LETTER WRITING
The new PGA Tour schedule of limited fields in elevated events has created plenty of changes in schedules depending on a player's status.
It also means writing letters to tournament directors in search of a sponsor's exemption.
“Been a long time,” said former U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, who has not written for an exemption since 2008. “Right when I turned pro, I got five spots that summer. So I kind of remembered how to do it. My letter this time was a lot better than the last time.”
Simpson revealed the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am already has offered him a spot. That has an 80-man field and a $20 million purse as a signature event.
But he did not write to Tiger Woods for the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
“It's my son's birthday that week,” Simpson said. “I've told him before I hate missing it because I do love Riv and supporting him, but I'm not going.”
One thing is certain: Those four exemptions at the signature events will get close scrutiny, especially tournaments that players who might need a spot have a long history of supporting.
Meanwhile, Justin Thomas is No. 28 in the world and would need to stay in the top 30 for two more weeks to avoid needing an exemption to Pebble Beach. He makes his 2024 debut this week at The American Express.
THE FINE PRINT
Grayson Murray is assured of being in all the $20 million signature events the rest of the year from his Sony Open victory.
But his win is likely to knock someone out.
While PGA Tour winners get into signature events for the rest of the year, that category falls behind two other categories – the top 10 not otherwise eligible in the current FedEx Cup standings, and the leading five from the “swing” series of events that lead up to the signature tournament.
Murray earned 500 points for his win, and with only two tournaments left before Pebble Beach, he is all but assured of staying in the top five. That means whoever finishes sixth would not get in.
The 10 from the current FedEx Cup does not apply to the signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera; those are based on the final standings from last year.
Similarly, if Justin Thomas is among the top five in the swing series, that would take precedence over him being exempt from being in the top 30 in the world.
DIVOTS
● Patrick Cantlay continues to run in high-end financial circles. Cantlay has signed a partnership with Apollo, a New York-based asset management firm, in which he will wear the logo on the front of his hat. He previously had a hat deal with Goldman Sachs.
● Kevin Chappell, who tried the LIV qualifying event, is playing the Dubai Desert Classic as one of five PGA Tour players who finished among the top 200 in the FedEx Cup.
● Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, along with “Play Yellow” co-founders Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, have crossed $100 million in money raised through golf to help change kids' health.