In a recent meeting of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council (PAC), significant changes to the tour’s schedule were discussed in order to increase the appeal to players, TV viewers, tour venues, and sponsors. These changes, if implemented, would result in a more competitive tour with smaller fields, fewer exemptions, and fewer players being promoted from lower-tier tours. The PAC’s recommendations will be voted on by the PGA Tour Policy Board at its meeting next month.
One of the proposed changes is to adjust the maximum number of players in a field from 156 to 144, with possible reductions to 120 or 132 depending on circumstances such as limited daylight. Exempt status would also be changed from the top 125 players to the top 100 in the FedExCup, with a conditional category for players finishing 101-125. Additionally, the number of PGA Tour cards coming from the Korn Ferry Tour would be decreased from 30 to 20, with 10 from the DP World Tour and a cap of five from Qualifying School.
Furthermore, the proposal includes reducing Open Qualifying positions at fields with fewer than 144 players during the FedExCup Regular Season and adjusting the FedExCup points distribution table to slightly increase points for second-place finishes in Majors and The Players Championship. Points for those finishing beyond 11th place and for Signature Event finishes beyond 7th place would be slightly decreased. These changes are aimed at making the tournaments more competitive and attracting a higher level of talent.
The motivation behind these proposed changes stems from a significant drop in TV viewing figures for the PGA Tour’s regular season tournaments over the last two years, due to increased competition from other sports and the emergence of LIV Golf in 2022. Long-term headline sponsors such as Wells Fargo, Sanderson Farms, Honda, RBC, and Shriners have not renewed their contracts, and many events have lacked star power, with some featuring no players in the world’s top 20.
RBC, a long-term sponsor of the Canadian Open and the Heritage tournament, has stated that it will not renew its sponsorship of the two PGA Tour events unless changes are made to increase their profile. These changes proposed by the PAC are seen as a necessary step to boost the attractiveness of the tour to sponsors and viewers, while also enhancing the competitive nature of the tournaments.
Overall, the PGA Tour is looking to revamp its schedule and tournament structure to create a more competitive and appealing product for players, sponsors, and TV audiences. The proposed changes, which include smaller fields, adjustments to exempt status, and tweaks to the FedExCup points system, are aimed at addressing feedback from PGA Tour members and reversing the decline in TV viewership seen in recent years. By implementing these changes, the PGA Tour hopes to reinvigorate interest in its tournaments and secure long-term partnerships with sponsors like RBC.
