CROMWELL, Conn. — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan met with the media at TPC River Highlands on Wednesday and revealed that the Vacationers Championship will obtain Signature Occasion standing once more in 2025.
These tournaments function elevated purses and restricted subject sizes, hovering round 70 gamers. This yr’s Vacationers Championship marks the eighth and closing Signature Occasion of the 2024 season.
“This occasion shall be a Signature Occasion in 2025,” Monahan stated. “That is the 18th yr with Vacationers, and we’ve an settlement; they’re in a 10-year settlement by means of 2030.”
Vacationers first sponsored this event in 2007, when Hunter Mahan gained his first occasion on the PGA Tour. Since then, it has develop into a fan favourite amongst tour professionals, who cite the golf course and hospitality as the reason why.
“It’s good to be again. I really feel like that is all the time a enjoyable event to come back play,” stated World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler on Wednesday.
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“The group actually rallies across the event. The followers are all the time super. The golf course is usually all the time in nice form. The clubhouse. The best way the event treats us as gamers is all the time super. So it’s a very simple, enjoyable week for us to come back play, and glad to be again right here.”
Caddies even obtain courtesy automobiles this week, a rarity on the PGA Tour. However that’s not all. The highest gamers on the PGA Tour obtain loads of different facilities.
“They do such a tremendous job for us, our caddies, and our help group,” added Xander Schauffele.
“In case you take a look at the vary, it’s acquired the little umbrellas, we’ve a espresso stand, a lounging space, there’s the inexperienced truck there with the pizza. So it’s such a calming week coming after the U.S. Open and I believe all of us actually respect that.”
With this in thoughts, the Signature Occasion mannequin—new for 2024—has drawn loads of criticism. In March, Lucas Glover known as these tournaments a “cash seize,” including that he “doesn’t like the concept in any respect.”
“Why do the signature occasions have [a maximum of] 80 gamers, and solely 50 make the lower? Our greatest signature occasion subsequent week is 144 gamers with a full lower. The signature occasion,” Glover stated in March, referencing The Gamers Championship.
“I simply don’t see what was so dangerous out right here that we needed to do all this. Let’s elevate some purses to ensure we maintain some guys round, however now we’ve eradicated a whole lot of taking part in alternatives for some actually good gamers.”
Monahan acknowledges this too, as many gamers, resembling Min Woo Lee, who has had a powerful 2024 season, didn’t qualify for the Vacationers this week, although Rory McIlroy withdrew.
“Nothing’s good, nothing ever is, however while you take a look at the place we’re at the moment and as we shared with our board [on Tuesday], we really feel like we’re delivering to our followers precisely what we got down to do, and that’s to get our prime gamers competing collectively extra usually, and to create probably the most aggressive schedule we are able to presumably create,” Monahan stated concerning the Signature Occasions.
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“If you take a look at our full-field occasions, and also you take a look at the energy of the sphere, whether or not it’s prime 50 or prime 125, our energy of the sphere at full-field occasions is up 35 %.”
The Signature Occasions have undoubtedly supplied alternatives for one of the best gamers to compete in opposition to each other. Look no additional than who has gained the seven Signature Occasions this season: Scheffler has gained three. Wyndham Clark triumphed at Pebble Seaside with a record-breaking 60. Hideki Matsuyama shot 61 at Riviera to come back from behind and steal the Genesis Invitational, after which Rory McIlroy gained the Wells Fargo Championship. Chris Kirk additionally gained The Sentry, the primary event of the yr. That’s a fairly robust whos-who of the PGA Tour.
Plus, these wins got here in opposition to very robust fields. The highest 50 gamers from final yr’s FedEx Cup standings gained entry into every of those tournaments in 2024. Then, the PGA Tour established the Aon Subsequent 10 and Aon Swing 5 to assist spherical out these limited-field occasions. Whoever wins an occasion on the PGA Tour in 2024 additionally beneficial properties entry, whereas every event has sponsor exemptions they use to spherical out the sphere. These exemptions have been enormously scrutinized, as PGA Tour Coverage Board members appear to take a fair proportion of these. Look no additional than Webb Simpson, who once more obtained an exemption to play this week.
However, this event all the time delivers. Gamers usually go low on this golf course, as TPC River Highlands, the shortest course on tour, yields loads of birdies. It additionally produces nice drama, because the event has had six playoffs since 2007. One stroke has determined the end result six different instances, too.
So, contemplating all of this, it is sensible for the tour to make the Vacationers Championship a Signature Occasion in 2025, regardless of a number of the criticism the general mannequin has obtained.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. Remember to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
