The PGA Tour is reorganizing its minor leagues to simplify the structure and provide faster paths to the top levels of the game for the most talented prospects.
The biggest move, announced Tuesday morning, combines PGA Tour Canada with PGA Tour Latinoamérica to create one 16-event circuit called PGA Tour Americas, which will begin play with the 2024 season. And for the first time since 2012, Q-School will provide direct access to the PGA Tour, with the top five finishers in the three-stage tournament getting an elevator ride to golf’s penthouse. Likewise, the top senior in PGA Tour University—a running two-year race based on college tournament results and amateur ranking—will slingshot to the big time.
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The changes are a downstream effect of the tour’s response to LIV Golf. When the PGA Tour reworked its schedule to include a number of high-money, limited-field, no-cut events, it raised questions about playing opportunities and advancement for anyone outside the top group of tour players. Could potential stars play their way onto the tour, or would they get caught in the labyrinth of developmental circuits?
“It’s about getting players to the appropriate level, where they can succeed and move up,” Tad Dickman, a senior director of communications at the tour, said in a phone call. “Whatever level players get into, we expect them to compete and play well.”
It’s also about efficiency. The Canadian and Latin American tours currently have separate staff and overlapping schedules, creating logistical redundancies for the tour and a mish-mash of opportunities for players. The Americas tour will have one staff, which could lead to reductions. “The reality is everything is under consideration,” Dickman said. “As we consolidate groups, that could be part of it.”
For players, the single coordinated schedule makes it easier and more efficient to plan their season. The new tour will start with eight events in Latin America between February and May, then there will be a break, during which a qualifying tournament will bring in new players and college players who did not qualify for a higher level will also join. The second half of the season will feature another eight events from June through September, mostly in Canada with a few in the US. The top 10 finishers will earn membership to the Korn Ferry tour, golf’s version of Triple A ball.
The new circuit’s cross-continent schedule has also presented a business opportunity, since sponsors who buy in get much wider exposure than they would have by going with either Canada or Latinoamérica as in the previous arrangement. “We’re having conversations with potential partners now, and some groups are definitely more interested in the new format,” Dickman said.
The new tour slots into a matrix—Korn Ferry tour, PGA Tour Americas, Q-School and PGA Tour University—now known as PGA Tour Pathways, aimed at funneling future stars to the PGA Tour. “We are thrilled about the PGA Tour Americas and the role this tour will play in preparing players for the next step in their professional golf journey,” said Alex Baldwin, who oversees Pathways. “PGA TOUR Americas will be an extremely competitive tour aimed at identifying, developing and transitioning top-performing players to the next level.”
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