Football season is about to start and that means the end of the PGA Tour regular season is rapidly approaching. After the Olympics, the Wyndham Championship, August 8-11, will be the final event before the season-ending playoffs.
The Playoffs will begin with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in steamy Memphis, August 15-18 followed by the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado. The season will come to a conclusion following the Tour Championship at East Lake, August 29-September 1.
Television Viewership Declines
With outside investment of $1.5 billion, the PGA Tour now has a sufficient war chest and does not need to rush to a compromise with Saudi-backed LIV Tour. A deal is still being worked out between the rival leagues, but a complete solution has not been completed yet.
Television numbers are down across the board, so that can’t make current PGA Tour sponsors happy. The ratings for the four major championships, when players from both the PGA Tour and the LIV were in the field, were the worst in recent memory.
Golf fans have been negatively affected by the greed of the players and the split between the rival golf leagues. They are not watching their big screens as they have in the past. No one watches the LIV, even with the big names, they lured away from the PGA Tour. Fans seem to have lost enthusiasm for the PGA Tour broadcasts with names like, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith and Jon Rahm not available for PGA Tour events.
This is a major issue for the PGA Tour, as well as all of golf going forward. Hopefully common sense will eventually win out and a deal that works for both leagues and fans will happen sooner than later.
Signature Events
This season saw the advent of the Signature events with purses of $20 million. They were an attempt to keep more players from defecting to the rival LIV and the top players were required to attend. The PGA Tour rewarded the big names that remained with eight limited field, huge purse events and gave fans a reason to watch.
The Signature events were, The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach, The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo, the Memorial and the Travelers Championship.
Four were won by Scottie Scheffler with Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Kirk capturing the remaining four events.
This seems to have been a workable strategy for the PGA Tour and will continue in 2025.
Who is the Player of the Year?
One of the decisions to be made, heading into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, is who will be named Player of the Year? By winning both the PGA Championship and The OPEN Championship last month at Royal Troon, Xander Schauffele may have the edge in the voting.
Scottie Scheffler has been the number one ranked player in the world for nearly two years and won six events this year. He donned a second Green Jacket, in April, after winning The PLAYERS in March. In addition, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, The Memorial and the Travelers, all four were Signature events. He made the cut in all 16 events he entered this year and amassed 14 top ten finishes. He has a huge lead in the FedEx Cup point standings and has earned over $28 million this year.
It appears that the Player of the Year race will come down to these two players and the winner will be determined by their respective performances in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Ludvig Aberg
One of the surprising players who has had a meteoric rise on the PGA Tour is Ludvig Aberg. Only one year removed from Texas Tech, the Swedish born Aberg has already played on the European Ryder Cup team, won a PGA Tour title and performed well in major championships.
Currently he is ranked sixth in the FedEx Cup standings and fourth in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). He only missed two cuts in 16 starts and has earned over $8 million.
His runner-up finishes at Pebble Beach and The Masters, plus top five finishes at The Memorial and Troon, prove that his game is perfect for difficult golf courses and big events.
He is already one of the best players on tour and could very well hoist the FedEx Cup Trophy at the end of the month.
Bryson DeChambeau
One of the surprises this golf season has been the maturation and dominance of Bryson DeChambeau’s game. He seems to be at the peak of his game right now and has successfully blended his prodigious long game with a deft touch around, as well as on the greens.
Even though LIV players do not receive OWGR ranking points for LIV events, Bryson is ranked No. 9 in the world because of his performances in the four major championships this season.
He recorded a sixth-place finish at the Masters, was runner-up at the PGA Championship to Xander Schauffele and won his second U.S. Open on Pinehurst No. 2.
In addition, Bryson went out of his way to engage the crowds at Pinehurst and has become one of the more popular players.
What’s Wrong With Rory?
The short answer to that question is nothing. He has two wins on tour this year, plus six top ten finishes, plus he earned over $10 million. He teamed with fellow Irishman, Shane Lowry to win the Zurich Classic and won the Wells Fargo Championship for the fourth time. He nearly won the U.S. Open, but missed putts on the 16th and 18th holes in the final round handed the title to DeChambeau. Critics point to these two putts as an issue for the three-time major champion, but in reality, he is ranked third in the world and is still one of the most consistent players on tour.
Rory has been one of the best golfers in the world since he turned professional and even though he has not won major championships by the bunches, he still has a lot of game and a fourth Tour Championship at the end of the month could be just what the doctor ordered.
Is Tiger Woods Done?
It is dangerous to count out one of the two best golfers to ever play the game. He has proven time and time again that his drive to succeed and win is unmatched. Although his 2024 was not pleasant he will still be competing next season and fans will hang on every shot.
In fact, the PGA Tour added an 80-career-win qualifier to their Signature tournament criteria which assures Tiger will get an invite to the big events.
It does appear that at 48 years old (turns 49 December 30) time and his surgically repaired body will not allow him to practice and perform at the optimum level. Walking a golf course is difficult for him and his stiff body does not respond well to adverse weather conditions.
Fans should enjoy seeing him every time he tees it up and respect his career accomplishments, because his competitive years are well behind him.
It appears that the PGA Tour has come through the worst of the LIV raiding parties, although I won’t be surprised if a few more take the guarantees and leave.
New stars are being crowned on the PGA Tour and it is financially set for at least the next few years. The 2024-25 season will begin with the fall events, after the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Remember, the Masters is only 240 days away.
