Radical PGA Tour move ripped amid LIV Golf war

1 year ago 64

The PGA Tour is moving toward an elite docket successful 2024 with 16 designated events - fractional of them with nary much than 80-man fields and nary cuts - on with a accidental for players connected the extracurricular to play their mode in.

Still to beryllium finalised are which events get the $30 cardinal prize funds and details for however players tin gain a spot successful the field.

Players were apprised of the changes successful a memo from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan successful which helium wrote, "there is nary uncertainty successful my caput that we made decisions that volition alteration and acceptable the future."

The Associated Press obtained a transcript of the memo, which besides indicated the Player Impact Program bonus excavation volition beryllium chopped successful fractional to $75 cardinal to 10 players (instead of 20 players), with the different $75 cardinal going to bonus pools for the FedEx Cup and the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 for starring players successful the regular season.

The portion apt to origin the biggest disagreement among players is the no-cut argumentation for the designated events (except for the 4 majors and The Players Championship). One disapproval of Saudi-funded LIV Golf has been its 54-hole events bash not person a cut.

Eight of the 16 designated events - the exceptions are the majors, The Players and 3 FedEx Cup playoff events - are guaranteed to person the champion players for the full week.

Monahan had said astatine the commencement of the twelvemonth astatine Kapalua that helium thought a chopped "is an important constituent to this tour" and helium felt it was "absolutely an important consideration."

Rory McIlroy, the superior dependable successful subordinate meetings geared toward reshaping the PGA Tour's future, said precedent has been acceptable for no-cut events specified arsenic the erstwhile World Golf Championships and events similar the CJ Cup and Zozo Championship.

"The lone crushed no-cut events are a large woody is due to the fact that LIV has travel along," McIlroy said.

"So determination is precedent for no-cut events. Is determination possibly going to beryllium a fewer much of them? Maybe ... you inquire Mastercard oregon whoever it is to wage $30 cardinal for a play event, they privation to spot the stars astatine the weekend. They privation a warrant that the stars are there.

"So if that's what needs to happen, past that's what happens."

Ian Poulter instantly took to Twitter with a George Bernard Shaw quote: "Imitation is not conscionable the sincerest signifier of flattery - it's the sincerest signifier of learning."

"I deliberation successful wide if a institution oregon a merchandise doesn't person contention the inducement to innovate is low," said Patrick Cantlay, who serves connected the PGA Tour board.

"So present with contention it makes everyone privation to look wrong to spot however they could marque their merchandise better, however they could bash things better. I deliberation the circuit has done that."

The elite events would comprise the apical 50 from the FedEx Cup the erstwhile year, 10 players who performed the champion successful the aboriginal portion of 2024, 5 starring players successful points from modular tournaments, players who triumph PGA Tour events that twelvemonth and 4 sponsor exemptions.

They besides volition instrumentality anyone from the apical 30 successful the satellite if they are not already eligible.

Monahan besides said the elevated events would beryllium dispersed retired to debar situations similar the Honda Classic, which had 2 elevated events some earlier and aft its tournament. The Honda had lone 3 players from the apical 25 successful the world.

The circuit is promoting the thought that by having smaller fields for elite events - nary much than 80, compared with 120 players astatine Bay Hill and 2 weeks agone astatine Riviera - it would fortify the tournaments that don't person $30 cardinal purses due to the fact that those players would request determination to compete.

"If we made these fields precise ample successful these designated events it would ruin non-designated events that person been staples of the PGA Tour," said Max Homa, who is portion of the Player Advisory Council that advised connected changes.

"No 1 would play successful fractional of them due to the fact that it would nary longer acceptable your docket by immoderate means."

One facet the circuit is promoting is that by not having $30 cardinal events toward the extremity of the season, much players volition beryllium playing tournaments to marque definite they get into the apical 70 to suffice for the postseason, and past the apical 50 to guarantee being successful each the large events the pursuing year.

Monahan has scheduled a players gathering astatine The Players Championship adjacent week to sermon immoderate changes. For now, it has the look of a circuit divided betwixt the apical players and everyone else.

At The Players Championship past year, Monahan boldly said the PGA Tour had momentum and wasn't astir to beryllium distracted by rumours of a rival league.

LIV Golf began 3 months aboriginal with players similar Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, and different large champions from the past 5 years soon followed.

"It does look similar the emergence of LIV forced america arsenic players and the executives of the PGA Tour to conscionable look astatine their product," Homa said.

"They (LIV) got to marque thing from scratch, which is simply a batch easier than america gathering thing that has been astir for truthful agelong that's been connected the shoulders of idiosyncratic similar Arnold Palmer, who has built a batch of what we bash today."

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