Why did the PGA Tour change its schedule and what could it mean for non-designated events?

Andrew Coltart thinks the changes to the PGA Tour for this year have been excellent so far, but questions whether the proposed limited “no cut” courses may be an unnecessary step too far.

I believe in a meritocracy system, which is why I believe that people who earn their PGA Tour card should be able to play the tour and not just be a part of it. You’ve earned the right to play in the ‘Premier League’ of golf, haven’t you?

In the face of stiff competition, the PGA Tour has pulled off these lofty events so far this year, with the WM Phoenix Open, the Genesis Invitational and now the Arnold Palmer Invitational delivering some of the best and most exciting finishes with the strongest entrants. that we have seen out of the majors.

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After the announcement of some ‘radical’ changes to the PGA Tour last week, Rory McIlroy, James Day and Billy Horschel reacted and discussed field reductions at some events.

The best are playing together and it’s happening more often. Interest is at its peak. Work done! Now, new proposals have been presented: reduced fields and No Cut. They’re interesting to say the least, but are they really necessary?

There will be many things to consider when making these changes for 2024, and one in particular is that there are too many exempt and eligible players. There are over 200 eligible players for fields of around 144, so it’s surely time to reduce that number. Otherwise, players simply won’t have a chance to play.

I am concerned that promoters of non-designated tournaments, where the strength of the field and world ranking points on offer fall off a cliff, may choose to invest elsewhere. If you can’t include big names in your event, will you end up getting the performance you expect?

There is a huge market and of course the big players don’t play small events by choice. Of course, if that happens, then the playing opportunities for what some might perceive as ‘runners too’ will be greatly affected, as it’s probably restricting their ascent to these upper echelons. I realize the business is not built on these people, but the best players have always climbed that ladder.

The proposal of the system without cuts is also interesting. We had these with the World Golf Championships, which are almost gone. Cuts, whether they are made or not, play a huge role in our game as they add danger and bring the game closer to real life.

The cuts mimic the struggles to keep a job and that’s where the real pressure lies. Miss cuts are just awful, but they make you play harder and harder. You have to enter another event because a missed cut makes you lose points and financial ground. The only way to get that back is to play additional events, so surely that’s a good thing.

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One of the highlights of the golf calendar takes place this month at The Players, with 24-hour coverage from TPC Sawgrass live on Sky Sports.

Also, getting paid for doing a job badly does not promote, at least in my opinion, growth or improvement. There are clear examples today and you don’t have to look too far. It arguably doesn’t happen at the bottom end, where it’s needed, so why should it happen to the guys at the top where they wouldn’t lose a few thousand here or there?

They’ve earned the right to be there and I agree to a point, but by giving them points and pounds while they’re underperforming, you’re slowing down the natural evolution within the game, potentially inhibiting the progress of those who come behind.

We had it during WGCs and it seemed to give some players who were struggling with their game at the time a year of grace to fix their form. An ill-allowed luxury for those who cannot take part in ‘no cut’ events.

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Jon Rahm says he doesn’t need to be No. 1 in the world to validate his performance after returning to the top spot after winning the Genesis Invitational.

Having nearly full field cuts and events helps bring new names into the game. It helps the game stay vibrant and fits well with the growth narrative. Should they implement these new changes? I’m not sure we can top what we’ve witnessed recently.

How does it compare to the DP World Tour?

I look at the DP World Tour, where we’ve had events that were elevated in status to try and get more players to come and play. The idea was that it would financially help all the other events around it, but of course, that only happens in a perfect world.

It arguably meant that most of our players played for less money and fewer world ranking points. Smaller events were not supported by our stars and those events dwindled as the only way to get stars to play was often by having one of them host an event. It gives them a lot of publicity and provides a public platform that they are giving back to the game.

The DP World Tour was potentially under threat prior to the strategic alliance with the PGA Tour and they had to put a lot of heads together to try and figure things out, although obviously you’re never going to please everyone.

There are a lot of people out there who thought they knew a lot, both players and caddies, who knew absolutely nothing. It was a very, very uncertain time for the game in general and the DP World Tour didn’t have the luxury that the PGA Tour had, so they did what they had to do to survive.

Both tours have had a relationship for over 40 years minimum, and it was a good opportunity to work even closer and give more DP World Tour members access to unlock the rewards available to top-class tour professionals.

There has been a suggestion that the Europeans are too comfortable at home, where they tried the US but didn’t work hard enough to stay, but I don’t buy it. It’s taken a while for European players to get acclimated to all the changes when they go there, as it’s a totally different lifestyle and doesn’t have the familiar feel of the DP World Tour.

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There’s plenty of action to get excited about at Sky Sports Golf in 2023, with the majors, PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more!

There’s a lot more camaraderie in Europe, which is something they’ve greatly benefited from in recent Ryder Cups. Traversing the pond can be an even lonelier existence, and time away from friends and family often takes its toll. That’s why some players have had trouble finding their footing on American soil.

There are now very good opportunities for DP World Tour players to play on a more global schedule through this strategic alliance and that route to the PGA Tour should be something they should be aiming for.

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