Could 2024 be the year we see golf’s biggest names play a truly global schedule?
The PGA Tour’s latest initiative to bring the game’s most-marketable players together more often – its programme of 17 designated events – is underway.
For those who follow tour golf week-to-week, it’s a great enhancement to the packed men’s schedule. Instead of having a handful of big names at any one tournament, we now know the biggest stars will be teeing it up together at 13 non-major tournaments in 2023 (or at least 12 of them as each player has the option to skip one event).
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this develops. We’ll be seeing Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and all the very best tee it up at the same time more often. This undoubtedly elevates the spectacle of these events above the week-to-week on the PGA Tour. They’re being compensated well for the more restrictive schedule too, with these tournaments now offering purses of at least $20 million (or $15 million for the smaller field at the Tournament of Champions in January).
It was however disappointing to see the Scottish Open – co-sanctioned by the PGA and DP World tours – wasn’t included in the list in the first year of these events.
Guaranteeing an increase of the star power in just a small number of events on European soil would be a massive boost for the DP World Tour, and the fans on this side of the pond. It would also demonstrate what strength is in the strategic alliance between the two circuits.
It is undeniable that the PGA Tour is the major partner in that alliance, but the benefits to golf globally are huge if they share just two or three of these events.
Could you imagine the spectacle of seeing Thomas, Spieth, Morikawa, Scheffler and the best US-based players teeing it up alongside Europe’s best in events like a French Open at Le Golf National, an Irish Open at The K Club, a British Masters at The Belfry or a Dunhill Links in Scotland?
They could move these to different events each year too, elevating other tournaments and venues in places like Italy, Sweden or further afield in Africa, the Middle East or Australia.
While such events would support the top players on the DP World Tour, the alternate tournaments – played in the same week over in the US during a co-sanctioned event, such as the Barbasol Championship in the week of the Scottish Open this year – give the next tier of DP World Tour players an opportunity to compete in the US, with all the perks which come with top finishes and potentially wins over there.
There is a great deal of speculation about what the 2024 PGA Tour schedule will look like, with no news on the number or status of co-sanctioned events yet. While I won’t be holding my breath, I do hope we’ll see more of the game’s very best on our shores a little more often in the years to come.
