Pebble Beach to cut pro-am field to 80 players over 2 courses in 2024 schedule

Justin Rose of England poses with the trophy on the 18th hole after victory during the continuation of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Feb. 06, 2023 in Pebble Beach, California. (Getty Images)
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Updated 08 August 2023
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Pebble Beach to cut pro-am field to 80 players over 2 courses in 2024 schedule

  • Next year Pebble Beach will have 80 players and 80 amateurs competing for 36 holes at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, with only the pros advancing to the weekend at Pebble Beach
  • The signature events, with fields between 70 and 80 players, will not have a 36-hole cut except for the three player-hosted invitationals — the Genesis Invitational (Tiger Woods), the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial (Jack Nicklaus)

MEMPHIS, Tennessee: The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is cutting its field nearly in half and eliminating one of the three courses, part of the price to become a signature event with a $20 million purse in a revamped 2024 schedule the PGA Tour released Monday.

Pebble Beach replaces the Phoenix Open as a signature event, which was expected. What it gave up was the 156-man field, each with a prominent amateur, playing Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula over 54 holes before a cut to the final round.

Next year Pebble Beach will have 80 players and 80 amateurs competing for 36 holes at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, with only the pros advancing to the weekend at Pebble Beach.

The signature events, with fields between 70 and 80 players, will not have a 36-hole cut except for the three player-hosted invitationals — the Genesis Invitational at Riviera (Tiger Woods), the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Memorial (Jack Nicklaus).

Those will cut to the low 50 and ties and anyone within 10 shots of the lead. The invitationals also will award $4 million to the winner — equal to the payoff at LIV Golf — compared with $3.6 million for the winner at the other five signature events.

The PGA Tour returns to a calendar year — January through August — for the first time since 2013. And while only the prize funds for the signature events were announced, top players can expect to make more money than ever.

The winner of the FedEx Cup will get a $25 million bonus, up from $18 million this year. The winner of the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 — the player who leads the points list after the regular season — gets an $8 million bonus. Jon Rahm earned $4 million this year.

Players who have a big season — similar to Rahm or Scottie Scheffler this year — could make upward of $50 million.

Commissioner Jay Monahan said the schedule “will create consistent excitement for our fans and reward players like never before.”

The PGA Tour also attempted to spread out the limited-field, signature events and did that with few exceptions. The Phoenix Open will be Feb. 8-11 — one week after Pebble Beach, one week before the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. Phoenix prefers to end on Super Bowl Sunday and has generated its own level of loud over the years with its raucous party scene.

But that means moving the Memorial off Memorial Day, putting it one week before the US Open. It’s the start of three straight weeks, concluding with the Travelers Championship.

The signature events also allow room for players to qualify. They are for the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings this year, which will be determined after the FedEx St. Jude Invitational this week at the TPC Southwind.

Players will have incentive to play in the fall if they miss out because Nos. 51-60 at the end of the fall schedule will be exempt into Pebble Beach and Riviera. After that, the top 10 players available in the current FedEx Cup standings will get in the $20 million events.

There also is room for five players who lead a special points list from the tournaments between signature events.

The season starts Jan. 4 at Kapalua with the Sentry Tournament of Champions and ends Sept. 1 with the Tour Championship, a week later than usual because of the Olympics in France. Kapalua, previously a winners-only start to the year, now has the top 50 from the FedEx Cup.

The other signatures events are Kapalua, RBC Heritage at Hilton Head; the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow; and the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

The Travelers has a long history of awarding exemptions to rising amateurs and recent college graduates. Now its limited field is restricted to the FedEx Cup standings and four exemptions for PGA Tour members.

Nathan Grube, the tournament director, said the Travelers wants to keep its reputation of giving young players an exemption.

“The young players are part of our DNA,” Grube said Monday. “No, the exemption process won’t be like it was. But we are going to figure out a way to keep a relationship with the young guys that are out there.”

The tour also has five opposite-field events, adding stops in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (the same week as Quail Hollow). It has yet to name a title sponsor for the event previously held in Kentucky, along with a title sponsor for what had been the Honda Classic.


McIlroy soars to the top of the leaderboard at Dubai Invitational

Updated 15 January 2026
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McIlroy soars to the top of the leaderboard at Dubai Invitational

  • Scotland’s Connor Syme, Spaniard David Puig were McIlroy’s closest rivals at four under
  • A minute’s silence was held at 1.30 p.m. for the 40 victims of the Crans-Montana fire, which included Italian golfer Emanuele Galeppini

DUBAI: Rory McIlroy declared his opening round of 66 as a “nice way to start the year” as he held a one-shot lead at the 2026 Dubai Invitational.

The world number two made a rapid start with seven birdies and a bogey after 10 holes to send a daunting message to the rest of the field as he led by three shots at six under par.

His momentum stalled as he carded a dropped shot and seven pars to close his first round of the year in 66 and take the clubhouse lead at five under.

Matt Wallace rolled in four straight birdies around the turn to surge ahead at seven under, but two dropped shots and a double bogey saw him slip down the leaderboard.

Scotland’s Connor Syme and Spaniard David Puig were McIlroy’s closest rivals at four under.

“It was good. I got off to a great start, played a very good first nine,” McIlroy said.

“Then the wind got up a little bit and felt like that front nine, which was our second nine, was the trickier one.

“I made a silly bogey on three and then didn’t capitalize on the par-five after that.

“So, I felt like I left a few out on that side, but I played a really good nine holes of golf. Overall, a nice way to start the year.”

McIlroy, who started at the 10th, was inches from an opening eagle before he climbed to two under at the 11th with a close-range birdie.

He slid a four-foot par putt by at the 12th, but responded immediately with birdies at the 13th and the par-three 14th thanks to a stunning tee-shot.

The Northern Irishman took the outright lead at four under with another gain at the 17th and when finished his front nine with another birdie, he was two shots clear.

McIlroy was in relentless form as he rolled in his seventh birdie of the day, and third in a row, at the first to extend his advantage to three strokes at six under.

However, Oliver Lindell closed in on the early leader courtesy of a stunning birdie blitz from the ninth to the 13th.

McIlroy bogeyed the third to slip back alongside the Finn to share the lead at five under and they were joined by Guerrier, starting on the back nine, who briefly made it a three-way tie after his seventh birdie of the round at the sixth to go with his double bogey at the ninth before fading away.

Matt Wallace opened with a bogey, but bounced back with a birdie at the third and a chip-in eagle at the fourth.

Another gain followed at the sixth before he surged to the summit courtesy of four straight birdies from the eighth to move two ahead at seven under.

The Englishman dropped a shot at the 12th, double bogeyed the 16th and closed with a bogey as his two-shot lead evaporated.

Syme and Puig were one shot behind McIlroy at four under following five birdies and a bogey in their 67s.

Wallace endured a rollercoaster card of an eagle, six birdies, three dropped shots and a double bogey to finish to sit in a tie for fifth at three under, Lindell double bogeyed the last in his 68, while French pair Guerrier and Antoine Rozner and Spaniard Angel Ayora were also at that mark.

There was a minute’s silence held at 1.30 p.m. for the 40 victims of the Crans-Montana fire during New Year celebrations, which included rising Italian talent Emanuele Galeppini, who was about to start his tenure as Junior Captain at Dubai Creek Resort.

Black ribbons were worn by players, caddies and DP World Tour staff as a mark of respect.