The announcement means there will be three co-sanctioned events next season and a reduction in WGC events
The PGA Tour has released its schedule for the 2021/22 season, with new details of the PGA and European Tour’s strategic alliance unveiled.
An agreement between golf’s two premier circuits was revealed in November last year as the threat of breakaway tours became real, and this latest announcement is a further step towards connecting men’s professional golf on a global scale.
The big news is that three tournaments are to be co-sanctioned in 2022, meaning both FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai points will be on offer to participants at the Barbasol Championship, the Barracuda Championship, and the Genesis Scottish Open from next year.
“With today’s news, I am pleased to say that the PGA Tour and the European Tour are both stronger than at any time in our history, as we are positioned to grow – together – over the next 10 years faster than we have at any point in our existence,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
“We are committed to continuing to evolve and adapt, and with our ever-strengthening partnership with the European Tour, to take the global game to the heights we all know it is capable of.”
Elsewhere, the World Golf Championships (WGCs) are to be reduced from four to two annual events, with only the WGC-HSBC Champions in China and the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship remaining on the schedule.
The WGC-Mexico Championship looks likely to become a full-field event bereft of the WGC distinction, and the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational is to be renamed the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
In total there will be 48 PGA Tour tournaments in 2021/22, which includes 45 during the regular season and three FedEx Cup Play-off events.
On the European side, the Scottish and Irish Opens have been given a major boost. The former, to be held the week before The Open Championship through to at least 2025, has gained a new title sponsor in Genesis and will feature a split field between PGA and European Tour members.
However, it is yet to be confirmed whether the Renaissance Club will play host for the fourth consecutive year.
Additionally, as part of the strategic alliance, the prize money on offer at the Irish Open will increase to $6 million in 2022, though a date and venue have yet to be finalised.
There will also be access for 50 European Tour members to each of two PGA Tour events in 2022 for the first time – the Barbasol Championship, which will be played concurrently with the Genesis Scottish Open, and the Barracuda Championship, which will be played alongside the following week’s 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.
“We are delighted to welcome Genesis as a title sponsor of a European Tour event for the first time,” said European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley.
“Genesis has a strong history of sponsorship on the PGA Tour through The Genesis Invitational, and their commitment to the Scottish Open will further enhance one of our premier events of the season.
“When we announced the Strategic Alliance at the end of last year, we said it was a landmark moment for global golf’s ecosystem that would benefit all members of both Tours.
“Today’s announcement underlines that promise, with further enhancements to the Genesis Scottish Open, a strengthening of the Irish Open for our members, and direct access for European Tour members to two PGA Tour events.”
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