- PGA Tour designated events were established in 2023.
- The best players have agreed to play in all of them, with increased purses.
- There are a total of 17, including the four majors.
The PGA Tour has made some big changes over the past year, one of the most significant being increasing the prize money payouts for tournaments.
In the process, the PGA Tour has a new classification system for their tournaments, and with that comes a new term, “designated events.”
What Are PGA Tour Designated Events?
PGA Tour designated, or elevated, events are 17 tournaments throughout the year that will have all of the best players competing for increased purses.
Players who finished in the top 20 of the 2022 Player Impact Program (PIP) are required to play in the elevated events they are eligible to play in, although players are allowed to skip one during the year.
Purses for these events have dramatically increased from a year ago to $20 million for most of them.
The change was made to have more tournaments where all of the top PGA Tour players are competing at the same time.
Designated events will still have their standard fields; the only difference is the top players are required to play. The top players can skip one and still receive their PIP money.
PGA Tour Designated Events 2023
| Date | Designated Event | Purse | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 5-8 | Sentry Tournament of Champions | $15 million | Jon Rahm |
| Feb. 9-12 | WM Phoenix Open | $20 million | Scottie Scheffler |
| Feb. 16-19 | Genesis Invitational | $20 million | Jon Rahm |
| Mar. 2-5 | Arnold Palmer Invitational | $20 million | Kurt Kitayama |
| Mar. 9-12 | The Players Championship | $25 million | Scottie Scheffler |
| Mar. 23-26 | WGC Dell Technologies Match Play | $20 million | Sam Burns |
| Apr. 6-9 | Masters Tournament | $18 million | Jon Rahm |
| Apr. 13-16 | RBC Heritage | $20 million | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| May 4-7 | Wells Fargo Championship | $20 million | Wyndham Clark |
| May 18-21 | PGA Championship | $17.5 million | Brooks Koepka |
| June 1-4 | the Memorial Tournament | $20 million | Viktor Hovland |
| June 15-18 | U.S. Open | TBD | |
| June 22-25 | Travelers Championship | $20 million | |
| July 20-23 | Open Championship | TBD | |
| Aug. 10-13 | Fed Ex St. Jude Championship | $20 million | |
| Aug. 17-20 | BMW Championship | $20 million | |
| Aug. 24-27 | Tour Championship | TBD |
It is worth noting that the WM Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship and Travelers Championship are designated events for 2023 only. These tournaments are not guaranteed to be designated events in 2024.
Interestingly, two designated events — RBC Heritage and Travelers Championship — are the week following a major.
The schedule is set up so plenty of meaningful golf will be played for eight straight months, and not just limited to the majors.
2024 PGA Tour Designated Events
In 2024, the PGA Tour will have eight designated no-cut events with elevated purses and fields limited to 70-80 players.
Four of those events will be the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament. The other four have yet to be determined.
But, it’s been reported the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be one of them, with the celebrity portion only being two days.
In total, there will be 16 designated events — the above eight, the four majors, three playoff events and the Players Championship.
Unlike in 2023, players will not be required to play in designated events.
NOTE: This was prior to the June 2023 announcement of the agreement between PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The official 2023-24 PGA Tour schedule has not been released.
PGA Tour Odds at BetMGM
BetMGM is the premier online sportsbook for updated PGA Tour odds each season.
Whether you’re betting on designated tournaments, match play events, or majors, there’s something for everyone. And with live golf betting, the action doesn’t stop at the book when the action starts on the course. You can view live odds from the first round through the final round.
Visit the sportsbook today to place your wagers!
