PGA Tour pay structure ‘out of balance’ amid Signature Events, per Stewart Cink

Stewart Cink was around.

So Cink knows the intricacies of the PGA Tour's structure better than anyone. Although he has been involved in decision-making processes throughout his career, now that he is 50 years old, Cink has been removed from such discussions.

But with the rise of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour being forced to change its structure, Sink spoke about the current situation Friday after his round at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

“For me, it’s a little off balance. [But] I understand where that came from,” Sink said.

“We had to do something because there was a competing venture trying to swallow our players.”

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the beneficiary of LIV Golf, paid millions and in some cases hundreds of millions of dollars to a number of top players to join the breakaway circuit. With seemingly unlimited funds, PIF could afford to pay the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson more than $100 million each. The sovereign wealth fund just recently acquired Jon Rahm for about $400 million.

The PGA Tour can't match those numbers.

However, to retain its talent, the tour established “signature events”, limited field tournaments with high purses. Therefore, the tour had to request additional funds from sponsors. As a result, some companies, including Honda and Wells Fargo, have ended their relationships with the tour.

The top 50 players in last year's FedEx Cup rankings are eligible to participate in all eight “Signature Events” in 2024. The remaining slots within these 70 player slots are for golfers who are on the rise at the time, which explains why the Tour has created “Signature Events.” “Next 10” and “Swing 5”. In addition, there are a few spots left for sponsor exemptions.

Still, these signature events do not include a 36-hole cut, ensuring that every star in the field plays all four rounds, satisfying the television partners and sponsors of these tournaments.

“We had to give the players a reason to stay, which is understandable. We've been doing this for a long time,” Cink added.

“I just don't understand why an 80-man field is more elite than a 156-man field. I don't understand it. I've played when all those fields were full.”

This week's Sony Open in Hawaii will be the first full-field tournament of the 2024 season, and Cink has played well there so far.

After shooting a 3-under 67 on Thursday, he closed with a 5-under 65 on Friday, solidifying his position going into the weekend. Sink is 8 under par, one stroke behind leaders Carl Yuan, Austin Eckrot and Byung-hoon Ahn.

However, many of the tour's top players missed this week's Sony Open. Matt Fitzpatrick and Brian Harman are the only two players in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking this week.

Photo by: Michael Reeves/Getty Images

This poses a problem for sponsors of full-field events, as top talent attracts broader attention and generates a larger television audience. More spectators mean more revenue, which both sponsors and the PGA Tour need.

Sink understands this, which ultimately puts him at odds with the current structure of the PGA Tour schedule.

“If I were in the top 50 [of the FedEx Cup]I really want it, but I'm not, so I don't like it,'' the 2009 Champion Golfer of the Year revealed.

“Unfortunately, I think that's probably the right thing to do for golf fans. If all the players played [the Signature Events] And we can pay a lot of money and get a great field, which is great. I don't think it's going to be for everyone, and the PGA Tour is about doing what's best for everyone, all the pros and members. So it's a little complicated about that. ”

Mr. Cinque hit the nail on the head when he called this current structure “out of balance” because his feelings on the issue are not aligned.

If Cink, a 27-year PGA Tour veteran, feels that way, I'm sure many others feel the same way. This poses challenges for the future of the PGA Tour unless an agreement is finally reached with the PGA Tour to rebuild the structure of golf for the better.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.