The New PGA Tour Model: What You Need To Know

As from next year the PGA Tour's designated events will feature limited fields and no cuts. Much of this was expected or rumoured but the big headline is the no cut element to things with obvious comments about the similarities to LIV Golf.

What we do know is that the 2024 designated events will include the four majors, the Players, the three FedEx Cup playoff events and eight more tournaments. Those are yet to be confirmed but it's likely that the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial. The Sentry event, which kicks off the season at Kapalua, will now include the winners from the previous year plus the top 50 players from the previous year's FedEx Cup points list.

It's thought that the new field sizes will be 70-80 players with the players eligible to play in the Designated events to include:

• The top 50 players from the previous year’s FedEx Cup points list
• The top 10 players not otherwise eligible using the current FedEx Cup standings
• The top 5 players not otherwise eligible earning the most FedEx Cup points between designated events
• Current year PGA Tour winners not otherwise eligible
• PGA Tour members in the top 30 Official World Golf Ranking

The designated events will be spread more evenly across the calendar so players in the regular events will be able to play themselves into these hugely-rewarding ones and it is hoped that the format is straightforward for the fans to follow and engage in.

As for how this affects the Tour's biggest draw, Tiger Woods, there will be four sponsor exemptions to the designated events so he will still feature in the big stuff.

"These smaller, Designated event fields will not only deliver substantial, can’t-miss tournaments to our fans at important intervals throughout the season, but they will also enhance the quality of full-field events," the PGA Tour's commissioner Monahan wrote.

“Full-field events will become more consequential as they allow new and upcoming stars to rise to the top and give the membership an ability to play their way into the designated events."

Rory McIlroy is the biggest pull for the tour and is very much front and centre of any message that the Tour wants to get across and he pointed to LIV Golf as the main reason behind the new way of thinking to ensure the big guns won't be going anywhere and will be making a lot of guaranteed money.

"We've always had no-cut events on this tour. If you think of like the four WGCs, you've got the three playoffs events, you've got the CJ Cup, the Zozo. So there's precedent there for no-cut events," he said. "The only reason no-cut events are a big deal is because LIV has come along.

"If we do go down that path, there's precedent there to argue for no-cut events. It keeps the stars there for four days. You ask Mastercard or whoever it is to pay $20 million for a golf event, they want to see the stars at the weekend. They want a guarantee that the stars are there. So if that's what needs to happen, then that's what happens."