After the PGA Tour unveiled changes to its designated event format earlier this week, some felt the scheduling changes were ignoring the DP World Tour.
In 2022, the European circuit and the PGA Tour formed a strategic alliance and announced that the top 10 members of the DP World Tour Order of Merit will be awarded a PGA Tour card if not already exempt.
But with the PGA Tour presenting 70-78 playing fields with lucrative wallets and guaranteed salaries without cuts for many scheduled events in 2024, some are concerned that DP World Tour players won’t get a piece of the pie.
“How does this help the so-called strategic alliance with @dpworldtour?” Richard Bland, a longtime DP World Tour member who now plays LIV Golf, posted on Instagram on Thursday. “10 players will have no chance of getting into these limited field tournaments! Their chances of retaining their gaming rights are VERY difficult! This proves that @pgatour is not interested in this alliance. a game.’ $20 million, limited field, no cuts…sounds familiar.”
Rory McIlroy addressed the response Friday at Bay Hill, saying he thinks the DP World Tour should be included in some of the scheduled events. However, he still believes that the DP World Tour is a great way to earn Tour status and eventually play in the Tour’s top tournaments.
Full results at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
“I think Europe needs to step in,” said McIlroy, who sits on a T-21 in the middle of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I think everyone knows that (PGA Tour) is where you want to play golf, right? People are complaining about these 10 cards that go to (DP World) Tour players who get on that tour. But if I’m a player on the European tour, that’s brilliant.
“Instead of trying to think about what’s good for the tour, think about what’s good for the players who are on the tour. I think this is where people need to rethink their minds a bit.
“Therefore, to be able to enter the top 10 in Europe and then overcome all the possibilities, namely here – I’m not saying that there is no opportunity, it is. But there’s one thing I’d like to see moving forward with this scheduled event schedule, we’re trying to get some of these tournaments overseas.”
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have one jointly sanctioned tournament overseas, the Scottish Open, which is not listed. McIlroy suggested several DP World Tour staples that could be an international, co-sanctioned event.
Irish Open. Spanish Open. The Scottish Open is obviously now a joint event, which is a big step forward,” McIlroy said. “Wentworth (home to the BMW PGA Championship, the tour’s flagship event). There are a few obvious things you could try to include in a world tour schedule, more than just DP World, pure PGA. Touring and trying to combine the two a bit.”
However, the Northern Irishman noted that not every European player wants to play across the Atlantic on a full-time basis. And that will certainly prevent some of the top talent on the DP World Tour from capitalizing on the recent revision of the tour schedule.
“Honestly, I feel like someone – I have to be careful what I say here. There are a lot of big fish in a small pond in Europe,” McIlroy said. “Then when they get here, it will be difficult for them and they won’t like it. And then they’ll go back to what’s comfortable for them.”
Source: www.golfchannel.com
