‘I hate it’ – PGA Tour winner hits out at controversial new format

Erik van Rooyen spent his weekend at the CJ Cup Bryon Nelson chasing the coattails of an unstoppable Scottie Scheffler. 

The popular South African started Sunday eight shots behind Scheffler, fired a round of 63 and still failed to eat into the irrepressible world No.1’s deficit.

Van Rooyen, of course, will take only the positives from posting a stunning 23-under par aggregate across four rounds at TPC Craig Ranch, banking over $1million for his runner-up finish.

Yet 35-year-old said after his round on Sunday that caught the eye as much as his sublime golf in Texas.

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By finishing second, van Rooyen earned a spot in next week’s Truist Championship by making it inside the Aon Swing 5 in time for the $20million PGA Tour event.

The Aon Swing 5 awards the top five FedEx Cup points earners from full-field events between the Signature Events, the US circuit’s money spinning tournaments with limited fields no cuts.

Van Rooyen has the consolation of a start at the Truist – formerly Wells Fargo – Championship – but that doesn’t mean he is impressed with the PGA Tour’s Signature Event model.

“How honest do you want me to be?” he smiled. “I hate it.”

Rooyen continued: “I strongly believe that the strongest fields are the ones with the most players in them. The guys on the PGA Tour are so good. It’s so deep.

“I get that you’ve got the Scotties of the world, the Rorys of the world, and people want to see them, it’s entertaining.

“Like the PGA Championship coming up, for example, it’s the strongest field in the game, similar to The Players. I love competing, so selfishly I want to compete against those guys.”

The lucrative Signature Events were created in response to LIV Golf and the threat of the tour’s biggest players joining the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit.

They remain a huge bone of contention on tour – particularly for players like van Rooyen who do not typically secure entry to these highly lucrative limited field events.

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Last year, van Rooyen reacted to Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy’s argument that the PGA Tour should diminish in size to make the circuit more of a cutthroat sporting environment.

“I saw Wyndham’s comment,” he told the Golf Channel. “Two years ago, Wyndham was in the 100-125 spot. He would’ve lost his card, and now he’s a major winner, and all of a sudden…”

On McIlroy, he added: “I know he said he wants the Tour to be more cutthroat. Well, this is the most cutthroat sport there is. You miss the cut, you’re gone, bro. You’re not making money.

“The NBA has over 300 guys playing. We have 144 guys playing. That’s not a lot, and more than half of them aren’t making money.

“I think this idea that we’re worth what Premier League soccer players are worth is completely mind-blowing.”

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered 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.