PGA Tour appears bound for new fall schedule concept, but details undetermined

The PGA Tour appears bound for a reworked and reimagined fall schedule, but exactly what that means remains unclear.

At the player advisory council meeting earlier this month at the RBC Heritage, the potential change was discussed with the idea of reverting to a January through August “core” schedule for the FedExCup and a fall line-up that would serve as a kind of seeding series for players to establish their status for the next season.

The stars, however, would be free to take an extended break, which according to one member of the PAC seemed to be a popular option.

“After the playoffs conclude, the concept would be that the top performers would have time away from competing for the FedExCup, with the option to participate in a series of newly created international events,” said a summary of the meeting that was sent to players.

The game’s top players, which would likely be the top 50 finishers on the FedExCup points list, could either take the fall off or participate in a proposed three-event series that would include lucrative purses, no cuts and a team concept. According to various sources, these events would be played in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

“The group had a healthy discussion about the new concept and asked the staff to come back with some additional information,” the summary read. A PAC member who attended the meeting said it felt more like “chaos” with ongoing disagreements about what the fall schedule will look like and how it ties into the proper FedExCup schedule.