The FedExCup Fall winners aren’t getting the perks they used to. While these tournaments still offer a two-year PGA Tour exemption, two major benefits have disappeared.
Augusta National removed the automatic Masters invitation for fall winners, replacing it with spots for champions from six designated national opens worldwide.
Meanwhile, The Sentry at Kapalua won’t be hosting fall winners this January. The Plantation course closed September 2 due to water shortages from drought and a reportedly deteriorating century-old water system. The PGA Tour determined the course couldn’t be ready in time.
It’s looking increasingly likely the tournament will be canceled entirely rather than relocated to a temporary site on the West Coast or in Florida.
This creates a dilemma for recent winners like Steven Fisk, who captured his first PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship, along with William Mouw and Karl Vilips, who won tournaments but didn’t crack the top 50 in the FedExCup.
The Tour will likely accommodate these players by finding another $20 million signature event for them to play. That might be Pebble Beach, which already has an 80-player field for its pro-am format, or possibly giving them a choice of events.
If The Sentry is indeed canceled, the Sony Open (January 15-18) would become the PGA Tour’s calendar opener for the first time. It would be the seventh tournament to hold that distinction and mark the latest start to a PGA Tour year since the modern era began in 1969.
