Report: PGA Tour Floating Detail-Light And Eerily Familiar Sounding Plans To Stop Players From Fleeing

We’ve moved to the bad movie phase in this Leagues v. PGA Tour. This is the scene where law enforcement calls and starts off by saying, I just want you to know before I say anything else, the FedExCup is safe. Now, for the bad news…

Years after first learning of different approaches to the pro golf model and months after knowing those pesky Saudi’s are offering silly money, the PGA Tour is (finally) formulating plans for a fall world circuit of WGC-style cut-free events and—are you ready—possibly a team component. Breathtaking originality.

The real takeaway from this Eamon Lynch Golfweek exclusive is that (A) the Tour is very worried about the Saudi offers and (B) no where in the Global Home was there a plan tucked in a drawer should this very predictable scenario arise. Oh, and (C) the FedExCup is not why players show up to tournaments.

To say the details are not well formulated or even close to fruition is an understatement:

The Tour intends to stage between four and six events annually outside of the United States, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The series will begin in the fall of 2023 at the earliest, though possibly not until 2024.

Three years? That’s a lifetime in this world. Are we going to blame the global supply chain for the lag time? Then again, when you haven’t planned accordingly, that time is needed.

This almost makes the PIP look original and smart.

While internal discussions are continuing on specifics, tentative plans call for between four and six events, with fields limited to 50 or 60 competitors and no halfway cut. It has not been decided if the fields will be determined by the Official World Golf Ranking or FedEx Cup standings. A range of format options are being considered, including the possibility of a team component.

“Nothing firm on formats yet,” the well-placed executive said, “but a team format is certainly one of the ideas on the table.”

See, that baking option in the Global Home Cafe has drawn real outside-the-box thinkers!

And again, so you can rest easily, the most important thing of all…

A PGA Tour source told Golfweek that a mechanism will be devised to ensure players who compete in the overseas series will not be disadvantaged in the FedEx Cup points race as a result of having skipped the U.S. schedule.

“Top guys want to have a break from the FedEx Cup,” the source explained. “The setup would be so they don’t have to worry. If they play in these big events, the idea is they don’t fall behind in the FedEx Cup.”

Big relief! Maybe one less points reset too? Oh…that was aggressive, sorry.

Given that we have full confirmation even decent fall leaderboards draw no audiences, it will be fascinating to see star player reaction to something assuring the schedule is year-round and asking them to divert their energies away from the core part of the schedule surrounding the majors.