DFW’s two major PGA Tour stops aren’t exactly sure how the competition between the Tour and LIV Golf will affect their respective tournaments, but there will be a cut line.
Neither the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth nor the AT&T Byron Nelson knows where they are in relation to a line that is both imaginary, and quite real.
The creation of LIV Golf has created dialogue far beyond controversy as golf’s biggest professional organization has responded to the new Saudi-backed league that has signed away some of the PGA Tour’s top players to seven-figure contracts.
As a result of the competition between the two organizations, there will be a direct effect on the PGA Tour’s tournaments. In our town, that’s The Byron and The Colonial.
To counter the migration of players to LIV Golf, top Tour names Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods combined with Tour commissioner Jay Monahans to dramatically alter future Tour schedules that is designed to entice players to stay with the Tour, and to create more interest in the sport.
The Tour recently announced a series of changes to its future schedule, which includes 13 “elevated” events that will feature the top players in the rankings. Those 13 elevated events will feature purses of $20 million or more per tournament.
As a result, those 13 elevated events should draw better fields, thus generating more interest, creating that imaginary cut line for the tournaments themselves.
Right now, the AT&T Byron Nelson and the CS Challenge are not among those 13.
The elevated events for 2023 include the three FedEx Cup playoff tournaments (St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and Tour Championship; the Genesis Invitational in L.A.; Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando; Memorial Tournament in Columbus, Ohio; WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin; Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui; and The Players and TPC Sawgrass in Florida.
That leaves four to be-determined tournaments from the PGA Tour 2023 schedule to be marked “elevated.”
When Monahan addressed the media at the BMW Championship last month, where these changes were announced, he said he believes the four TBD tournaments will come from an event already on the schedule. He also mentioned that the Genesis Scottish Open is a possibility.
The belief is the Tour will initially try to rotate these four tournaments, to spread it out.
The 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson at Craig Ranch in McKinney is scheduled for May 11 to 14, which will be followed by the PGA Championship the following week, then the CS Challenge in Fort Worth, May 25 to 28.
“I think you’re like anybody who asks, ‘Where do we fit with the Tour?’” CS Challenge tournament director Michael Togthe said in a phone interview on Thursday. “We have a fantastic relationship with the Tour. We know that if the Tour wants us to become one of those four events, they will reach out to us. That has not happened yet, but it doesn’t mean it won’t.
“This is all still very new, and early. I know there are some tournaments that will be able to do this, and some that can’t.”
Tothe is referring to increasing the total purse of an elevated tournament to $20 million.
The purse at the 2022 CS Challenge was $8.4 million. The purse at the AT&T Byron Nelson this year was $9.1 million.
More than half of a tournament purse comes from the PGA Tour’s media right’s deal; the title sponsor normally picks up the rest.
The Byron Nelson is backed by global communications giant AT&T, which should be able to alter its marketing budget to reach the necessary purse figure.
Backed by fiancier Charles Schwab, whose wealth services company includes a corporate campus in Westlake near Fort Worth, he could hit any number he chooses.
It also helps that Schwab is a big fan of the PGA Tour, and long time supporter of the PGA Tour; the two have a friendly relationship.
Currently the PGA Tour is contemplating how to make the “additional four” work.
Rotating the four would allow tournaments to host premier events with guaranteed premier names, but it also creates potential contractual, and marketing, problems.
Tothe brought up a valid question; does a tournament go from a purse of $20 million one year, to $8.5 million the next if it’s not elevated?
Also, if the tournament hosts an elevated tournament one year but doesn’t the next, marketing that event with a field of lesser-known names will be a problem.
The PGA Tour is moving forward in its fight with LIV Golf, but not all of the specifics are in writing.
All AT&T Byron Nelson tournament director Jon Drago felt comfortable saying was that, at this point, he’s still “gathering information,” and that he doesn’t feel he has enough to talk about it yet.
At his press conference last month, Monahans said he thought more of the specifics, including those four TBD tournaments, would be released within the next 45 to 60 days.
Until then, all of those remaining tournaments will make their pitch to make a cut line that is both imaginary, and quite real.
