PGA Tour has an enormous set of rules and policies for both on-course and tour governance. But not every rule sits well with the fans. With the Genesis Scottish Open, co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, on the horizon, a couple of “rules” sparked a debate between a fan and eight-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel. The American tour recently revealed the 156-player field for the Scottish Open, prompting one fan to highlight the contradiction in their rules.
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“Leave it to the @PGATOUR to have SO many rules that they eventually contradict themselves,” the fan wrote. “No Brooks [Koepka] sponsor invites (except this one). No LIV players in our events. (Except this one). Maybe just get rid of all the stupid contradictory rules? How [a]bout that?”
The fan who goes by the username Pro Golf Critic and hosts Golf Lovers United GC podcast, was highlighting the fact that PGA Tour blocked Brooks Koepka from earning any sponsor exemption into signature events. However, the five-time major winner earned the sponsor invite at Genesis Scottish Open. Moroever, the Scottish Open will feature a handful of current LIV Golfers too. But Horschel punched a hole in the argument by saying, “Tour said no sponsor invites into Signature Events. This isn’t a Signature event.”
But are they contradictory? Brooks Koepka came back to the PGA Tour in January this year under a specifically designed Returning Member Program, and one of the rules prevents him from receiving sponsor exemptions. But the reason he received a sponsor exemption in the Scottish Open is that it’s not a signature event and, more importantly, while it’s a PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament, it’s essentially a DP World Tour event. That brings to the second point.
The second allegation, which highlights that the PGA Tour wasn’t letting LIV Golf players return to their tour, isn’t true. Like Koepka, others were allowed to return if they met eligibility criteria under the Returning Member Program and had to pay fines. The reason LIV golfers can participate in the Genesis Scottish Open is that the DP World Tour takes the final decision here.
Tour said no sponsor invites into Signature Events. This isn’t a Signature event.
The European Tour has allowed LIV Golf players to participate in several of its events. Players like Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and David Puig are allowed to participate. Rahm, Hatton, and a few other LIV pros signed an agreement with the DP World Tour that allowed them to tee off in LIV events without incurring fines. In return, they had to tee off in a select few tournaments on the European Tour. Horschel responded to the second allegation as well.
“Scottish Open has always been a DP World Tour event,” he wrote. “PGA Tour joined as a supporting Tour, and it became co-sanctioned. The DP World Tour is the lead and runs the event. The LIV players are members of the DP World Tour.”
Horschel has come to defend the PGA Tour in the past as well. Back in February, when the PGA Tour faced flak for turning the Cognizant Classic into a birdie fest, Horschel clarified that the PGA Tour has no say over the course conditions. It’s totally depends on the event organizers whether they want the course overseeded or not.
Interestingly, the sponsor exemptions in signature events are set to disappear entirely due to radical changes introduced by the PGA. According to the new two-tiered structure, no players will receive sponsor invitations to signature events starting in 2028. Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and others have already received backlash for getting sponsor exemptions in the past.
Billy Horschel himself has received several sponsor exemptions. However, the 39-year-old told Golfweek in June that it’s best for everyone if the exemptions “go away” and the system becomes “merit-based.” At the end of the day, the PGA Tour doesn’t appear to have contradicted its own rules, even though it may seem that way to fans.