The PGA Tour released its schedule for the 2022-23 season on Monday, beginning with the Fortinet Championship on Sept. 12 and ending with the Tour Championship on Aug 27. Featuring 44 regular season tournaments and three playoff events, there are no massive changes to the playing calendar at first glance. (Those are set to come in 2024.)
While the schedule may not have changed significantly, there are record-setting modifications in the form of monetary prizes beneficial for members of the PGA Tour. A record $415 million in total prize money will be distributed across official events with another $145 million available in bonuses, $75 million of which will be awarded during the FedEx Cup.
"We've heard from our fans and the overwhelming sentiment was that they wanted more consequences for both the FedExCup Regular Season and the Playoffs, and to further strengthen events that traditionally feature top players competing head-to-head," said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. "We feel strongly we've accomplished all of these objectives and more, creating a cadence of compelling drama for every tournament throughout the season. Each week has its own identity and purpose, and we're set up for an exciting 2022-23 campaign as we transition into a calendar season in 2024 that will include a number of new and innovative competitive aspects in the fall."
Let's take a look at what changes are coming next season and beyond. Also, be sure to check out the entire 2022-23 PGA Tour schedule.Â
What's new in 2023?
Invitationals offer big paydays: Eight tournaments will take on "invitational" status and receive elevated purses ranging from $15 million to $25 million. Those events include the Tournament of Champions, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, The Memorial Tournament, St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship.
Same events, different weeks: The Rocket Mortgage Classic will be moved up on the calendar from late July to late June, which means the 3M Open will now serve as the penultimate regular season event. While those two tournaments will take place at a different stage in the season, the CJ Cup will be held at a new venue as it moves from The Summit Club in Las Vegas to Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina.
Bonus pools get a boost:Â The PGA Tour will award $145 million in bonuses in 2022-23. The largest portion, $75 million, will come via the FedEx Cup. That matches the 2022 total. There will also be $50 million awarded through the Player Impact Program, up from $40 million, and $20 million awarded for the Comcast Business TOUR Top 10. which rewards those players who finish the regular season inside the top 10 of the FedEx Cup rankings.
FedEx Cup Playoffs qualifying reined in:Â While purses are larger, the qualifying criteria for the FedEx Cup Playoffs has been tightened. Instead of the top 125 players qualifying for the first postseason event, only 70 players will lock up a spot at the St. Jude Championship and secure their future playing privileges. From there, the fields will be trimmed to 50 players for the BMW Championship and 30 players for the Tour Championship which remains the same. This will be different from the past few seasons as 70 players have historically gained access to the second playoff event.
What's coming in 2024
The lack of significant changes to the 2022-23 schedule is no surprise as the PGA Tour is set for a substantial overhaul in 2024.
Calendar-year season:Â The fall swing will be no more in 2024 as players will not need to jostle for their FedEx Cup positioning in the latter stages of the year. Instead, the bulk of the FedEx Cup competition is set to take place from January to August, leaving the fall months available for a qualification series for the upcoming calendar year and an international series.
Fall qualification series: Following the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the end of the 2022-23 season, those who do not qualify for the postseason will compete in a set of events that will determine their PGA Tour eligibility for 2024. With the decrease from 125 to 70 players qualifying for the postseason, this is the PGA Tour's way of trimming the fat. Full parameters for these tournaments have yet to be announced, but more turnover among the backend players on tour can be expected.
International series:Â The top 50 players in the end-of-year FedEx Cup standings -- those who qualify for the BMW Championship -- along with the top performers from the fall will compete in a number of events outside of the United States. More details will be released at a later date, but large purses are expected.
