The PGA Tour revealed overnight its plan for a re-imagined autumn (“Fall”) season that includes seven events already familiar to players/fans and will determine who keeps their PGA Tour cards for the next year.
Beginning this year, only the top 70 players off the FedEx Cup points list at the end of the regular season in August qualify for the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs (and guarantee their full playing status for the next season). The top 50 players on the points list after the first playoff event advance to the second event and are exempt into 2024’s “designated” events, a series of eight still-to-be determined tournaments with limited fields, no cuts and $US20 million prizemoney payouts.
Those who finish outside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup points list will retain their points from the regular season as they compete in the autumn and try to stay inside the top 125 at the end of the newly named “FedEx Cup Fall”. The seven events will offer a full allotment of FedEx Cup points with more than $US56 million in prizemoney available as players try to lock in their status for the 2024 season.
Winners of autumn events will continue to seem similar benefits to events during the regular season, including a two-year tour exemption and invites to the Masters, PGA Championship, the Players Championship and Sentry Tournament of Champions.
In addition, a separate points list will be created for the FedEx Cup Fall, with the top 10 players who are not already exempt into the 2024 season’s first two designated events after the Sentry TOC receive entry, thus providing a path for players outside the top 50 on the regular-season points list to get into these $20 million tournaments.
As for the fall schedule itself, it remains mostly the same from previous years. It begins in Napa, California, at the Fortinet Championship the week of September 11-17, followed by two weeks off – one empty on the tour calendar, the other filled by the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. The tour returns in October with the Sanderson Farms Championship, Shriners Children’s Open and Zozo Championship. After another week’s sabbatical, the tour’s final three full-field events are the World Wide Technologies Championship (which has moved to Los Cabos from Mayakoba), the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and the RSM Classic.
The tour ends with its “challenge” season, which are exhibitions at the Hero World Challenge, the Grant Thornton Invitational and the PNC Championship.
One notable change is the Houston Open, which was held the past few seasons in the American autumn. However, the tour announced that the event will be part of the regular season in 2024 with a date still to be announced. Also missing from past autumn schedules is the CJ Cup, although its future status is unclear.
The World Golf Championships–HSBC Champions, which has not been contested since 2019, will not be played in 2023. Given the WGC–Match Play will not return, coupled with the advent of the designated-event series, it is likely that tournament will no longer be held, at least in its previous configuration.
The 2024 PGA Tour schedule is expected to be released sometime this northern summer.
2023 FedEx Cup Fall Schedule:
September 11-17: Fortinet Championship, Silverado Resort, Napa, California
October 2-8: Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Cub of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
October 9-15: Shriners Children’s Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
October 16-22: Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino, Chiba, Japan
October 30–November 5: World Wide Technology Championship, El Cardonal, Los Cabos, Mexico
November 6-12: Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Port Royal, Southampton, Bermuda
November 13-19: RSM Classic, Sea Island Golf Club, St Simons Island, Georgia
