Last year, the PGA Tour and the European Tour announced a merger of sorts, referring to it as a “strategic alliance”. The two organizations were to come together for added benefits like global media rights and various commercial opportunities. Now, as the 2021-22 season is about to begin, the new schedule undoubtedly reflects on their alliance. 

How will the PGA Tour-European Tour affect the 2021-22 schedule?

Looking at the new schedule, some changes are expected to be minor, while some will stand out. According to Golf Digest, three tournaments being turned into co-sanctioned events will be the most noteworthy change. This includes the Genesis Scottish Open, which will award the golfers points needed to compete in both the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai.

Another crucial change seems to be the World Golf Championships (WGCs) series. Since 2009, the WGCs have been a series of four events. However, with this recent change, only the WGC-HSBC Champions and the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship remain. Though the schedule includes a “Mexico Championship” set to take place in April, it does not fall under the WGC category.

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“This is a natural evolution of the men’s professional game as it becomes more global— evidenced by today’s announcement that involves three co-sanctioned events,” Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner, said in an email to Golf Digest. “That said, we’re fully invested in the two World Golf Championships events this season, and we will continue to work with our partners as the global game continues to evolve”.

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Furthermore, the WGC-FedEx St.Jude Invitational will be called FedEx St. Jude Championship starting next season and will be held instead of the Northern Trust. The St. Jude Championship will be the first FedExCup playoff event next year. The second playoff event will be the BMW Championship in Delaware, and the season will come to an end with the Tour Championship on August 28 (East Lake).

Other changes notable changes

• The Puerto Rico Open will be conducted alongside the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando (March 3 to 6).
• The CJ Cup is to be held in Las Vegas once again with Summit Club hosting.
• The Zozo Championship will return to Narashino Golf Club in Tokyo. The inaugural tournament in 2019 was won by Tiger Woods.
• The Scottish Open will have a field split between the two Tour members.
• The USA’s Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship will become co-sponsored events.
• The Barbasol Championship will be played opposite the Scottish Open (July 7 to 10).
• The Barracuda Championship will be played opposite the Open Championship’s 150th playing.
• The PGA Tour will almost double the Irish Open’s prize money to $6 million in 2022.

Additionally, the tour’s agreement with the media will begin in 2022. The nine-year contract with CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and ESPN  is reportedly worth $680 million and is a significant increase over the previous deal. As per Golf Digest, sources also hint at more alterations coming everyone’s way in 2023. Golf has been gaining increasing global popularity these past few years, the new schedule being one step towards necessary change.

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