It has now been three years since the PGA Tour unveiled its signature events, originally called the designated events. A way to draw more crowds towards the league after LIV Golf started making splashes with its star power. Now players like Rory McIlroy are weighing in on what they think of these events. Just after the latest signature event being the Travelers Championship, has wrapped up with Keegan Bradley taking home the win.
What Is A Signature Event?
The signature events were created in response to LIV Golf’s massive payouts. Each year, eight events fall under the signature umbrella. They offer massive payouts of cash and FedEx points. Specifically $20 million and 700 points. Three player-hosted events take the $20 million purse and divide it up, with the winner getting $4 million. Additionally, the number of players on the field is limited. The maximum is just over 70, whereas normal events can have over 150. The idea is to focus on the top players available on the Tour and to show them in peak performance. This was one of the PGA’s answers to LIV Golf disrupting the scene.
McIlroy’s Thoughts
Rory McIlroy is pretty positive about the signature events. The only real issue he had was playing one right after the US Open, where he didn’t have the best of times. He was asked about it by Dan Rapaport on the Dan on Golf Podcast on Monday.
“I asked Rory about this earlier in the week when I was at the Travelers. I said, ‘How do you feel three years in if the signature event model is working?’ and he said, ‘I think it is working if you look at the tournaments we’ve had and the winners we’ve had’. Yeah, it was a fantastic show the week after the US Open!”
McIlroy is seeing the enthusiasm from fans and players alike, and that’s a win in his book. The events have garnered plenty of attention.
McIlroy Accidentally Brings Up Criticism of the Signature Events
One major issue about the Signature events that McIlroy accidentally brought up was the scheduling. There are eight signature events per season, and the last one just wrapped up. There are still six months left of events, and the signatures are all crammed into the first half of the year. The latest one, the Travelers, was right after the US Open, on the hardest course in the year’s majors.
The Signatures Going forward
The new category of events is getting plenty of praise from fans and players alike. There is plenty of fun to be had at them, like Billy Horschel’s leg incident. There’s also plenty of good that comes out of them. The Genesis Invitational became a big charity event for the LA wildfire relief. The main issue of the scheduling should be addressed in the future, especially when the players are still mentally recovering from a major like the US Open. For now, though, public opinion is still positive on these events, and the players are happy with the results that come from them.
Main Photo Credit: © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
