Rahm suspended by PGA Tour; others bumped up FEC
What has already been an eventful offseason for the PGA Tour became even busier late Monday when the circuit informed its members that Jon Rahm, who announced he was joining LIV Golf last week, has been suspended.
Like they had in the past, the Tour removed Rahm from the circuit’s “playoffs and eligibility points list” based on its regulations. The adjustment moves each player who was ranked below Rahm, who finished the season 18th on the points list, up a spot.
“In accordance with the PGA Tour tournament regulations, Jon Rahm has been notified that he is suspended and no longer eligible to participate in PGA Tour tournament play due to his association with a series of unauthorized tournaments,” the memo read, adding, “Should any additional changes occur, the FedExCup playoffs and eligibility points list will continue to update through the conclusion of the 2023 calendar year with final eligibility for the 2024 season being set on Dec. 31.”
The biggest beneficiary of the Tour's decision is Mackenzie Hughes, who finished 51st on last season’s points list but will be adjusted to 50th, which means the Canadian will be eligible for all the signature events next season. Carl Yuan was also moved up from No. 126 to 125th with the adjustment, making Yuan fully exempt for next year.
Additionally, Alex Smalley moved to No. 60 and will be eligible for the first two (non-Sentry) signature events in 2024, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational. Paul Haley II moves to No. 150 and earns conditional status.
The memo also addressed concerns pointed out in a petition that was circulated among Tour members earlier this month. The petition requested a review of the “FedExCup points allocated to signature events versus full-field events” and noted a fifth-place finish in a no-cut signature event is worth 272% more points than a fifth-place finish at a “traditional event.”
According to the memo sent to players Monday, the policy board and “management team” discussed the “schedule model” for next year but opted to keep the points allocation unchanged.
“Please know that the board is listening to the concerns expressed from individual members and takes those concerns seriously,” the memo read. “We believe the model approved by the board is the best model to achieve this goal.”
The memo said the policy board will review the points distribution at its meeting next June and “compare how the system is performing related to the projections and evaluate whether any adjustments need to be made prior to the 2025 season.”
