PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan speaks to the media ahead of the 2023 Players Championship. | Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) announced updates to its system that will affect PGA Tour Signature Events in 2024.
More changes are coming to the PGA Tour’s 2024 schedule.
On Wednesday, the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) announced that it has changed its points distribution for fields of 80 players or less, thus affecting the eight Signature Events that will take place on tour in 2024.
These events will feature roughly 70-to-80 players. Increased prize money will be available, and 700 FedEx Cup points will go to the winner. Five of these eight tournaments will not feature a 36-hole cut.
“For fields of 80 players or less on all eligible Tours, a new points distribution curve will award a greater percentage of available points to top finishers in those events,” the OWGR’s announcement reads.
“Ranking Points will no longer be distributed to players finishing in the bottom 15 percent of the final standings for these events that do not have a cut.”
Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images
Peter Dawson, the chairman of the OWGR board.
Essentially, the OWGR will award players for playing well while punishing those who do not. Under this new provision, the bottom 11 players in a 70-field event would not receive OWGR points. Meanwhile, the top 10 would receive more points for their performance.
But this was not the only change the OWGR announced.
For match-play events, players will not receive any OWGR points if they lose their first round of play or all matches in a pool format. No match-play tournament is currently scheduled for the PGA Tour in 2024.
Then, the OWGR instituted a provision that awards a player for winning multiple times within a calendar year.
“The Governing Board introduced a new multi-win benefit that provides a 60 percent bonus to players who win for a second time within a 52-week period on any eligible Tour; a 70 percent bonus is awarded to players who win three or more times,” the announcement reads.
“Any points bonus is capped at a total of four points.”
Take Jon Rahm’s 2023 season, for instance.
Photo by Rankin White/Getty Images
Jon Rahm receives a lei during the ceremony following his victory at The 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
He won The Sentry Tournament of Champions, then won The American Express.
If this new provision had been in place, Rahm would have received an additional 60 percent—or 31.58 points—for winning The American Express. The OWGR granted him with 52.63 points for his victory in Palm Springs, California,
Of course, Rahm would have received additional bonuses for his victories at Riviera and Augusta National, the latter of which he received 100.00 OWGR points for his Masters win.
Yet, if he had gone on to win a fifth time, the bonus points would have been capped after his fourth victory.
These changes will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
A complete schedule of the 2024 Signature Events follows below:
1. The Sentry, Plantation Course at Kapalua (Jan. 4-7)*
2. AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links (Feb. 1-4)*
3. The Genesis Invitational, Riviera Country Club (Feb. 15-18)
4. Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill Club & Lodge (Mar. 7-10)
5. RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links (Apr. 18-21)*
6. Wells Fargo Championship, Quail Hollow Country Club (May 6-12)*
7. The Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village Golf Club (Jun. 3-9)
8. Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands (Jun. 17-23)*
* = Non-cut event
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
