On the Green

from January/February 2023 Pinehurst Living

Last Impression

PLPL

A Win-Win Tour Schedule for 2023

by Helen Ross

The views from the Plantation Course at Kapalua are second to none. You’ll see palm trees swaying rhythmically in the breeze, the peaks of Moloka’i in the distance and—if you’re lucky—the magnificent sight of the occasional whale breaching the blue-green water. Oh, and there’s some pretty good golf being played there the first week in January as the PGA Tour returns to competition in 2023.

All of these are good reasons to tune in to the primetime telecast of the Sentry Tournament of Champions as we sit in front of our fireplaces to ward off the chill back here in North Carolina.

The event has always had an all-star vibe as it brings together the Tournament winners from the previous calendar year. Starting this year, though, the top 30 from last season’s final FedExCup points list are also included as Kapalua ushers in a new era of competition for the Tour.

In 2023, there will be 17 events that will feature the top players in the Tour’s Player Impact Program (PIP) competing against one another for eye-popping purses of $20 million or more. The top players are also committed to play in three other events of their choosing during the FedExCup season.

And the first elevated event is the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

There are a total of 12 elevated Tour events, including The Players and the three that comprise the FedExCup Playoffs (FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and Tour Championship). Bringing the elite list to 17 are the four majors.

It’s a win-win for the fans and the Tour. The changes enhance the product the Tour has carefully nurtured over the last five decades and they were endorsed by its members in a series of players-only meetings over the summer.

Tour members are independent contractors and, as such, they get to set their own schedules. By committing to play in the elevated series of 17 events, as well as the three other Tournaments that a player picks, fans are now guaranteed to see the game’s best square off on a much more regular basis.

Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, called it an “extraordinary and unprecedented commitment, a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in.”

Previously, the only times you could really expect to see the top players tee it up on the same course were at the major championships and The Players. Rory McIlroy, who won an unprecedented third FedExCup in August, knew something had to change.

“I think if you’re trying to sell a product to TV and to sponsors and to try to get as many eyeballs on professional golf as possible, you need to at least let people know what they’re

tuning in for,” McIlroy said. “When I tune in to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, I expect to see Tom Brady throw a football. When I tune in to a Formula 1 race, I expect to see Lewis Hamilton in a car.”

Obviously, some will see these changes as being made in response to the upstart LIV Golf circuit, but to be honest, I don’t want to give that organization, funded by the Saudis, any more publicity than it has already gotten. But McIlroy cares about the integrity of the game and its history and legacy, and the solidarity displayed by the Tour’s top players shows there are many like-minded individuals.

“The reason we’re trying to do this is we’re trying to build a Tour for the future, young, ambitious players that want to be the best players in the game,” he said. “If you want to be the best player in the game, the PGA Tour is where you want to be because it is a pure meritocracy. …

“That’s as simple as it is. Everyone has the same opportunity. Everyone starts the week at even par. ... But everyone has the same opportunity at the start of every week to make something of themselves and to compete, and that’s the beautiful thing about this Tour.”

Golf fans in the Carolinas have two of the elevated events within easy driving distance. One is the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, which hosted the highly successful Presidents Cup in September, and the other is the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, just four hours south of Pinehurst.

The other elevated events are the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, Memorial Tournament, WM Phoenix Open, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and Travelers Championship.

At one point, there will be seven elevated events in a 10-week span that begins in Phoenix and ends in Hilton Head. That’s good for the fans but so much golf in a compact stretch can be draining for the players. As a result, the Tour is allowing players to opt out of one event outside of the majors this season. Next year when the Tour moves to a calendar-year schedule, there will be an opportunity for more separation in the schedule.

So where does that leave the PGA Tour’s longest running event in North Carolina?

Well, I think the Wyndham Championship will take on even more importance given the changes to the Playoffs that advance only 70 players into the first event rather than 125. And just 50 go on to the BMW Championship, so I believe even more quality players will head to Sedgefield Country Club in hopes of improving their chances to win the FedExCup.

And that’s another win-win for golf fans and Tour golfers in North Carolina. PL