The “off-season” is over and time for those who finished outside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup regular season to get back to work.
The fall portion of the PGA Tour schedule is repeated as the Fall FedEx Cup, which features seven official Tour events. The top 70 have received their cards for the 2024 season, which will return to a calendar year schedule (January-August).
The top 125 after the RSM Classic, the last of the seven fall events, will retain their playing privileges for 2024 and those who don’t (and aren’t exempt) will have to return to the PGA Certification School in December. , where five travel cards will be available.
“We are launching the most meaningful updates to a PGA Tour season since 2007, the inaugural year of the FedEx Cup,” said PGA Tour president Tyler Dennis.
Here are five things to know about the FedEx Cup drop.
Record
Napa, California, is the first for the fall part of the schedule, where the only known course change is the World Championship of Technology, which moved from the Mayakoba Golf Club near Cancun – which jumped to host the LIV golf event – to Los Cabos in Mexico at the El Cardonal designed by Tiger Woods at Diamante. Also, the fall part of the schedule lost their Houston event, which moved into the regular season in 2024, and the CJ Cup, which was played in South Korea, Las Vegas and recently South Carolina . CJ took over title sponsorship for the Dallas Tour stop. The WGC-HSBC Championships in China, which has not been contested since 2019, will not be played in 2023.
All seven FedEx Cup Fall events will be broadcast on Golf Channel, with ESPN+ providing exclusive Thursday-Friday streaming coverage of the four US domestic events.
|
Date |
Competition |
Course |
City |
Purse |
|
September 14-17 |
Fortinet Tree |
Silverado Resort and Spa (North Course) |
Napa, California |
$8.4 million |
|
October 5-8 |
Sanderson Farms Tournament |
Jackson country club |
Jackson, Mississippi |
$8.2 million |
|
October 12-15 |
Shriners Children’s Open |
TPC Summerlin |
Las Vegas |
$8.4 million |
|
October 19-22 |
Zozo Tournament |
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club |
Chiba, Japan |
$8.5 million |
|
November 2-5 |
Global Technology Competition |
El Cardonal at Diamante |
Los Cabos, Mexico |
$8.2 million |
|
November 9-12 |
Bermuda Butterfield Championship |
Port Royal Golf Course |
Southampton, Bermuda |
$6.5 million |
|
November 16-19 |
Classic RSM |
Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course and Plantations) |
Island of St. Simmons, Georgia |
$8.4 million |
Status in Signature Events
One of the new wrinkles this year is that players ranked No. 51 and beyond will carry over their FedEx Cup points from the regular season and first playoff into the FedEx Cup fall and continue accumulating FedEx Cup points to complete eligibility for the 2024 season.
Ten players, previously ineligible, with the most FedEx Cup points throughout the season through the FedEx Cup Fall will earn exemptions from the first two Signature events that follow Sentry (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational).
What else is involved?
They’re still playing for plenty of money – $56.6 million in prize money will be awarded during the fall, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Winning still carries benefits including a two-year PGA Tour exemption, 500 FedEx Cup points, entry into the season-opening Sentry Championship and The Players Championship plus eligibility into those major tournaments that have invited past Tour winners # Masters Bound.
Will any of the big names be playing?
Much of the Tour’s top talent has been dreaming of a real off-season and the end of the schedule means players in the top 70 don’t have to worry about ‘ fall behind in the standings if they don’t play in the fall and the top 50 have already locked up status in the signature events. They have little incentive to play in the seven fall events but are still eligible to do so and some may sign up for tournaments they love, or they may be tired of being home (too much time off?) and want to play – pro golfers are going to golf!
The Fortinet Championship field has two-time defending champion and Fortinet ambassador Max Homa as well as Ryder Cup teammate Justin Thomas signed up to shake off the rust after missing out on FedEx Cup playoffs.
The Zozo Tournament in Japan, which is a limited, uncut event, should attract big names. golf week has learned that Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, who have ties to Japan, are expected to play and it would be a surprise if their native son Hideki Matsuyama jumped to play there.
“We are sure that a number of the major players will continue to support events that have traditionally fit into their schedules,” said Dennis.
It all comes down to Eilean na Mara
Sea Island Resort is the definition of relaxation, the kind of place to kick up your feet and feel good about how good you are. But this year, jobs will be on the line and there will be tense moments at the final round of 54 FedEx Cup events held over 15 months.
The RSM Classic has just become a big deal for the pros who need a good week or could be going down a field in the world of professional golf. The difference between playing on the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour is huge. That’s a story in itself but this should sum it up: 80 players won at least $2 million this season on the PGA Tour while the top money winner on KFT was just over No. 150 to earn in the big leagues. Finishing in the top 125 and holding a Tour card for the 2024 season will lead to some very stressful times on the Seaside Course. That should make for good television.
The story first appeared on GolfWeek
