The PGA Tour has reversed course on its plan to change the make-up of its three invitational tournaments in 2024, sources informed Golf Digest who moreover added that a lot of that’s the doing of Tiger Woods – who solely on Tuesday was given a seat on the tour’s coverage board.
The tour introduced in March that the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Event can be amongst eight no-cut designated occasions subsequent 12 months, however pushback from Woods-as properly as from Jack Nicklaus and officers of the Arnold Palmer Invitational-has led to a compromise wherein the three occasions could have a subject of 80-90 gamers and a reduce to the low 50 and ties and gamers inside 10 pictures of the lead.
Woods is the host of the Genesis Invitational close to Los Angeles. Nicklaus is founder and host of the Memorial in suburban Columbus, Ohio. The invitationals lately have had 120 gamers.
Sources not affiliated with the invitationals stated the three occasions, with purses of $20 million (or presumably greater), might nonetheless pay a stipend to gamers who don’t make the reduce, just like the Masters, which additionally has a reduce to low 50 and ties, however not has a 10-shot rule. The Gamers additionally could have a reduce with a full subject of 144 gamers.
“The Masters was undoubtedly the mannequin for what finally was determined,” stated one tour participant who has adopted the discussions.
Golfweek reported on Thursday that the 2024 schedule contains 80-player fields with a reduce on the invitationals as a part of a narrative on the proposed rundown of all the schedule, which for the primary time since 2013 options the total slate in a single calendar 12 months. Different designated occasions, which could have smaller fields within the vary of 60 gamers and no reduce, would be the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship and Traveler Championship.
Sources say the gathering of designated occasions will probably be known as the “Signature Collection.” A spokesman for the PGA Tour stated the tour wouldn’t remark, pending the formal announcement of the schedule.
On the Masters in April, Woods informed reporters, “I definitely am pushing for my occasion to have a reduce. I feel that possibly the player-hosted occasions might have cuts. These are issues that Jack and I are nonetheless in dialogue with Jay and the board and the tour and the remainder of the blokes. That also is in flux.”
On the Memorial Event, Jon Rahm admitted that he had modified his thoughts about no-cut occasions, notably on the invitationals. “I’ve gone backwards and forwards on this concern,” Rahm stated. “I, at first, was an advocate for no reduce, and the extra time has passed by I’ve change into an advocate for a reduce. So I feel it is part of the sport, and I feel it is an vital a part of the sport, as harsh as it could be to chop out possibly solely 20 gamers.”
Mentioned one tour participant on the prospect that the invitational would retain a reduce regardless of a barely smaller subject: “Do you suppose it is a coincidence that Tiger is now on the board and so they have determined to maintain cuts? Tiger received that battle.”
Woods was named a participant director to the PGA Tour at some point after becoming a member of with 40 different gamers in sending a letter to commissioner Jay Monahan on Monday requesting modifications to the tour’s governance. Indications are that Woods prompted the drafting of the letter, which was first reported within the Washington Put up.
The PGA Tour is anticipated to disclose the 2024 schedule to gamers throughout a gathering Tuesday at TPC Southwind previous to the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, the primary of its three FedEx Cup playoff occasions. Golfweek reported that subsequent 12 months’s schedule options 47 occasions, eight of which happen within the fall after the Tour Championship that wraps up the FedEx Cup portion of the season. The season begins Jan. four on the no-cut designated occasion sponsored by Sentry. It not will probably be known as the Event of Champions as a result of it’ll invite winners from this 12 months in addition to the highest 50 finishers within the FedEx Cup standings, which will probably be decided after subsequent week’s opening playoff occasion in Memphis.
The schedule additionally features a week off for the Olympic Golf competitors the primary week of August. A supply educated of the schedule stated the tour seeks to fill an open date within the fall the week of Nov. 7-10. The tour not too long ago added the Black Desert Championship in Utah to be held Oct. 3-6.
The tour had beforehand meant to announce the 2024 schedule in late June, however was held up by a variety of points, together with a delay within the sponsorship of the Heritage and Canadian Open, each sponsored by RBC. That deal reportedly was finalized immediately, with RBC renewing for one 12 months. A report through Sports activities Enterprise Journal stated RBC is ready to see how the latest framework deal that features sponsorship of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour by the Public Funding Fund of Saudi Arabia will get finalized earlier than it proceeds with sponsorship past 2024. –Golf Digest