PGA Tour revamps format for designated events, with no cuts

In what commissioner Jay Monahan described as decisions that will “transform and set the future direction” of the PGA Tour, the tour’s policy board voted Tuesday night to dramatically change the format for future designated events, which will have smaller fields and no cuts.

In a memo to PGA Tour members Wednesday, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Monahan announced that eight designated events in 2024 and beyond will have fields between 70 to 80 players and no cuts. It’s another wave of dramatic changes as the PGA Tour continues to try to fend off a threat from the Saudi-financed LIV Golf League.

“Over the last year, we have spent a massive amount of time exploring how to better position the PGA Tour for continued growth,” Monahan wrote. “How to innovate and deliver a better product. How to further showcase our top performers, while staying true to the meritocracy and legacy that define the Tour. How to create a season of consequence that deepens and expands fan interest. How to make every tournament better and deliver more value to sponsors, media partners and host organizations — to the benefit of the entire membership.”

Starting in 2024, the PGA Tour will no longer require top players to participate in certain events: the Players, the four major championships (if players are eligible), the three FedEx Cup playoffs tournaments and an additional eight designated events, which haven’t yet been announced. Instead, according to Monahan’s memo, the tour will “focus on ensuring purse size, elimination of a cut and FedEx Cup points distribution to sufficiently incentivize top performers to participate in the Designated events.”

Monahan told members that field sizes for the Players and the three FedEx Cup playoffs events would remain unchanged. Fields for the eight other designated events will include: the top 50 players from the prior year’s FedEx Cup points list through the playoffs; the top 10 players from the current year’s points list who…