Cink played at Firestone when it held the
So what to make of this new PGA Tour model of signature events and
“If I was in the top 50 I would really like it. But I'm not, so I don't like it," Cink said.
He is in the final year of his full exemption from two victories in the 2021 season, but he was well out of the top 50 (No. 153) in the FedEx Cup. That's what it takes to secure spots in the eight signature events this year.
The change was a reaction to the ongoing threat of Saudi-funded LIV Golf. The idea was to bring the best players on the PGA Tour together more often and reward them with
“Unfortunately, I do think it's probably the right thing to do for golf fans,” Cink said. "If all the players play in those and we get great fields playing for a lot of money, then it's great. It's just I don't think it serves everybody. And the PGA Tour has been about doing the best for everybody, for all the pros and members.
“So I'm a little mixed on that.”
That's what the PGA Tour is facing this year. It's easy to find the players opposed to the new system. Just keep going further down the FedEx Cup standings.
There's a lot of unknowns with such a radical change, and the Sony Open began to reveal some of the questions.
This is the first of a three-tournament stretch that will determine the five players from the “swing” who get into the next
Those with conditional status — Nos. 126 through No. 150 — might expect to play even fewer events than normal for that category.
What also troubles Cink — and he's not alone — is the distribution of FedEx Cup points that weighs more for the signature events. It leads to what
The PGA Tour has crunched the numbers and believes the turnover rate — those who fall out of their elite status and whoever replaces them with good play — to be similar for the top 50. Still to be determined is what kind of advantage the top 50 have in getting to East Lake.
A spot in the FedEx Cup finale gets players into three of the four majors (likely all four) and a two-year exemption. Whoever thought Atlanta would be the promised land for the PGA Tour?
Cink thought back to the predecessor of “signature” events. That was all of one year ago, and they were called “elevated” events. The purse was
The cream rose at most of those events.
But the fields were full to their previous levels (120 at Bay Hill and Riviera, 156 at Quail Hollow) and there was a cut.
Now they are estimated to be from 70 to 80 players. Only the player-hosted tournaments (Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial and Genesis Invitation) have cuts.
“I played in the first year of the elevated tournaments. They were mostly full-field tournaments with cuts and all the top players played,” Cink said. “I thought they were just absolutely brilliant. It’s hard to convince me and a lot of the players that aren’t in those fields why being a small field matters.”
WORLD TRAVELERS
Some 20 players will be competing three weeks in a row to start the year, and three of them will be in the air more than the others. A lot more.
Harman and
Not to be forgotten is
He left The Sentry on Maui for the Dubai Invitational and the Dubai Desert Classic. Fleetwood meant to begin his journey Sunday night from
Now he goes into the final round of the Dubai Invitational with a one-shot lead over McIlroy. What a performance.
Hatton left London for Maui. Next is a trip to
“The body is just feeling so amazing. Why not?” Hatton said. “Just another long-haul flight and feel even looser at the end of it.”
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