PGA Tour gamers tackle dramatic modifications for first time

The 2023 RBC Canadian Open was a pivotal level for Ben Griffin, the previous North Carolina Tar Heel who’s at present the Seventieth-ranked participant on the planet. He determined to skip that week and apply at dwelling as an alternative, having missed 5 of his final six cuts. However, like the remainder of {the golfing} world, Griffin was glued to Golf Channel on Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2023, a important second within the sport’s historical past.

“Wow, I can’t imagine that is occurring,” Griffin stated to himself.

After all, this was when the PGA Tour shockingly introduced its framework settlement with the Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF). No one knew what it meant on the time. Nor did anybody know what the construction of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would appear like going ahead. However Griffin discovered a helpful lesson that day, one which any professional outdoors the highest 50 on the planet ought to relate to—even now.

Amid the fracas, participant conferences, and confusion that day in Toronto, one man saved to himself. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who wound up shedding to Nick Taylor in a playoff later that week, minded his personal enterprise on the vary. He hit ball after ball, not worrying concerning the outdoors noise.

“I’m not too fearful about it,” Fleetwood stated that day in an interview with Golf Channel, in keeping with Griffin.

“It’s what it’s, and I’m simply going to deal with profitable this week.”

That mindset paid off for Fleetwood as a result of, if not for Taylor’s historic 72-foot eagle putt, he might have received his first PGA Tour title.

Quick-forward to this week. On Monday, the PGA Tour authorised a collection of modifications, which incorporates lowering the variety of members from 125 to 100 gamers, reducing the sector sizes of just about each match, and eliminating a lot of the Monday qualifiers. Amid these stark transformations, Griffin instantly recalled watching Fleetwood hit balls on the vary, specializing in himself and silencing the skin noise.

“I‘ve tried to make use of that mindset that he’s had over the past 12 months and a half to not get myself too concerned with numerous insurance policies and focus extra on my profession and what’s at stake as a result of, finally, that’s all that issues to me,” Griffin stated on Wednesday.

“The insurance policies are going to be what they’re, and my objective is to attempt to win and play in addition to I can.”

Different younger gamers are following this mindset, too, particularly Steven Fisk, who will make his PGA Tour debut this week in his native Georgia. Fisk completed fourth within the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour standings, thus incomes his card for 2025. One of many modifications that the tour authorised is lowering the variety of PGA Tour playing cards for Korn Ferry Tour graduates from 30 to twenty.

“The modifications are what they’re. Regardless that lots of people may say that my place is barely deprived by among the modifications, I can take a look at it from a distinct perspective and see why a few of these modifications are being made,” Fisk stated Wednesday.

Picture by Jennifer Perez/PGA Tour by way of Getty Pictures

“Definitely, the whole lot that’s been laid out is sensible. It might not essentially be what’s finest for somebody popping out of my class, however I nonetheless have so many alternatives subsequent 12 months that if I play good golf, the whole lot takes care of itself.”

Enjoying good golf will handle the whole lot when it comes all the way down to the crux of the problem. However nice golf might not even be rightfully rewarded. Gamers should shoot decrease scores since solely so many alternatives can be accessible.

“I’m not numb to the truth that we’re slicing alternatives, proper? It’s not one thing that sits effectively with me and doesn’t sit effectively with anybody in any of these discussions, however all these selections that get made, they’re all not good or unhealthy,” defined Brian Harman, the 2023 Open Champion who sat on the Competitions and Laws Subcommittee part of the Participant Advisory Council.

“We’re each single type of professional and con to each piece that strikes round and attempting to determine probably the most equitable, fairest technique to have an important product whereas offering sufficient taking part in alternatives for everybody.”

Harman additionally talked about how he participated in conferences for the higher a part of eight months, attempting to determine tips on how to higher reshape the PGA Tour sooner or later. It’s additionally no coincidence that these conferences—and subsequent modifications—come on the heels of an funding from the Strategic Sports activities Group (SSG), a consortium of distinguished sports activities house owners and personal fairness executives.

“These are actually onerous conversations as a result of I’ve been on each aspect of that token. I’ve been 100 to 125, I’ve been 70 to 100, I’ve been 1 to twenty,” Harman added.

“I perceive how all these blocs really feel, and for me to have to debate how that stuff will get moved round, it’s extraordinarily troublesome and uncomfortable. However you simply take a look at the entire data that’s introduced, and also you do your finest to make the absolute best determination for probably the most quantity of individuals.”

Harman used the phrase “optimistic” to explain the overall feeling of gamers about these modifications.

“All of the talks that we have now all been actually constructive, and the whole lot that we’ve been attempting to do, it’s all forward-thinking,” Harman stated.

“I imply, who is aware of? Who is aware of? We had the info, we take a look at the whole lot, you do your finest, and then you definitely consider after instances go; it’s all you are able to do.”

However the one factor any PGA Tour professional can do is to take after Fleetwood and deal with their recreation and themselves. No one can management what the tour will do.

So, for a participant like Griffin, who is just not a prime star however a strong participant, their solely possibility is to comply with Fleetwood’s mindset. It’s a must to block out the noise, work, and apply, and in the event you try this, the outcomes will come, and the whole lot else will handle itself.

Griffin has leaned on this precept and ignored the commotion, which has helped him immensely in 2024. He has improved his place within the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) by 30 spots this 12 months alone and has an opportunity to vault into the Aon Subsequent 10 this week with a robust end on the RSM Basic. Griffin additionally has 5 top-10s, which features a T-8 eventually week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship. His finest end, humorous sufficient, got here at this 12 months’s RBC Canadian Open, the place he completed solo second to Robert MacIntyre.

“It’s not value being for or towards any form of modifications,” Griffin added.

“They’re what they’re, and my objective is simply to play pretty much as good of golf as attainable.”

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.