Matt Fitzpatrick has labelled the PGA Tour 's newly introduced elevated event schedule "messy" after Rory McIlroy seemingly broke Tour rules to pull out of this week's RBC Heritage.
Amid the new-found threat of LIV Golf, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a whole host of changes to the circuit's schedule for 2023 in a bid to keep its star-studded players on side. One change that caught the eye more than most was the elevated status of a number of Tour events.
In total, Monahan confirmed 13 tournaments in total were regarded as 'elevated' - which includes the four majors, the Players Championship and FedEx Cup play-offs.
The plus for playing members was that it ensured there were now biggest prize pots to play for, with a cool $20million on offer to those competing at this week's RBC Heritage. There are conditions though, with the Tour's top players told they are only allowed to skip one of the 17 designated tournaments.
If players are to miss two or more the punishment hits their pockets, with a large chunk of their Player Impact Programme earnings wiped. One man who is set to be effected by this is McIlroy, after the Northern Irishman decided to skip this week's event a week on from missing the cut at the Masters.
This is the second elevated event McIlroy has missed after pulling out of Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this year. No reason has been released for his withdrawal, with many questioning whether the expanded schedule and his nightmare at Augusta has knocked the wind out of the four-time major champion.
One man who believes the PGA Tour programme is taking its toll on the top players is Fitzpatrick. "It’s messy," revealed the US Open champion when discussing the elevated schedule. Claiming it may take some time for the structure of the season to run more smoothly he added: "I think in a few years once it's a bit more structured it should be a little better.”
What are your thoughts on the 2023 PGA Tour schedule? Let us know in the comments section below.
For McIlroy the year has come with added pressure, having taken on such a big role in the battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf off the golf course. Fellow Brit Matt Wallace defended McIlroy heading into this week's event, commenting: "Do I envy Rory’s position? No.
"I love the guy. He does a great job for golf. But can I see him being tired? Yeah, absolutely.” One big name who will be involved at Harbour Town this week is defending champion Jordan Spieth. Whether he will have the ability to go back-to-back remains to be seen, after admitting he was 'mentally fatigued' at last week's Masters after a jam-packed start to the season.
