5 major takeaways from 2024 PGA Tour schedule  

The PGA Tour has made a host of changes to its “reimagined” schedule for the 2024 season.

Several structural altercations have been made to the calendar, while the elite stars will be playing for more money than ever in a campaign that tees off in January and concludes with the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August.

• PGA Tour announces FedEx Cup 2024 prize

• FedEx Cup Playoffs: 10 big names who missed out

Here are five key takeaways from Monday’s big PGA Tour announcement…

Money, money, money

Never have professional golfers had it so good. The PGA Tour’s plans to award the winner of the FedEx Cup with an even bigger cash bonus has certainly raised eyebrows. Rory McIlroy earned $18million for his epic victory in 2022 and the same cheque will be awarded to the 2023 champion.

Incredibly, however, the winner of the 2024 play-off series will now bank a $25m bonus, a staggering 38% increase in prize money. The lucrative postseason will again include 70 players who have advanced from the Regular Season, ending at the Wyndham Championship in August.

And on top of that FedEx Cup hike, the Comcast Business Top 10 is also boosting its bonus pool from $20m to $40m. That means the Regular Season winner before the FedEx Cup Playoffs have even started will pocket $8m.

• Hatton wins $1million… without hitting a shot

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Signature events

You may have called them elevated or designated tournaments in the last 12 months, but its now time to get used to “Signature Events.” Eight of the 36 tournaments in 2024 have been named Signature Events, which include the best players and offer increased prize money and more FedEx Cup points. The first is The Sentry in Hawaii in January and they are spread out evenly throughout the season up until the Travelers Championship in June.

Here are the eight Signature Events in 2024…

The Sentry
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
The Genesis Invitational
Arnold Palmer Invitational
RBC Heritage
Wells Fargo Championship
the Memorial Tournament
Travelers Championship

The cut

Fortunately, at least in the eyes of many golf fans, some of the Signature Events in 2024 will retain a cut. There had been concerns that cuts would be banished entirely from these tournaments after plans to remove cuts were announced last year.

But the three player-hosted invitationals – the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament – will feature a 36-hole cut for the top-50 and ties and any player within ten shots of the lead. The five that will no longer have a cut are The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo and the Travelers. Field sizes are expected to be limited to between 70 and 80 players for these events.

Player requirements

The players are undoubtedly the biggest winners from the 2024 schedule. Unlike last year, the top stars will not be required to attend each and every signature event across the season. The 2023 rules state that players will forfeit a huge bonus from the PGA Tour Player Impact Program if they skip one of the designated tournaments. That came under the spotlight when Rory McIlroy withdrew from the RBC Heritage after his miserable missed cut at the Masters. But, from 2024 onwards, players have freedom to pick and choose from the eight Signature Events without taking a hit to their bank balance.

Bad news for WM Phoenix Open

The Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the start of the year will have an entirely different feel as a Signature Event – but that has come at the expense of the WM Phoenix Open. The tournament at TPC Scottsdale is the biggest party on the PGA Tour, but has been dealt a blow now it has been replaced as one of the most eminent tournaments. It seems likely that the quality of the field in Arizona will suffer as it is sandwiched between two Signature Events, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. The good news is that fans will get to see more of the best players in the world tee it up on the famous Californian links of Pebble Beach and Spyglass in February.

Full PGA Tour schedule 2024

January 4-7: The Sentry
January 11-14: Sony Open
January 18-21: The American Express
January 24-27: Farmers Insurance Open
February 1-4: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
February 8-11: Waste Management Phoenix Open
February 15-18: Genesis Invitational
February 22-25: Mexico Open
February 29-March 3: Palm Beach Classic
March 7-10: Arnold Palmer Invitational
March 7-11: Puerto Rico Open
March 14-17: The Players Championship
March 21-24: Valspar Championship
March 28-31: Texas Children’s Houston Open
April 4-7: Valero Texas Open
April 11-14: The Masters
April 18-21: RBC Heritage
April 18-21: Corales Puntacana Championship
April 25-28: Zurich Classic of New Orleans
May 2-5: CJ Cup honoring Byron Nelson
May 9-12: Wells Fargo Championship
May 9-12: Myrtle Beach Classic
May 16-19: PGA Championship
May 23-26: Charles Schwab Challenge
May 30-June 2: RBC Canadian Open
June 6-9: The Memorial Tournament
June 13-16: U.S. Open
June 20-23: Travelers Championship
June 27-30: Rocket Mortgage Classic
July 4-7: John Deere Classic
July 11-14: Genesis Scottish Open
July 11-14: opposite field event TBC
July 18-21: The Open Championship
July 18-21: Barracuda Championship
July 25-28: 3M Open
July 29-August 4: Olympics
August 8-11: Wyndham Championship
August 15-18: FedEx St. Jude Championship
August 22-25: BMW Championship
August 29-September 1: Tour Championship

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.