GOLF
Why isn’t there a cut at the Travelers Championship 2024?
The tournament at TPC River Highlands is the last Signature Event on the 2024 PGA Tour and follows different rules to the norm.
The eighth and final Signature Event on this year’s PGA Tour is being played this week, with the tour’s biggest and best players, with the exception of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, taking part in the Travelers Championship 2024 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
What is a PGA Tour Signature Event?
As a result of the tournament’s elevated status, there is an increased prize purse and more FedExCup points on offer to a limited, elite field. Only 71 players teed off in the first round on Thursday, around half of the normal number for “regular” events.
In order to qualify for Signature Events, players must meet the following criteria, according to the PGA Tour itself:
• Top 50 in the previous season's FedExCup standings (BMW Championship qualifiers)
• Top 10 available and not otherwise exempt from current FedExCup standings (Aon Next 10)
• Top five available and not otherwise exempt FedExCup points earners from the swings leading up to each Signature Event (Aon Swing 5)
• If not exempt from the three categories above: current-year tournament winners and PGA TOUR members in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking
• Four sponsor exemptions (PGA TOUR members)
• The three player-hosted invitationals will each have one tournament host exemption, which is not restricted to PGA TOUR members.
Do any Signature Events have cuts?
Because of the significantly reduced number of participants, there is no cut at the end of the second round of the Travelers Championship on Friday, as would normally be the case for the vast majority of tournaments of most professional tours (LIV Golf being the obvious exception).
However, the format varies depending on the Signature Event. Starting in 2024, there are no cuts at five of the eight such tournaments on the PGA Tour: The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship and the Travelers Championship.
By contrast, there are cuts at the end of the second round of three Signature Events which are player-hosted invitationals: The Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament.
In those three tournaments, the top 50 players and ties, in addition to any players within 10 shots of the lead after 36 holes, stay for the weekend.
Prize purses in PGA Tour Signature Events
This year, all eight Signature Events have a total prize purse of $20 million, with the winner taking home $3.6 million. The only events on the 2024 PGA Tour which are more lucrative are The Players Championship ($25 million with a top prize of $4.5 million) and the US Open ($21.5 million with a top prize of $4.3 million).