Sports, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/pebble-beach-pro-am-will-be-designated-event-in-2024-may-reduce-amateur-celebrity-portion-per-report/
