PGA Tour's fall 2023 schedule will have 7 instead of 9 events
As the PGA Tour undergoes several dramatic changes this season, the uncertainty of the fall events continues to rise. Compared to nine fall events in 2022, a tentative PGA Tour fall schedule shows seven events scheduled for September, October, and November this year.
The CJ Cup, which has been held across four locations over the last six years, and the Houston Open, which has been a part of the tour since 1946, aren't included in the tentative 2023 fall schedule. However, it's unclear when these tournaments will be held.
There's plenty to look forward to on TOUR in 2023.
PGA Tour's Fall 2023 schedule
The fall season this year will begin with the Fortinet Championship in California from September 14 to 17. This will be followed by a two-week break, which will include the Ryder Cup.
The Sanderson Farms Championship will be held between October 5 and 8, followed by the Children's Open (October 12-15) in Las Vegas and the ZOZO Championship (October 19-22) in Japan.
The World Wide Technology Championship will take place from November 2 to 5. However, the venue is unclear since Mayakoba’s El Cameleon Golf Club, which has hosted the Championship in recent years, will be hosting one of the LIV Golf events in 2023.
Finally, the PGA Tour's fall schedule will conclude with the Bermuda Championship (November 9-12) and RSM Classic (November 16-19).
Along with the seven events, the fall schedule will also include the QBE Shootout in Naples, Florida, which is now a mixed event that will feature both PGA and LPGA players.
70 players will qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs
Another significant change this season is that only 70 players, unlike the previous limit of 125 players in the FedEx Cup regular season points race, will qualify for the playoffs and retain their cards for the next season.
The top 70 players will advance to the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which is the first FedEx Cup Playoffs event. They will also receive a full exemption for the following year's PGA Tour season. Out of those 70 players, 50 will advance to the BMW Championship and then 30 to the Tour Championship. This makes qualification for the FedEx Cup playoffs more difficult.
Players will have to play it all in the fall season as all these tournaments will determine their eligibility for the FedEx Cup.
It's pertinent to note that fall events have helped to determine the FedEx Cup champions in the last few years. Of the previous six FedEx Cup winners, four have won a tournament in the fall season before clinching the season-long title.
Amidst so many changes, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan says the changes will benefit all members.
“The TOUR is going to continue to grow by having the best players in the world committed to it, by us continuing to lean into and invest in our ethos, which is the single-best competitive platform,” said Monahan in August.
Along with elevated prize money purses and changes in FedEx Cup qualification, another change this season is that Tour cards will be available at the Q-School gain where the top five players will qualify for the PGA Tour, while the others will get Korn Ferry Tour status.