[PHOTO: Jed Jacobsohn]
In his letter to his fellow PGA Tour members on Sunday evening, Charley Hoffman addressed a number of key issues, his main focal point being slow play, which is once again in the news. One of the more curious topics Hoffman brought up, though, was the AON Swing 5, a pathway created for lesser-known guys to play their way into the signature events, which feature big names, big money and big-time FedEx Cup points.
Hoffman, a 20-year tour veteran, had seemingly earned a spot in the most recent signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, via the AON Swing 5, having just tied for fifth at the American Express and backing it up with a T-25 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Yet Hoffman found himself on the outside looking in due to a “bad system”, as fellow tour pro Andrew Novak called it on this week’s episode of The Loop podcast.
“I feel really bad for Charley,” Novak said. “He got screwed and, unfortunately, it’s not my fault, but I do feel a little bit responsible.”
As Novak went on to explain, he was essentially one of the reasons Hoffman did not get into the Pebble field, which made perfect sense given Novak had just finished outright third in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. But Novak was already in the AT&T Pro-Am field anyway based on his performance during the American autumn. The third at Torrey saw him bounce into the AON Swing 5, though, bumping Hoffman out by one spot.
If anyone was wondering / confused about why Charley Hoffman was so focused on the AON Swing 5 in his Monday memo, Andrew Novak, who essentially took Hoffman’s spot in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, explains why below.
“I do feel a little bit responsible. It’s a bad system.” pic.twitter.com/4FlSL05By5
— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) February 4, 2025
The ‘too long, didn’t read’ version: Novak and Justin Lower were already in the Pebble field based off their “Fall Finish”, but their recent high finishes in 2025 got them into the AON Swing 5, bumping out Hoffman and Kris Ventura. Hoffman’s “we need to make sure [the AON Swing 5] is working as intended” line from his letter hits a little differently now, doesn’t it?
“Both those guys did not get in because guys that were already in the field took spots in the Swing 5,” Novak said. “So, essentially, those spots went to alternates, which were guys from the Fall Finish last year, which is fine, rewarding them for their Fall Finish. But we should be rewarding the guys that are playing great now.”
Novak and Lower, of course, happened to fall into both of those camps.
“Hopefully, I see [Hoffman] this week and I’m going to say something to him on the range,” Novak said. “I agree with him. Hopefully we change that system because I feel like we should be rewarding the guys that are playing well. Like, if I’m already in the tournament, I should not be taking a spot from a guy that’s playing well.”