The PGA Tour’s fall slate begins this week with the Procore Championship in Napa. However, for the second year in a row, the autumn series does not signal the start of the tour’s regular season. Re-engineered as “The FedEx Cup Fall,” this part of the tour’s calendar is essentially its own campaign, and though this time of the year is historically golf’s sleepy stretch, it now has more significance. Here are nine questions and answers you need to know about the 2024 fall season:
So the wrap-around season is done?
Yes. In 2013, the PGA Tour began its new “season” in the fall, with the tour year stretching two calendar years. But in April 2023 the tour announced its next season would start at the Sentry (formerly the Tournament of Champions) during the first week of January. The top 70 players off the FedEx Cup points list at the end of the regular season qualified for the playoffs (which concluded at the Tour Championship) and guaranteed their full playing status for the following season. The 50 players who reached the second playoff event at the BMW Championship are also exempt into 2025’s “signature” events, a series of eight tournaments with limited fields, no cuts and $20 million prize money payouts.
What’s on the line then?
Players who failed to qualify for the playoffs will now have to play in the FedEx Cup Fall to retain or regain their playing status for 2025. All FedEx Cup points from the 2024 PGA Tour season carry over to the fall, with those inside the top 125 at the end of the fall earning full status for next season.
Additionally, the top 10 players on the points list at the end of the fall who are not already qualified for the 2025 signature events will earn a spot into the first two following the Sentry, which will be the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. Though players who finished 51st to 70th on the FedEx Cup points list have already earned their status next season, they can use the fall series to snag the signature event spots.
The points earned in the fall, however, will not carry over to the 2025 FedEx Cup list.
Does winning a fall event still deliver the same perks?
Mostly. Though points don’t transfer over to the next calendar season, winners of fall events will continue to receive a two-year tour exemption and invites to the Masters, PGA Championship, the Players Championship and the Sentry. The eight fall events also offer a collective $63 million in prize money.
Can top 50 players still compete?
Yes. Though they will not be awarded any FedEx Cup points, those in the top 50 can play in the fall, as a number of last year’s winners—including Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim, and Collin Morikawa—fell in this category.
For example, this week’s field in Napa has Theegala, past champ Max Homa and 2023 U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark in the field. Aside from trying to stay sharp, the top-50 crew can still win prize money and accrue Official World Golf Ranking points.
Tom Kim – Mike Mulholland
Who are some of the higher-profile players we’ll likely see?
Tom Kim, who was the first man out of the top 50, should play in a few events. Same goes for Min Woo Lee and Jake Knapp. Rising star Luke Clanton will be playing in the Procure Championship, and has a chance to make strides in gaining a tour card through the PGA Tour U program. Other notable players you may see this fall include Maverick McNealy, Mark Hubbard, Chris Gotterup, and Rickie Fowler (currently 108th in the FedEx Cup).
What about Korn Ferry Tour players?
Fall fields have historically been filled by those who just earned their memberships off the tour’s developmental circuit. However, past Korn Ferry Tour Finals have ended before the new PGA Tour season began; the 2024 KFT Finals don’t end until Oct. 6. Those who finish in the KFT top 30 will earn full PGA Tour status in 2025.
Has the schedule changed?
Slightly, with the PGA Tour adding a new tournament in the Black Desert Championship. This year’s fall slate has eight events, with the following dates:
Sept 12-15: Procure Championship, Silverado Resort, Napa, California
Oct 3-6: Sanderson Farms Championship, C.C. of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
Oct 10-13: Black Desert Championship, Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah
Oct 17-20: Shriners Children’s Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas
Oct 24-27: Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino, Chiba, Japan
Nov 7-10: World Wide Technology Championship, El Cardonal, Los Cabos, Mexico
Nov 14-17: Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Port Royal, Southampton, Bermuda
Nov 21-24: RSM Classic, Sea Island Golf Club, St. Simons Island, Georgia
The Presidents Cup, which happens at the end of September, is not including in the PGA Tour’s Fall schedule.
What happens to those who don’t finish inside the top 125 at the end of the fall?
A similar fate to missing the playoffs in previous seasons. Those ranked 126th to 150th will have conditional status on tour, which will still confer a number of starts during the season. Additionally, those outside the top 125 can still earn or improve their status through the PGA Tour’s Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. The top five finishers and ties from the final stage of Q School will be exempt for the 2025 season.
Is the tour’s 2024 “season” officially over after the RSM Classic?
No. Following a trip to Sea Island the tour will then conduct its “challenge” season, which are exhibitions at the Hero World Challenge, the Grant Thornton Invitational and the PNC Championship. However, results in these events do not offer the same benefits as regular or fall season events.
Main Image: Orlando Ramirez
