Jon Rahm’s determination to LIV Golf affected extra than simply the person himself.
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One participant’s loss is one other participant’s achieve in professional golf these days. And actually, Jon Rahm’s loss (or achieve, relying on the way you view it) is many players’ positive factors.
At least in terms of the FedEx Cup.
Rahm’s multi-year dedication to LIV Golf earned him an expedited suspension from the PGA Tour, in keeping with a memo that was despatched to Tour members Monday night. That’s previous information for anybody who has been following the discourse between the warring excursions for the final two years.
Despite ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf continues to be thought-about a tour non grata within the eyes of Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. Competing on it, or committing to it, is grounds for suspension, as LIV Golf is “a series of unauthorized tournaments.”
Since the Tour is now nicely versed in reacting to its players defecting, it swiftly jumped into motion, suspending Rahm and notifying all different members that any participant who have been listed beneath Rahm within the 2023 FedEx Cup standings would now move up a spot. That was large information for just a few professionals as they checked the standings and noticed Rahm’s identify cleaned from the FedEx Cup slate.
Mackenzie Hughes ended his 2023 season a birdie or two brief, ranked 51st within the FedEx Cup, and was thereby unofficially dubbed the primary Mr. 51. He simply narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2024 Signature Events, which will embody the strongest fields in non-major occasions, with the largest purses. Players’ earnings potential in Signature Events is essentially double that of players who received’t be competing in these occasions.
Hughes knew this all too nicely the previous few months, and was compelled to simply accept his destiny. But Rahm’s departure modified Hughes from Mr. 51 to Mr. 50, boosting him into all of the Signature Events for 2024. Suddenly, Hughes’ taking part in schedule has been utterly modified, as he will now play in lots of extra restricted discipline, mega-purse occasions in opposition to the perfect players on the earth. For a participant in pursuit of his first Presidents Cup look, it’s an enormous enhance. And he’s not alone.
Rahm’s determination additionally bumped up Alex Smalley from Mr. 61 to Mr. 60, which can not imply a lot to anybody else, however vaults Smalley into the second and third Signature Events for 2024, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. Smalley had simply missed out on these invitations when he completed one spot brief throughout the first FedEx Cup Fall Series. As loads of players inside the highest 50 this yr know, one or two nice showings in a Signature Event can lock in your standing for 2025.
Lastly, an important improve went to Carl Yuan, who moved from 126th to a hundred and twenty fifth, making certain him full standing on the PGA Tour for 2024. The distinction there’s arduous to quantify, however we’ll strive it right here:
Inside Rahm’s Explosive Move
When you end exterior the highest 125 within the FedEx Cup, however between 126th and one hundred and fiftieth, you obtain “conditional” standing. You preserve some semblance of Tour membership, and also you’ll have the ability to enroll in Tour occasions. That’s nice! But you will get pushed down the precedence record and even pushed out of tournaments if higher-ranking players join. That’s not-so-great. In reality, each graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour will mechanically soar forward of you in that pursuit of Tour begins. Conditional standing typically leads players to compete in different methods to earn their ticket into tournaments, equivalent to Monday qualifying, requesting sponsor’s exemptions, and so on. It’s a dog-eat-dog world for these on the decrease finish of Tour standing. You’re going to finish up taking part in much more of the lower-ranking tournaments, just like the Puerto Rico Open or the Punta Cana Championship.
Yuan has now leapt up away from all of that. No, he received’t be taking part in Signature Events except he performs his method into them by way of exemptions, however he’s about to seek out out how one can nonetheless carve out a fruitful and fewer irritating journey as Mr. 125 than you’d as Mr. 126.
The 2024 season kicks off with the Sony Open in precisely one month.
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