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PGA Tour Discussing Team Series Events Amid Saudi League Threat

The PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council (PAC) has held talks about developing a three-event series in the autumn that would feature a team format and reward the top players from the previous season.

According to reports, multiple members of the PAC at the Genesis Invitational confirmed this, with the three planned events being held in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Some sources have stated that there would be no FedEx Cup points awarded to participants at the event, with the tournaments including no cuts, lucrative purses, a college golf team style format, and 10 five-man squads led by a “captain” that would be drawn from the top 10 players of the Player Impact Program.

The NCAA — The college golf format – After each round, the team will count the lowest four scores from its five players, which will make up the team’s cumulative score.

Currently, the PGA Tour play a wraparound schedule which is where the season begins in one year and finishes in the following year. With the new team tournaments, it would become a calendar year layout. Essentially, the top 50 players from the previous season’s FedEx Cup points list would qualify for the three events, with their position on the points list secure for the following season.

According to one source though, the current autumn events, in which there are nine of them that run from September to November, would become a ‘seeding series’ for those who qualified for the previous season’s playoffs, but didn’t finish inside the top 50. Their status, the following season, would be based on their performance in those nine tournaments.

As well as the proposed events, the PGA Tour also reiterated their stance on the breakaway Saudi Golf League, with officials stating that any player who signs on to play the proposed SGL would be banned from playing on Tour.

Rahm hits a shot

World number one, Jon Rahm, has pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour

(Image credit: Getty Images)

So, what has been the response to the ‘team series’? Well, varied is probably the right answer, with one PAC member stating the interest in the proposed tournaments were “mixed”, adding that the conversation would continue. The PAC, which is made up of 16 players, will ultimately vote on the proposed series, with no set date confirmed as of yet. The players who are part of the PAC, are listed below for you.

WHO IS ON THE PGA TOUR PLAYER ADVISORY COUNCIL?

Patrick Cantlay
Paul Casey
Austin Cook
Joel Dahmen
Harry Higgs
Billy Horschel
Russell Knox
Brooks Koepka
Justin Lower
Peter Malnati
Graeme McDowell
Maverick McNealy
Trey Mullinax
Jon Rahm
Webb Simpson
Will Zalatoris

PGA Tour discussing three-series team-event concept beginning in fall of 2023

LOS ANGELES – The hottest topic in professional golf at the moment – a rival league led by Greg Norman and the Saudi Arabian public wealth fund – took a back seat Tuesday at Riviera when PGA Tour officials rolled out a team-event concept for the fall that would begin in 2023 and reward the top players.

Multiple members of the player advisory council confirmed that the Tour is developing a three-event series in the fall that would feature a team format similar to that used in college golf. The three events would be held in Asia, Europe and the Middle East and would not award FedExCup points.

Instead, the plan would be for the Tour to move away from the current wraparound schedule and to a calendar year lineup with the top 50 players from the previous season’s FedExCup points list qualifying for the “team” series with their position on the points list secure for the following season.

According to one source, the current fall events – nine events played from September to November – would become a seeding series for those who qualified for the previous season’s playoffs but didn’t finish inside the top 50. Their status the following season would be based on their performance in the fall.

The three fall events, which would have no cut and lucrative purses, would have 10 five-man teams led by a “captain” that would be drawn from the top 10 players on the Player Impact Program, which ranks players based on their appeal and popularity on social media.

One PAC member said the interest in the proposed fall events was “mixed” and added that the conversation would continue. The PAC advises the policy board which would ultimately vote on the proposed series.

The super league, which continues to dominate the conversation on Tour, was also addressed during Tuesday’s meeting but only briefly with officials reiterating their stance that any player who signs on to play the proposed rival league would be banned from playing on Tour.