The Drama Continues
PGA vs LIV
A.M Bailey
The PGA Tour is set to undergo significant changes in 2024, with a move towards an elite schedule featuring 16 designated events, half of which will have no more than 80-man fields and no cuts. This move has been designed to offer a chance for players on the outside to play their way in, but the details are yet to be finalised. Players were made aware of the changes in a memo from PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, in which he stated that “there is no doubt in my mind that we made decisions that will transform and set the future.”
One of the changes that will likely cause the biggest divide among players is the no-cut policy for designated events, except for the four majors and The Players Championship. One of the criticisms of Saudi-funded LIV Golf has been its 54-hole events that do not have a cut. However, Rory McIlroy, the primary voice in player meetings geared towards reshaping the PGA Tour’s future, believes that there is precedent for no-cut events, such as the former World Golf Championships and events like the CJ Cup and Zozo Championship.
Eight of the 16 designated events will have the best players for the entire week. The elite events will comprise the top 50 from the FedEx Cup the previous year, 10 players who performed the best in the early part of 2024, five leading players in points from standard tournaments, players who win PGA Tour events that year, and four sponsor exemptions. Anyone from the top 30 in the world who is not already eligible can also compete in the events.
Monahan also revealed that the Player Impact Program bonus pool would be cut in half to $75 million for 10 players, with the other $75 million going to bonus pools for the FedEx Cup and the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 for leading players in the regular season.
The PGA Tour is promoting the idea that by having smaller fields for elite events, it will strengthen tournaments that don’t have $30 million purses because those players would need somewhere to compete. “If we made these fields very large in these designated events, it would ruin non-designated events that have been staples of the PGA Tour,” said Max Homa, who is part of the Player Advisory Council that advised on changes. “No one would play in half of them because it would no longer fit your schedule by any means.”
Another aspect of the tour’s promotion is that by not having $30 million events towards the end of the season, more players will be playing tournaments to ensure they qualify for the postseason top 70 and then the top 50 to guarantee being in all the big events the following year.
Monahan has scheduled a players meeting at The Players Championship next week to discuss any changes. For now, it has the look of a tour divided between the top players and everyone else. At The Players Championship last year, Monahan boldly stated that the PGA Tour had momentum and wasn’t about to be distracted by rumours of a rival league.
However, LIV Golf began three months later with players like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, and other major champions from the last five years soon followed. “It does seem like the emergence of LIV forced us as players and the executives of the PGA Tour to just look at their product,” said Homa. “They (LIV) got to make something from scratch, which is a lot easier than us building something that has been around for so long that’s been on the shoulders of someone like Arnold Palmer, who has built a lot of what we do today.”
Overall, the PGA Tour’s changes in 2024 will be a significant departure from the traditional way golf tournaments have been played. However, these changes are necessary to remain competitive in a rapidly changing world and ensure that the sport of golf remains relevant and exciting for both players and fans alike.