PGA Tour schedule must evolve to avoid designated event fatigue from players

In hindsight this was inevitable.

Way back in August at the Tour Championship, Jon Rahm was the first to publicly question the PGA Tour’s move to what was then called an “elevated-event” schedule that created larger purses and deeper fields to respond to the growing threat of LIV Golf. The price of that upgrade, however, was a requirement that “top players,” as defined by the circuit’s Player Impact Program, had to commit to play 20 events.

“We have to play all of them?” asked Rahm, who is also committed to playing a minimum number of events on the DP World Tour to maintain his status on the Continent’s circuit for the Ryder Cup. “With Ryder Cup and having to play four in Europe, yeah, I…