Players want change.
PGA Tour members send surprise petition to players requesting meeting with leadership
Members of the PGA Tour are looking to to meet with leadership to cover a wide variety of controversial topics.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
In a petition obtained by Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel, an anonymous group of players are calling for modifications to the structure of the PGA Tour.
The plea also calls for a meeting with PGA Tour leadership, which comes at an interesting time considering the tour’s ongoing negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). The two sides have until Dec. 31, 2023, to strike a deal.
Nevertheless, the petition calls for four significant changes:
1. “FedEx Cup points allocated to Signature Events versus field events. Example: Currently, a 5th place finish in a no-cut 78-player field is awarded 272% more points than a 5th place finish in a traditional event with a cut. We are requesting a significant reduction before the first designated event.”
The first Signature Event of the 2024 season will be The Sentry in Maui during the first week of January. It is the first official tournament of the PGA Tour season with a limited field. Of course, a majority of PGA Tour members do not meet the criteria to qualify for Signature Events. Hence, this requested change.
2. “Number of limited field Signature Events.”
The 2024 PGA Tour season will stage eight Signature Events scattered throughout the season. Approximately 75 players will gain entry, which includes the 50 players who made it to the 2023 BMW Championship this past August. In addition, the PGA Tour has created the ‘Next 10’ and ‘Swing 5,’ giving playing opportunities to 15 other players who are playing well leading up to the Signature Event.
This anonymous group wants fewer Signature Events to give middle-of-the-road members greater opportunities throughout the season.
3. “PIP Program”
The Player Impact Program (PIP) awards players with the largest impact on the PGA Tour’s business ventures, whether through fan engagement on social media, media consumption, or even sponsorships. Rory McIlroy won the 2023 PIP, and Tiger Woods finished second.
McIlroy received $15 million, while the PGA Tour awarded Woods $12 million.
Interestingly, Woods only played six competitive rounds throughout 2023. This anonymous group is calling for a change to the system so PGA Tour members who actually play throughout the season can reap the rewards of PIP. As of now, it is essentially a popularity contest.
Even Jordan Spieth, one of the faces of the Tour, has recently called for a change or the end of the program entirely.
4. “PGA Tour leadership, PGA Tour Policy Board, and Player Directors.”
Commissioner Jay Monahan has been under fire for months, ever since he unveiled the PGA Tour’s intention to partner with the PIF on Jun. 6, 2023. Many players lost their trust in him and feel the tour is heading in a direction that mirrors LIV Golf: greater purses, fewer events, and smaller fields. That is how the Signature Events came to be in the first place.
As for the Policy Board and Player Directors, this group likely wants more players involved. Currently, the PGA Tour Policy Board comprises Woods, Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, and Webb Simpson.
Adam Scott chairs the Player Advisory Council, which consists of 16 players, including Rickie Fowler, Brian Harman, Scottie Scheffler, and Will Zalatoris.
Then, at the end of the petition, the note calls for players to sign it and asks if they want to participate in the meeting.
Whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen, but this could be an interesting development for the PGA Tour as the 2024 PGA Tour season approaches.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
See More:
