PGA 2024: New Designated Event Format

[GolfSpy_APH]

9 hours ago, GaDawg said:

They are doing that very fast, looking a lot like LIV golf.

From 1000 feet I can see that, however if you take the time to get into the details the differences become pretty clear. 

Also fine if you choose to believe this, it's wrong, but of course fine to have your own opinion on the matter. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

The criticisms I have about all this is that The PGA Tour hasn't been more clear on it all. They have not put up a plan on their site and done several other things to make it clear. We have to rely on other sources like Twitter, NLU and more to get the details. 

That is bad, not surprising, but still bad. 

For those who don't like the cut, fair enough. I would prefer a Saturday cut so we can have 2somes playing Sunday. However as has been talked about before this is more of an event where the cut was done prior to start. 

For sure there are going to be many who don't like it or think it is just another LIV style. Some important details which many fail to remember. 

All players are eligible to play in the designated big money events - there are several pathways to get in. Play well in a stretch and get in, be in the top 50 get in, 4 sponsors exemptions and more!
The money in full field events is still the same! It isn't being decreased and now with potentially not as many big big names at all of them it gives guys a chance to earn more money. 
We get to see the best play against eachother more often. 
Players are not mandated to play these events - they can skip them if they want. 
The breakdown of designated and non allows for better fields more often. 

Don't like it, like it, love it or hate it can we at least give this a chance to see how it works? 

[jolter1]

If LIV survives, I can see more younger up and coming players be more attracted to LIV then what the Tour is going to offer. If LIV succumbs, then this will gradually disappear from the Tour over time as there will be less "competition" and the players only having the Tour as an option. Naturally if LIV wins its court battles, all of this becomes a moot point.

 

[Jim Shaw]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

The criticisms I have about all this is that The PGA Tour hasn't been more clear on it all. They have not put up a plan on their site and done several other things to make it clear. We have to rely on other sources like Twitter, NLU and more to get the details. 

That is bad, not surprising, but still bad. 

For those who don't like the cut, fair enough. I would prefer a Saturday cut so we can have 2somes playing Sunday. However as has been talked about before this is more of an event where the cut was done prior to start. 

For sure there are going to be many who don't like it or think it is just another LIV style. Some important details which many fail to remember. 

All players are eligible to play in the designated big money events - there are several pathways to get in. Play well in a stretch and get in, be in the top 50 get in, 4 sponsors exemptions and more!
The money in full field events is still the same! It isn't being decreased and now with potentially not as many big big names at all of them it gives guys a chance to earn more money. 
We get to see the best play against eachother more often. 
Players are not mandated to play these events - they can skip them if they want. 
The breakdown of designated and non allows for better fields more often. 

Don't like it, like it, love it or hate it can we at least give this a chance to see how it works? 

and the sports world is talking about golf, so that is fun....

[Beakbryce]

A rambling rant:

I watched Peter Malnati indicate he has seen the data and it shows that everyone will benefit from the Tour changes so as a Policy Board member he voted for the changes. "Data", garbage in and garbage out. 

They haven't yet said what the breakdown is for Fedex Cup points in the no cut events. I would be curious to see if a top 50 player plays the Majors, the WGC events, the no cut events and averages 20th place. Would that be enough to get in the top 50 for the next year without ever playing a non designated event? Could you do that for a 20 year career and retire with a boatload of money? This reminds me of what Kisner said about showing up to the Majors, ie, he might not win one but 20th place makes a lot of money. Presumably now, a lot of Fedex Cup points as well.

They say one can play ones way in to the top 50. How many points would one need to average in non-designated events to break the top 50?

Yesterday on TV they were saying the metrics indicate a 60-80% chum in the top 50 every year. If the designated no cut events receive a lot of Fedex Cup points, then this will be an abject failure as I don't believe the "metrics" are correct.

I guarantee that the whole point system will need to be revamped at the end of next year because the churn will not be anywhere near where they predict it will be. Meanwhile, a majority of the top 50 get another free year.

Doesn't the "interim" non designated events that will qualify 5 players to get into the next no cut event seem like Monday qualifying, only on a grander scale?

I am already tired of hearing the the PGA Tour has no cut events already to justify adding more no cut events. 

This should have gone the other way, remove all the no cut events for a true meritocracy. Anything else is hypocritical to what the Tour has been saying for the last year.

Mr Eamon Lynch yesterday asked people to go out to the Players Thursday and ask if anyone came to watch James Hanh play, presumably because he had the temerity to question the direction the tour is headed in. The derision was evident in his tone. A better suggestion would be to go to the sponsors of the non designated events and ask them if they are hoping that people will show up to see an unlimited number of James Hanh type players, because that in effect is the other 29 events on tour. Rory was also critical of Hanh for not showing up to the PGA Tour meeting yesterday. But why would you show up when the stars have already decreed the direction of the Tour, mostly for their benefit, with "data" suggesting they are right?

If you are a sponsor for a non designated event, I would advise you to drop the Tour like a hot potato as your "product" is going to suck.

BTW, in this money grab by the Top 50, where is the discussion on what the charities are receiving?

Isn't it time to acknowledge Phil Mickelson as THE GUY who is really going to make PGA players rich? Don't like what he said at times, but he is the guy. Looking back, no one else, not even Tiger, has forced the Tour over the last 2 years to become what it is now. Give the Devil his due.

PS

I am not a LIV guy, anymore than I was an AFL guy way back when. But, maybe all the PGA and LIV players should review the history of the PGA Tour which came in to being because professional golfers wanted their own Tour playing each other and not "Club Pros", so they could control where they played and receive more money. The then PGA Tour argued that they sent a lot of money down through the club pro's to "grow the game". Sound familiar? There are a boatload of other comparisons between what is being said now and what was said then.

history of the PGA Tour - Wikipedia 

You are welcome to check the footnotes if you don't believe Wikipedia. Many of the footnotes at the time are contemporary newspaper articles when the breakaway happened. What was said then by players like Nicklaus and Palmer is exactly what is being said now regarding breaking away and having more control and more money.

Pretty much all of our current big sports leagues have seen breakaway or rival groups which eventually consolidated for a bigger and better product. Time will tell.

 

 

[Beakbryce]

15 hours ago, GaDawg said:

Would Kitayama be holding the API trophy if we were under next year's rules?, or would it be Rory?

I went back and looked. If I looked at the correct data, he was 37th in Fedex ranking prior to the tournament, so presumably he was in. 

I get where you are coming from though. There is a saying in football regarding any given day, right? You play the game because the highest ranked player isn't always the winner. Thank you Rahm for showing this to be oh so true.