The PGA Tour’s designated events are now called signature events. The eight signature events don’t have majors, Players Championship, or playoffs but still display an elevated purse, a smaller field, and more FedEx points (around 700 points). Three of these eight events have a cut and are hosted by golf legends. Also, these events reward the winner with 20% of the purse money. The rest of the events operate on a no-cut format with an 18% payout paid to the victor.
The top 50 FedEx Cup standings (2022–23 season) have automatically qualified for these events but the next 10, which are the top rankers on the 2024 FedEx points list, will also get a chance to play. According to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, the next ten are those golfers who landed between 51 and 60 on the FedEx points list (2022–2023).
There’s another exemption category called ‘Swing 5’ to ensure that the PGA Tour players get an equal chance. Golfers who bag FedEx points between the signature tournaments get to play in the upcoming event. Apart from this, the winner of the PGA Tour events also gets a chance to play in the next signature tournament. Now, let’s take a look at these events:
The Sentry
The Sentry event previously used to include only the champions but it has become more open and inclusive this year. It takes place at the Kapalua Plantation Course in Hawaii and includes the top 50 FedEx standings and 2023 PGA Tour winners. Given that, the next 10 and ‘Swing 5’ exemptions can only be applied to in-between-season events and not the first event. Chris Kirk won the latest edition of the Sentry with a 29-under score.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
This year, the weather conditions compelled the event authorities to conclude the event over 54-holes and Wyndham Clark was declared as the winner, thanks to retaining his first position on the leaderboard before the upper organizers took this decision.
The Genesis Invitational
The Genesis Invitational is hosted by Tiger Woods, and this year the golf world saw him teeing up for the event as his first tournament of the season. But shortly after he played, the golfer had to withdraw due to health reasons and flu-like symptoms. Hideki Matsuyama showed a world-class performance and triumphed the tournament this year.
Arnold Palmer Invitational
The event concluded last week, declaring Scottie Scheffler as the winner after competing against the top golfers at Bay Hill. The winner also received a red cardigan sweater as part of a ritual initiated after Arnold Palmer who sadly passed away in 2016.
RBC Heritage
The RBC Heritage takes place after the Masters Tournament in April. In the last edition, Matt Fitzpatrick claimed the title in South Carolina. The event displays a purse of $20 million and will provide 700 FedEx points to its winner.
Wells Fargo Championship
2024 will see the final year of the Wells Fargo Championship after the sponsor company has decided to discontinue financial backing of the tournament. Wyndham Clark won the last edition and it is to see if he can defend his title this year.
The Memorial Tournament
The Memorial Tournament is a perfect warm-up for the US Open. Last year, Viktor Hovland came out victorious before claiming the FedEx Cup title in August. The event will take place in the middle of this year in Ohio.
Travelers Championship
The final signature event announced Keegan Bradley as the winner in its last edition at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. He won a $4 million payout and also received FedEx points. This will be the last opportunity of the year for golfers to gather points.
