pga tour new format

PGA Tour 2024 schedule: Major championship dates, signature events, FedEx Cup format

T he 2024 PGA Tour season in its new format is set to begin as the golf world is set to restart. As it always begins, things will get underway at The Plantation Course in Kapalua, Maui, HI for The Sentry, which is no longer the Tournament of Champions.

With the new investments to the PGA Tour coming soon, we're also set to see a new format for the PGA Tour, which we already got a taste of with the FedEx Cup Fall . No longer do we have to watch golf with a wrap-around season as the entirety of this season will take place in 2024. That also includes the removal of designated events, which have been replaced with signature events.

So what do we have in store for the 2024 PGA Tour schedule, what new events are on the calendar, how will the new format work, and when are the major championships? Let's take a look at what you need to know to keep up with this season as a golf fan.

New PGA Tour format, FedEx Cup format explained for 2024

The new PGA Tour format will feature 36 events, which includes eight signature events (more on that in a second), THE PLAYERS Championship, the four major championship, and the three FedEx Cup Playoff events.

Most importantly, the FedEx Cup Fall determined the final 125 players who earned full PGA Tour status for the 2024 season, who will be eligible to play in any of the 18 regular full-field events or five additional events for the PGA Tour season. Meanwhile, the FedEx Cup Playoffs race will start with The Sentry, the first event of the year, with every player on Tour starting at 0 points in the standings.

The Top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship will qualify for the first playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. As was the case last year as well, the Top 50 after the St. Jude advance to the BMW Championship with the Top 30 after that event moving on to the staggered-scoring start at the TOUR Championship.

What are signature events on the PGA Tour schedule?

To put it as simply as possible, signature events are the new name for the previously recognized designated events from last season on the PGA Tour. However, the qualification for the signature events in the 2024 PGA Tour season will be slightly different.

The field size for signature events will be between 70 and 80 players with only The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial featuring cuts (Top 50 and ties) while the others will be no-cut events. The winner will also receive 700 FedEx Cup points.

Importantly, the Top 50 from the 2022-23 FedEx Cup season on the PGA Tour are qualified for every signature event in 2024, as are "The Next 10", or the players who finished 51-60 in the standings after the FedEx Cup Fall going into the Sentry. After The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis, "The Next 10" will be the Top 10 players in the current standings not otherwise exempt.

Five more spots in signature events known as "The Swing 5" will also earn entry into these events, which are the Top 5 FedEx Cup points earners from the preceding full-field tournaments between signature events.

So now that we have that, let's take a full look at the 2024 PGA Tour schedule

2024 PGA Tour schedule: When is The Masters, US Open, Open Championship and more?

• Jan. 4-7: The Sentry (Kapulua, Maui, HI) - Signature Event
• Jan. 11-14: Sony Open in Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)
• Jan. 18-21: The American Express (La Quinta, CA)
• Jan. 24-27: Farmers Insurance Open (San Deigo, CA)
• Feb. 1-4: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Pebble Beach, CA) - Signature Event
• Feb. 8-11: WM Phoenix Open (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Feb. 15-18: The Genesis Invitational (Pacific Palisades, CA) - Signature Event
• Feb. 22-25: Mexico Open at Vidanta (Vallarta, Mexico)
• Feb. 29-March 3: Cognizant Classic (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
• March 7-10: Arnold Palmer Invitational (Orlando, FL) - Signature Event
• March 7-10: Puerto Rico Open (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico)
• March 14-17: THE PLAYERS Championship (Ponta Vedra Beach, FL)
• March 21-24: Valspar Championship (Palm Harbor, FL)
• March 28-31: Texas Children's Houston Open (Houston, TX)
• April 4-7: Valero Texas Open (San Antonio, TX)
• April 11-14: The Masters (Augusta National Golf Club - Augusta, GA) - Major
• April 18-21: RBC Heritage (Hilton Head, SC) - Signature Event
• April 18-21: Corales Puntacana Championship (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic)
• April 25-28: Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Avondale, LA)
• May 2-5: THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson (McKinney, TX)
• May 9-12: Wells Fargo Championship (Charlotte, NC) - Signature Event
• May 9-12: Myrtle Beach Classic (Myrtle Beach, SC)
• May 16-19: PGA Championship (Valhalla Golf Club - Louisville, KY) - Major
• May 23-26: Charles Schwab Challenge (Fort Worth, TX)
• May 30-June 2: RBC Canadian Open (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
• June 6-9: the Memorial Tournament (Dublin, OH) - Signature Event
• June 13-16: U.S. Open (Pinehurst No. 2 - Village of Pinehurst, NC) - Major
• June 20-23: Travelers Championship (Cromwell, CT) - Signature Event
• June 27-30: Rocket Mortgage Classic (Detroit, MI)
• July 4-7: John Deere Classic (Silvis, IL)
• July 11-14: Genesis Scottish Open (North Berwick, Scotland)
• July 18-21: The Open Championship (Royal Troon - Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland) - Major
• July 18-21: Barracuda Championship (Truckee, CA)
• July 25-28: 3M Open (Blaine, MN)
• Aug. 1-4: Olympic Men's Golf Competition (Le Golf National - Paris, France)
• Aug. 8-11: Wyndham Championship (Greensboro, NC)
• Aug. 15-18: FedEx St. Jude Championship (Memphis, TN) - FedEx Cup Playoffs
• Aug. 22-25: BMW Championship (Castle Rock, CO) - FedEx Cup Playoffs
• Aug. 29-Sept. 1: TOUR Championship (Atlanta, GA) - FedEx Cup Playoffs

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans format, cut rules and day-by-day games

The 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans format is unique for this PGA Tour event, the only event on the FedEx Cup schedule to be played as a two-man team competition.

The Zurich Classic field is 160 players as 80 teams of two . The top 80 players in the PGA Tour's priority ranking that committed to the field got to pick their partner, so long as they had some kind of PGA Tour status or garnered a sponsor exemption.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans format

The Zurich Classic format is still a 72-hole event. The first and third rounds will be played as best ball (fourballs) at TPC Louisiana. The second and final rounds will play under alternate shot (foursomes) rules. A 36-hole cut will be made down to the top 33 teams and ties (down from the top 35 and ties in 2019).

The players on the winning team will each get a two-year PGA Tour exemption and spots in the PGA Championship, The Players, the Tournament of Champions and other invitational events. The team members will split the FedEx Cup points normally distributed for individual events, meaning the winning team will split the 500 points for first place and 300 points for second place -- or 400 points per player.

In the case of a winning player who has no status on the PGA Tour, a win would mean that player earns PGA Tour membership. A win in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans goes in the record book as an official PGA Tour win.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans playoff format

A playoff to settle any ties after 72 holes will be played under PGA Tour rules. The Zurich Classic playoff format is a sudden-death format, with playoff holes being 18 played by any qualifying team.

A sudden-death playoff to settle any ties after 72 holes will be played under rules with format alternating on each hole (fourball to start, foursomes next, and so forth). This format changed from 2017, where fourballs were played in the second and fourth rounds, while alternate shot was the game for the first and third rounds.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans playoff competitors compete hole-by-hole until a winner is determined by a player scoring the lowest among the remaining players.

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

Ryan talks about golf on various social platforms:

X or Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanballengee Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanballengeegolf Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanballengee YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanballengeegolf

Ballengee can be reached by email at ryan[at]thegolfnewsnet.com

Ryan occasionally links to merchants of his choosing, and GNN may earn a commission from sales generated by those links. See more in GNN's affiliate disclosure.

NEW! Find where to watch all of your favorite sports!

PGA Tour announces changes to system for points race, playoff format

• Earned Evans Scholarship to attend Indiana University

ATLANTA -- The PGA Tour, along with FedEx and Wyndham, is changing the system for its yearlong points race and playoff format next season.

Also, significantly more money will be put into the points race and playoff format, with the winner to receive a $15 million bonus starting next season.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced the changes Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club, where the season-ending Tour Championship will be under a new format next year.

Players who reach the 30-player field in Atlanta will be staggered based on a strokes-based bonus system that will see the leader in points start at 10 under par, with levels decreasing down to the 30th player, who will start at even par.

Call it a tournament with a golf "handicap,'' if you will, with those behind in the standings having to "give strokes'' to those in front of them.

Gone will be the points reset that occurs following the BMW Championship and the guessing game that ensues with the various possibilities throughout the rounds.

Starting in 2019, whoever finishes the Tour Championship at the lowest aggregate total including the staggered bonus will be the tournament winner as well as the FedEx Cup champion.

The winner of the Tour Championship, based on the staggered scoring formula, will be credited with an official PGA Tour win even if he did not shoot the lowest score over 72 holes.

"Any fan can immediately understand what's going on and what's at stake for every single player in the field,'' Monahan said. "And, of course, the players will know exactly where they stand at all times while in play, which will ratchet up the drama, consequence and volatility of the competition down the stretch.

"Compared to the current system, the beauty here is in the simplicity. Fans are very familiar with golf leaderboards in relation to par, so they will have a clear understanding of the impact every shot makes during the final run for the FedEx Cup-ultimately leading to a singular champion without conflicting storylines.''

Last year, Xander Schauffele won the Tour Championship while Justin Thomas won the FedEx Cup. That scenario happened just two other times in time in FedEx history that dates to 2007 -- when Camilo Villegas won the Tour Championship in 2008 and Vijay Singh had already clinched the FedEx Cup; and after the format was changed, Phil Mickelson won the Tour Championship and Tiger Woods took the FedEx Cup in 2009. It can happen again this year but not going forward.

The PGA Tour ran thousands of computer simulations to try and approximate as best it could the point differential in play now to the strokes-based bonuses that will be used in the future.

If the new format were in play this week, No. 1 Bryson DeChambeau would begin the tournament at 10 under. No. 2 Justin Rose would be at 8 under, with No. 3 Tony Finau at 7 under, No. 4 Dustin Johnson at 6 under and No. 5 Thomas at 5 under.

The next five players would be at 4 under, with players 11 to 15 at 3 under, 16 to 20 at 2 under, 21 to 215 at 1 under and players 26 through 30 would start at even par.

In next year's scenario, No. 20 Woods would start at 2 under and be 8 shots back of DeChambeau starting the 72-hole tournament.

The players will also be compensated considerably better in the new format. The existing FedEx Cup bonus pool will be enhanced by $25 million to $60 million, with the winner receiving $15 million, up from $10 million which has been in place since 2007. Players all the way through 150th in the final points standings receive a deferred bonus.

Also, Wyndham is kicking in $10 million to the top finishers in the regular season, which concludes at the Wyndham Championship.

The top player in points at the end of the regular season will receive a $2 million bonus, with payouts going down 10 places to $500,000.

Next year's schedule has been significantly modified, with the Tour Championship ending the week prior to Labor Day and the playoff events shortened from four to three.

Following The Open at Royal Portrush in July -- the last major, because the PGA Championship is moving to May -- the schedule heads to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude in Memphis, followed by the season-ending Wyndham Championship.

Following the Wyndham, the top 125 players advance to the Northern Trust via the same points system that is in place now. From there, the top 70 will move on to the BMW Championship, with points quadrupled at the first two playoff events. After that, the top 30 advance to the Tour Championship, where the new strokes-based system will be put in place.

• Ryan Lavner ,

Trending Teams

Zurich classic format and full field for the pga tour’s team event.

• Golf Channel Staff ,
• Golf Channel Staff

The PGA Tour competes in its lone, official team event at this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Here’s how the tournament at TPC Louisiana works and who is competing.

Field size?

The are 160 players comprising 80 two-man teams.

How are the teams determined?

The Tour goes down its priority rankings. Players who commit to the tournament get to choose their partner as long as they have some kind of PGA Tour status or receive a sponsor exemption.

What is the format?

The teams will compete in fourballs (best ball) in Rounds 1 and 3, and in foursomes (alternate shot) in Rounds 2 and 4.

Is there a cut?

Yes. The top 33 teams and ties after 36 holes will qualify for the final two rounds.

What happens if there is a playoff after 72 holes?

The teams will compete in sudden-death, alternating formats (foursomes on the first extra hole; fourballs on the second extra hole; so forth).

What do the winners receive?

Both men will get a two-year exemption on Tour and spots in the PGA Championship and signature events, as well as next year’s Sentry and Players Championship. It counts as an official Tour win for both players, though, no Official World Golf Ranking points are given.

Players will be paid out in an every-two-spots manner. So the winning team will evenly split first- and second-place earnings ($1,286,050 for each player) and first- and second-place FedExCup points (400 for each winner).

How do you watch?

Thursday/Friday

• 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel/Peacock

Saturday/Sunday

• 12:45-2:45 p.m. ET, Golf Channel/Peacock
• 3-6 p.m. ET, CBS

Who is competing?

Here’s the list of teams:

• Fitzpatrick, Matt/Fitzpatrick, Alex
• Morikawa, Collin/Kitayama, Kurt
• Woodland, Gary/Hodges, Lee
• McIlroy, Rory/Lowry, Shane
• Molinari, Francesco/Donald, Luke
• Horschel, Billy/Alexander, Tyson
• Cantlay, Patrick/Schauffele, Xander
• Berger, Daniel/Perez, Victor
• Brehm, Ryan/Hubbard, Mark
• Champ, Cameron/Daffue, MJ
• Conners, Corey/Pendrith, Taylor
• Echavarria, Nico/Greyserman, Max
• Eckroat, Austin/Gotterup, Chris
• Garnett, Brice/Straka, Sepp
• Hardy, Nick/Riley, Davis
• Hoge, Tom/McNealy, Maverick
• Kisner, Kevin/Brown, Scott
• Lee, K.H./Kim, Michael
• List, Luke/Norlander, Henrik
• Malnati, Peter/Knox, Russell
• Moore, Taylor/NeSmith, Matt
• Norrman, Vincent/Campillo, Jorge
• Ramey, Chad/Trainer, Martin
• Reavie, Chez/Snedeker, Brandt
• Spaun, J.J./Buckley, Hayden
• Taylor, Nick/Hadwin, Adam
• Theegala, Sahith/Zalatoris, Will
• Wallace, Matt/Olesen, Thorbjorn
• Hoffman, Charley/Watney, Nick
• Johnson, Zach/Palmer, Ryan
• Kraft, Kelly /Tway, Kevin
• Chappell, Kevin /Dufner, Jason
• Højgaard, Nicolai /Hojgaard, Rasmus
• Wu, Brandon /Nicholas, James
• Lawrence, Thriston /Potgieter, Aldrich
• Putnam, Andrew/Highsmith, Joe
• Cole, Eric/Cochran, Russ
• Montgomery, Taylor/Griffin, Ben
• Smalley, Alex/Schmid, Matti
• Detry, Thomas/MacIntyre, Robert
• Hossler, Beau/Ryder, Sam
• Mitchell, Keith/Dahmen, Joel
• Stevens, Sam/Barjon, Paul
• Kuchar, Matt/Stricker, Steve
• Rai, Aaron/Lipsky, David
• Kim, S.H./Bae, Sangmoon
• Suh, Justin/Hoey, Rico
• Thompson, Davis/Novak, Andrew
• Taylor, Ben/O’Hair, Sean
• Higgo, Garrick/Fox, Ryan
• Shelton, Robby/Furr, Wilson
• Tarren, Callum/Skinns, David
• Wu, Dylan/Lower, Justin
• Hall, Harry/Piercy, Scott
• Lashley, Nate/Campos, Rafael
• Sigg, Greyson/Hadley, Chesson
• Young, Carson/Martin, Ben
• Streelman, Kevin/Laird, Martin
• Blair, Zac/Fishburn, Patrick
• Yu, Kevin/Pan, C.T.
• Ghim, Doug/Kim, Chan
• Merritt, Troy/Streb, Robert
• Yuan, Carl/Dou, Zecheng
• Vegas, Jhonattan/Burgoon, Bronson
• Whaley, Vince/Long, Adam
• Kohles, Ben/Kizzire, Patton
• Phillips, Chandler/Bridgeman, Jacob
• Barnes, Erik/Endycott, Harrison
• Stanger, Jimmy/Dumont de Chassart, Adrien
• Tosti, Alejandro/Potter,Jr., Ted
• Silverman, Ben/Dougherty, Kevin
• Springer, Hayden/Whitney, Tom
• Meissner, Mac/Smotherman, Austin
• Coody, Parker/Coody, Pierceson
• Xiong, Norman/McCormick, Ryan
• Crowe, Trace/Higgs, Harry
• Sloan, Roger/Teater, Josh
• Pereda, Raul/Cook, Austin
• Gutschewski, Scott/Byrd, Jonathan
• Hale, Jr., Blaine/Haley II, Paul

Presidents Cup

The Royal Montreal GC

PLAYERS RANKINGS

PLAYER RANKINGS

PGA Tour to overhaul 'designated' events in 2024, moving to limited-field, no-cut tournaments

Ross Kinnaird

The PGA Tour’s designated events for 2024 will feature limited fields and no cuts after the tour’s Policy Board voted to approve a new structure for the tournaments in a Tuesday night meeting.

In a memo to PGA Tour members sent to players Wednesday, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan made the news official. “After careful consideration of several options, I’m excited to announce that we are moving forward with what we are calling the Designated Event Model," Monahan wrote.

The changes was first reported earlier in the day by Golfweek , with sources confirming the matter to Golf Digest. The 2024 designated events will include the four majors, the Players, the three FedEx Cup playoff events and an additional eight still-to-be determined tournaments. Of those eight, four are presumed to be the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial.

A possible reduction in the number of players at the premier tournaments has been a chief discussion point among tour pros and officials since Monahan announced the creation of the designated events as part of sweeping changes to the tour structure last August. Monahan acknowledged as much in the memo. "These smaller, Designated event fields will not only deliver substantial, can’t-miss tournaments to our fans at important intervals throughout the season, but they will also enhance the quality of full-field events," Monahan wrote.

Truncated fields without a cut will prove to be more financially beneficial to the game’s stars versus the tour’s previous model, helping the tour keep its talent from defecting to the fledgling LIV Golf League. However, keeping these events open to the rank-and-file membership, along with up-and-coming players and those on a hot streak, was a non-negotiable aspect of the designated events from tour officials, a source tells Golf Digest.

According to Monahan’s memo, players eligible to compete in Designated events include:

• The top 50 players from the previous year’s FedEx Cup points list • The top 10 players not otherwise eligible using the current FedEx Cup standings • The top 5 players not otherwise eligible earning the most FedEx Cup points between designated events • Current year PGA Tour winners not otherwise eligible • PGA Tour members in the top 30 Official World Golf Ranking Earlier on Wednesday a source told Golf Digest the field sizes were expected to be in the range of 70 to 80 players, which the memo confirmed. Speaking to the media Wednesday at Bay Hill, Rory McIlroy cautioned that the three invitational events at Bay Hill, Riviera and Muirfield Village could still have cuts.

Tournaments will continue to have four sponsor’s exemptions to round out their fields. Nevertheless, there’s an uncomfortable math to the notion of smaller fields, that many players who will get the chance to compete in this year’s elevated events will be on the outside looking in next season.

The no-cut, limited-field format harkens to the tour’s former World Golf Championship set-ups and may be seen as a concession from the tour toward the ideas generated by McIroy, Tiger Woods, and some of the tour’s marquee attractions during a series of meetings last year, most notably a players only gathering in Delaware last August. While a source confirmed as much to Golf Digest, the source also noted that the no-cut element had an appeal to fans and sponsors, who believe guaranteeing a player’s presence for four straight days would help with turnout.

Xander Schauffele, speaking to the media on Tuesday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, acknowledged this selling point.

“We're trying to make the best product. To answer the cut question, I am always for a cut. Emotionally, I'm for a cut. There is an aspect of it, I would say, that's really entertaining for some. But at the end of the day a lot of people and a lot of kids like to come see the top players play in the world,” Schauffele said. “... If they got a baseball game on Saturday, Timmy can still come with his dad and watch Rory tee up on Sunday, no matter what happens. I think it's also an easier package to sell to the sponsors when you tell 'em that 20 of the top 20 players in the world are going to be there Thursday through Sunday. I think that's an easier package to sell when it comes to sort of what makes the best product.”

McIlroy echoed similar sentiments Wednesday. "We've always had no-cut events on this tour. If you think of like the four WGC's, you've got the three playoffs events, you've got the CJ Cup, the Zozo. So there's precedent there for no-cut events," he said. "The only reason no-cut events are a big deal is because LIV has come along."

"Is there maybe going to be a few more of them? Maybe. That's still TBD by the way. That's not been decided yet. But if we do go down that path, there's precedent there to argue for no-cut events. It keeps the stars there for four days. You ask Mastercard or whoever it is to pay $20 million for a golf event, they want to see the stars at the weekend. They want a guarantee that the stars are there. So if that's what needs to happen, then that's what happens."

Sources say the tour is still working through the 2024 schedule overall with the hope of announcing it to players shortly. The intent with the schedule, as mentioned in the Tuesday memo, is to spread out the designated events between non-designated events to "ensure there are no isolated week, creating a strong cadence for players and fans alike" to the overall schedule.

“Full-field events will become more consequential as they allow new and upcoming stars to rise to the top and give the membership an ability to play their way into the designated events,” the memo read.

The move will not affect the tour’s flagship event, the Players Championship, and the four men’s majors, which will continue to have their normal fields.

One designated event that will see a bigger field in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Monahan spelled out in the memo that the event will include tournament winners from the previous year along with the top 50 players from the previous year's FedEx Cup points list.

More from Golf Digest

Trending now.

How golf at the 2024 Olympics is different than PGA and LIV formats

Here's how golf works at the olympics and what to expect in paris., by logan reardon • published june 20, 2024 • updated on july 31, 2024 at 1:55 pm.

The world's best golfers will hit the fairways in France on Thursday for the 2024 Olympics .

The sport was introduced at the 1900 Olympics, but it was quickly removed after 1904. Golf returned in 2016 and has since become one of the more compelling competitions to watch — even more now given the divide in professional golf. Players have been split up with the emergence of LIV Golf , while others remain loyal to the PGA Tour . At the Olympics, golfers from both tours will face off with loyalty only to their country.

24/7 New York news stream: Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

The United States claimed gold medals for the men's and women's individual categories at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics , and now it will look to defend its victories.

Here's a breakdown of golf at the Olympics, including the format, schedule and competitors:

When and where will golf take place at the 2024 Olympics?

Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.

Golf competition will take place from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10 at Le Golf National , located in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 41 km from the Olympic Village in Paris.

The men's event will be held from Aug. 1 to Aug. 4, followed by the women's event from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10.

2024 Paris Olympics: See dates, sports, how to watch and more

Here are the rules for the 2024 Olympics in Paris

Get to know Team USA Olympians ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics

How does golf work at the olympics.

There are four rounds of the men's and women's individual events before a winner is crowned.

It's similar to the PGA Tour format, where golfers compete over four days and the players with the lowest score after 72 holes wins. Unlike the PGA Tour, obviously, medals will be awarded to the individual with the lowest score (gold), second-lowest score (silver) and third-lowest score (bronze).

What is the golf format and schedule for the 2024 Olympics?

Olympic golf uses the stroke play format , which means that the player with the fewer total number of shots after four days and 72 holes wins.

The PGA Tour follows the same format, but LIV Golf is a shorter competition. LIV uses a 54-hole stroke play format over three days with a team and championship element.

While Olympic golf follows PGA's 72-hole and four-day format, it doesn't cut players after the second round. In that way, it follows the LIV format of letting every player compete from the first through the final round — regardless of how far behind they are.

How many golfers will compete in the 2024 Olympics?

There will be 120 golfers competing in Paris: 60 men and 60 women. That number remains unchanged from the 2020 Olympics, when Team USA's Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda claimed the men's and women's gold medals.

How do golfers qualify for the Olympics?

Golfers qualify for the Olympics based on the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR).

France, the host nation, is guaranteed to have two golfers: one man and one woman. The OGR will decide the other 118 competitors.

So, what is the OGR exactly? It's a system that awards points based on finishing positions in tournaments over a two-year "rolling" period. You can read more about the math behind it all here , but the bottom line is that the system ensures that the best players will qualify.

There's one other caveat, too. Each of the five Olympic continents (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania) are guaranteed to have one man and women in the tournament. Even if a continent doesn't have a player ranked in qualifying position for the OGR, the highest-ranked eligible athlete will be given a bid.

This article tagged under:

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share by Email

$140 value for less than $1/week

What do we make of the PGA Tour’s new Designated Events Model?

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sent a memo to players on Wednesday, outlining the changes to 2024 designated events.

Getty Images

The PGA Tour announced details of its new Designated Event Model on Wednesday, which beginning next season will mean select designated events will consist of smaller fields and a no-cut format. There will also be opportunities for PGA Tour members not qualified to play their way into these events throughout the season. You can read up on all of it right here , but we also called in three GOLF writers for an emergency Tour Confidential roundtable to break it all down.

Josh Berhow, managing editor ( @Josh_Berhow ): James, Dylan, what are your first impressions here? Good move or bad?

James Colgan, assistant editor ( @jamescolgan26 ): Josh, I’ll proudly be the bearer of a controversial opinion to start things off here: I love it.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer ( @dylan_dethier ): I’ll speak for the people: Big picture, it’s mostly good — with one exception. How ‘bout you, Josh?

Berhow : James, the Twittersphere does not seem to agree with you, and I’m not sure I do either (although Max Homa helped persuade me a little). I need you to elaborate, because to me, this just seems like we are awarding the top players even more and hurting the overall product, no matter what the PR spin is.

Colgan : Call me a crank, but I think most fans care WAY more about the top 20 players in the world than they do about the next 150. LIV was smart to make this gamble in their own competitive structure, and the Tour is smart to make the change adding to it. For those watching, attending or caring about the Tour’s biggest events, they KNOW when they’ll see their favorite players. That’s important.

Berhow : Yes, but should they be guaranteed the weekend? I know the sponsors want the big names there on Saturday and Sunday, and of course I do too, but the no-cut aspect takes away some of the competitiveness, in my opinion.

Dethier : Don’t you want to know the one exception?

Colgan : Yes!

Dethier : It’s the cut thing! Judging from the immediate reaction on social media, golf fans hated this new proposal. But dig a little deeper and I think that mostly stems from a revulsion to guys playing meaningless golf on Saturdays and Sundays, plodding around and shooting 74. We can get into the other changes, including the limited-field stuff. But damn, golf fans love cuts. I think if you institute a cut down to, say, top 50 and ties, that would fix everything. It’s no coincidence that this is basically the exact recipe at the Masters.

Colgan : That seems like a pretty reasonable compromise, but I honestly think the cut is irrelevant to begin with in a 70-player event. The only time we care about the cutline at the Masters is when Tiger is fighting his way to stay under it. Otherwise, we’re more focused on the leaders anyway!

Dethier : Yeah, I guess that’s my point. At the Masters, we’re only focused on the leaders anyway. A few guys miss the cut every year, sure, but not that many. This way, the guys that make the weekend still feel like earned viewing on Saturday and Sunday.

Fred Couples’ LIV dig, Tom Brady and Tony Finau tee it up at Seminole | Rogers Report

Berhow : As a golf media person, we watch A LOT of golf, and so do a ton of golf fans out there. It gets to be too much, even for us golf sickos. Fall events. December events. Below-average fields between majors. However, I can’t remember the last time I was as excited for a non-major, regular Tour event than I was last month with both the WM Phoenix Open and Genesis Invitational . Awesome fields, great courses. It felt like the start of the golf season. And you know what? If there wasn’t a cut for either of those, I’m not near as invested. The top players are millionaires, so they don’t need the cut to survive, but the cut makes the event feel bigger . Like it matters. No cuts and smaller fields, even if it’s 70 to 80 players, gives off too much of a guaranteed cash grab exhibition vibe to me.

Dethier : Just to jump in there: I don’t think Phoenix will be a designated event next season, so that field size shouldn’t change. And Rory McIlroy mentioned the invitationals might stick to their history and keep a cut, for old time’s sake.

Colgan : Phoenix not being a designated event in ‘24 would be a colossal mistake for the Tour. Colossal.

Berhow : So let’s talk about the actual field size: 70 to 80 players. Too big? Too small? Just right?

Colgan : Max Homa made a pretty salient point about how small fields in designated events actually help protect NON-designated events. (The thinking being that too many players in DEs would hurt schedule availability for NDEs.) I generally tend to agree, but much smaller than 80 and we’re suddenly looking at Formula1. That’s no bueno, too.

Dethier : I mean, Formula 1 is awesome. But I agree you need a slightly larger pool for golf. In my mind the perfect number is slightly closer to 100, but where they’ve settled — 70-80 — seems like a decent number. The mix of qualifiers seems good, too, combining the top 50 pros from the previous year with the top 10 from the current year plus a few pros in form. We can quibble about the details — what’s the right number of recent qualifiers? — but having a mix of top pros from last year plus hot players with cool stories like Eric Cole could strengthen the product.

Berhow : I agree. For as much as I don’t like the no-cut rule, even if it’s only for a handful of the designated events, I do think the way the Tour is putting together this field makes sense: top players plus others who have the chance to play their way in from previous events. But I also think what’s happening with the Tour right now reminds me of the Netflix “Full Swing” docuseries . The producers there were challenged with creating a show that catered to both hardcore golf fans and non-golf (or even non-sports) fans. That meant explaining what the cut was and things of that nature instead of diving even deeper into other big, juicy storylines. I totally understand it, but I think that’s what the PGA Tour is dealing with too: How does it accommodate its stars, but also its lower-tier card holders? It can’t be easy.

Colgan : Talking about “Full Swing” with Dylan in the chat feels a bit like wearing the band t-shirt to the concert (love you, DD). Nonetheless, you’re right Josh, it’s NOT easy to cater to the regular pros, but that’s also how things work in every other major sport. If it feels like the Tour is changing the rules to cater to the best players in the sport, then might I introduce you to the last 15 years of “roughing the passer” legislation in the NFL?

Berhow : Touche.

Colgan : Anyway, speaking of stars, some of LIV’s best and brightest have been keen to point out the — erhm, commonalities — between the Tour’s new format and LIV. Are they right to be feeling copied?

The irony, its ncredible…. 👀 https://t.co/Ldwd8E1EQt — Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 1, 2023

Dethier : Are these changes happening now because of LIV? To some extent, yes. To quote the philosopher Patrick Cantlay, from this afternoon: “If a product or company doesn’t have competition, the incentive to innovate is low.” But anybody telling you this format is “the same” as LIV is being disingenuous. The designated events system is appealing because it represents the top of the pyramid. It’s extremely meritocratic; there is an entire infrastructure built around getting to the top that extends down through the full-field events, Korn Ferry Tour events, Q-School, PGA Tour Canada, etc. There will be a really fun fight to get into that top 50. There will be a really fun fight to get into designated events. The Tour’s Cinderella stories will continue; they’ll just look slightly different.

Berhow : If you are a LIV player, of course you are pointing out the similarities. But as Dylan mentions, it’s quite different. The Tour is making a smaller but powerful field out of its top players for a no-cut tournament that represents about one-sixth of its tournaments played throughout the year. LIV’s 48-player no-cut fields are the norm and not nearly as strong. But I do love the jabs going back and forth; that’s going to make following all of this even more fun.

Latest In News

Presidents cup weirdness, lydia's fairy tale, rory vs. billy | monday finish, tom brady and aquaman 2: 18 observations as presidents cup week begins, why haven’t the internationals won more adam scott blames himself, 2024 presidents cup: how to watch, tv schedule, streaming, format, team rosters, related articles, tour confidential: presidents cup preview, liv golf changes and more, tour confidential: solheim cup mvps, surprises, second-guesses and more, tour confidential: solheim cup preview, golf's next made-for-tv match, tour confidential: scheffler's dominance, 'silly' playoffs format, tour confidential: lydia ko's hot run, mega-purses and keegan bradley…playing-captain, tour confidential: a fedex cup playoffs fix, a new u.s. amateur champ and more, tour confidential: lydia ko's golden olympics, u.s. am preview, tour confidential: thrilling olympics finish, winners and disappointments, tour confidential: men's olympic golf preview, jon rahm wins, best values.

Advertisement

Golf simulator company golfzon launches indoor league with teams in u.s., mexico, canada, uk, share this article.

This story was updated to change and add a photo.

There’s a new indoor golf league coming from Golfzon, an industry leader in high-end golf simulators.

The 12-team Golfzon Tour was announced Tuesday, with plans for 12 teams in the U.S. as well as Mexico, Canada and England competing for big money.

The Tour Finals are being scheduled for the week of the 2025 PGA Show, where the winning Golfzon Tour team will get $150,000.

Golfzon has already been running the GTour in South Korea for more than 10 years. The events there are broadcast live on a golf-specific cable TV network.

The new North American/UK league will have a qualifying process at each of the team’s locations in order to attract players. Each team will have five players and golfers in the different areas of the world will compete live against one another.

Golfzon simulator

The locations of each of the teams:

• London – The Golf Rooms
• New York City – Golfzon Social
• Toronto – Golfplay
• Detroit – Tee Times
• Louisville – Tee It Up Golf USA
• Orlando – Golfzon Leadbetter
• Minneapolis – Element Indoor Golf
• Chicago – The Green
• Tulsa – BirdieBay
• Houston – The Daly Round
• Mexico – Mulligan’s Monterrey
• Los Angeles – Golf Envy

The teams will participate in a five-week, round-robin schedule that’s scheduled to start in October and will be available on golfzontour.com and the official Golfzon YouTube channel.

The golf course simulators will have golfers playing the Old Course at St. Andrews, Kingsbarns Golf Links, Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, Harbour Town Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and the Stadium Course at PGA West. The Tour Finals at the 2025 PGA Show in Orlando will be contested on the virtual links of Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

See more equipment: Best drivers for 2024 | Best irons for 2024 | Best putters for 2024 | Best golf balls for 2024

Most Popular

2024 liv golf team championship prize money payouts for each team in dallas, these are the 12 golfers representing the u.s. at the 2024 presidents cup, adam scott unplugged: presidents cup, green jacket hijinks, when he thinks the best players will tee it up together more often again, these are the 12 members of the international team at the 2024 presidents cup, 2024 bmw pga championship prize money payouts for every player at wentworth club, 2024 kroger queen city championship prize money payouts for each lpga player, these are the korn ferry tour golfers who earned pga tour cards for the 2025 season.

Brought to you by

DraftKings preview: Presidents Cup

Golfbet News

Change Text Size

We have reached one of the most exciting weeks in the world of professional golf, as the Presidents Cup takes place in Montreal, Canada. For those unfamiliar, this is not a standard PGA TOUR event. Instead, we have a team event, where the U.S. Team will take on the International Team. The Royal Montreal Golf Club will be the host course this week, and measures as a 7,413-yard par 70 with Bentgrass greens.

Each team consists of 12 golfers, and the event will take place over four days. Thursday will feature five Foursomes (alternate shot) matches, while Friday will feature five Four-ball (best ball) matches. Saturday there will be four Foursomes matches in the morning and four Four-ball matches in the afternoon. Finally, Sunday will feature 12 Singles matches, where all 24 golfers in the event will play.

Five key clubs for International Presidents Cup Team

Being that this is not a standard stroke-play event, DraftKings has a Showdown format in place. Each roster will consist of six golfers, one of which will be your captain's pick, who will accrue 1.5x fantasy points. The scoring will also be different this week, as golfers will not accrue fantasy points for birdies, pars etc., but rather for holes and matches won. The full scoring format is listed here:

Below, I have outlined three of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week.

Xander Schauffele ($16,200)

It's obviously quite difficult to pass on Scottie Scheffler as your captain this week, but Schauffele is the next best option and comes at a $1,200 discount, which actually matters on this slate. Much like Scheffler, it's hard to envision the No. 2 player in the world not playing all five sessions this week, which is basically all we are looking for when putting rosters together. The more matches you play, the more chances you have to accrue fantasy points, it's that simple.

Schauffele played all five sessions in the 2022 Presidents Cup and then played four out of five at last year's Ryder Cup. This of course was before he went on to win two majors this past season, which basically all but assures he'll be out there for all five sessions again this week.

Schauffele will likely be teaming up with good friend and Zurich Classic of New Orleans playing partner, Patrick Cantlay, for most of (if not all) his matches this week. The two have real chemistry together, which will be especially helpful in alternate shot, and also makes it that much more likely Schauffele wins the majority of matches he plays.

You could, of course, make the case that Cantlay is a great captain's pick this week as well because if he teams with Schauffele for all four team matches, they both receive the same amount of points for both holes and matches won. However, I am not quite as confident that Cantlay plays all four team sessions with Schauffele, so I much prefer to pay up for the safety of Schauffele as captain.

Tom Kim ($8,000)

Dollar for dollar, Kim is my favorite play on the International Team this week at $8,000. He is another golfer very likely to play all five sessions, which is exactly what he did in the 2022 Presidents Cup as a 20-year-old rookie.

Tom Kim's incredible 2022 run at Wyndham and Presidents Cup

Kim was largely hit-or-miss this year in terms of his consistency, but he did finish runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at the Travelers Championship, before finishing T8 at the Olympics in July. He also posted a T4 at the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club, which strikes a strong resemblance to Royal Montreal, as both are shorter par 70's with Bentgrass greens.

Statistically, Kim can go toe-to-toe with anyone in this field over the past 24 rounds, as he ranks No. 1 in SG: Approach and No. 2 in SG: Ball-Striking in that stretch. When you combine his price, five-match projection and recent rolling numbers, Kim is one of the best plays on the slate this week.

Russell Henley ($5,000)

This price immediately stuck out as being incorrect, as Henley had too good of a season to be priced this low, even when you factor in how strong the U.S. Team is. The 35-year-old closed the 2024 campaign with a T7 at the U.S. Open, solo-fifth at The Open Championship and T4 at the TOUR Championship. He posted seven top-10 finishes on the year, overall, and missed only one cut in 19 starts.

Royal Montreal also sets up really nicely for Henley, as it will require precise short-iron play and keeping your ball in the fairway, both of which he excels at. He projects to play at least two of the four team sessions, which is more than enough for his salary. Among the golfers in this price range, Henley stands out like a sore thumb.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Sand Trap [$100K to first]

The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.