PGA Tour boss reveals end of an era for WGCs and no more Match Play as of 2024

World Golf Championships take a backseat as Monahan reveals Designated Events are the way forward.

07 Mar 2023

PGA Tour boss reveals end of an era for WGCs, at least for now

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has revealed its Designated Events will be the way forward for the circuit as its WGCs take a backseat in 2024.

News emerged yesterday that the WGC-Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club in two weeks' time will no longer feature on the PGA Tour schedule in 2024.

While Monahan has not ruled out a Match Play tournament returning at some point in the future on the PGA Tour, for now it's been wiped off the rota.

PGA Tour is binning Match Play from 2024. What do we make of that call?
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Speaking in a press conference at The Players Championship today, Monahan said:

"I think for right now, for next season's schedule, it didn't work.

"But match play has been a staple out here. It's been a staple on the DP World Tour.

"I think that will certainly be a consideration as we go forward."

The World Golf Championships were introduced by the International Federation of PGA Tours back in 1999 as a means to get all of the best players in the world together to compete in limited-field tournaments.

They also did not have any cuts, albeit the WGC Match Play used to deploy a straight knockout system from day one, which was then soon changed to group stages to ensure the biggest names remained around until at least Friday.

All of the WGCs received inflated prize funds when they first came onto the scene, and they were considered just as important to win as the PGA Tour's flagship Players Championship, which is still to this day considered the 'unofficial fifth major'.

The WGC Championship and WGC Invitational ended in 2021, while the WGC World Cup finished way back in 2006 having only started in 2000.

The only other WGC tournament that remains in contract with the PGA Tour is the WGC-HSBC Champions in China.

But that tournament has been cancelled the past three years as a result of the Covid pandemic, and Monahan says "it's difficult to foresee when we would play there again."

PGA Tour boss reveals end of an era for WGCs and no more Match Play as of 2024

While not ruling out a return for any of the WGCs in the future, Monahan then reiterated the importance of their Designated Events from next season as they continue their fight against the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League.

There will be eight Designated Events on the PGA Tour starting next season, each of which will comprise of limited fields, no cuts and guaranteed money and FedEx Cup points for the biggest and best PGA Tour members.

You could argue they are new WGCs, but just for the most promiment PGA Tour members.

Monahan said:

"I would never say anything has run its course but I think right now, you see the direction the PGA Tour's heading in; it is with these designated events, it's with the concentration of the best players on the PGA Tour competing in them, and I really don't expect that to change as we go forward."

Monahan then told the media that he does not believe the PGA Tour's new Designated Events are in any way like LIV Golf.

Check out his thoughts on that topic here.

GolfMagic Editor Andy Roberts spoke more about the PGA Tour's new Designated Events in the latest episode of the 'From The Tips' Podcast: