The Tour received a lot of heat for introducing the Signature events in 2023, as it caused a divide within the PGA Tour, with the top talent focusing on playing the $20 million events. But there is also another side to it; courtesy of Michael Kim, we know it now.

“This year, there’s a bit more of a defined two-tier. Before, it was a bit less pronounced. When they switched over to this model, all the schedules became one or the other [more prominent]. You play all the Signature events plus a couple of others in that time frame. If you’re not in the Signature events, you end up playing all the [other] tournaments,” Kim told Mayo on the Mayo Media Network podcast when the host asked him how difficult it is to get into such events.

Golfers who qualify for Signature events can plan their schedule much more easily, as they can work around the $20 million tournaments and pick a few other PGA Tour events they want to participate in. Those who don’t make the small-field events participate in other tournaments, mostly in the hope of making it to elevated events.

Kim admitted that’s what he does as well. “Picking my schedule has been pretty simple. I’m playing all the Signature events; hopefully I’ll play all the majors, and I have my three or four tournaments that I’m definitely going to play, like Torrey [Pines].”

Having been a part of the PGA Tour system since 2016, Kim has experienced a time when picking his schedule was challenging. But he admitted that the introduction of Signature events has made it easy for him to choose which tournaments to play. Apart from the eight Signature events and four majors, he will play 4–5 more PGA Tour events throughout the FedEx Cup season. One of them will be the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, as he already confirmed.

This may be the case of the tier Kim belongs to. However, on the other side of the coin, pros like Lucas Glover, Erik van Rooyen, & Co. have actively spoken up against the concept of Signature events. Glover called the $20 million tournaments a “money grab” as it limits the opportunities for everyone with a PGA Tour card. Interestingly, there is another tier that Michael Kim may not have considered.

Elite players like Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy don’t necessarily follow the same schedule as the 32-year-old pro.

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Michael Kim’s priorities are not the same as those of elite golfers like Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy

It’s understandable why Michael Kim tries to participate in all the Signature events every season. That gives him the best opportunity to win big paychecks and rise in the rankings. He even came close to grabbing a huge win in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational after he finished 4th in the event.

However, Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy are not necessarily interested in those achievements. The world’s No. 1 & 2 don’t consider Signature events necessary to their schedule. In fact, both of them have missed a few of the $20 million events last year, just as they might do the same in 2026 as well.

McIlroy was missing from the field of The Sentry, while Scheffler was forced out of it due to an injury last year. The Irishman had also decided to skip the Memorial Tournament. In fact, he also received a lot of heat from the fans for missing the Signature event hosted by Jack Nicklaus. The world #1 also didn’t partake in the Truist Championship in favor of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The elite players certainly seem to have different priorities than the likes of Michael Kim & Co.