Signature events were designed to elevate the PGA Tour’s appeal in the post-LIV era, offering $20 million purses, limited fields, and no cuts for elite players. But for many pros outside the top tier, they’ve become a symbol of inequality.
And with the 2026 schedule now confirming a ninth signature event, the unsponsored Miami Championship at Trump National Doral, the tension has reached a boiling point.
While stars like Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler are expected to benefit from sponsor exemptions despite finishing outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings, others are calling it unfair.
Earlier this week, veteran pros Robert Garrigus and James Hahn publicly criticized the Tour’s direction, taking direct aim at Spieth.
“An extra signature event without a title sponsor at a course owned by the president. This is a joke, right?” Hahn told Golfweek, as quoted, referencing the Doral venue’s ties to Donald Trump.
Garrigus, practicing alongside Hahn, didn’t hold back either.
“What is happening to our Tour?” he questioned during the same conversation. “So, does that mean one more sponsor invite for Jordan Spieth? Tell Spieth I’ll play him for any amount he wants. I win, I get his five invites to the signature events.”
Spieth, who received five sponsor exemptions this year, is expected to follow Rickie Fowler’s path. The orange lover was invited to six of eight Signature Events last season despite ranking outside the top 50, ultimately qualifying for The Open and climbing back into the playoff picture.
But the system has left many feeling sidelined.
“They just put it together and work it out as the problems come,” Hahn added further, per reports. “They’ve made so many mistakes at this point that it’s no surprise they’re still working out the kinks to the FedEx Cup.”
Hahn, a former policy board member, also slammed the Player Impact Program (PIP), which awarded millions to top stars based on social media metrics and fan engagement.
“We’re talking about giving away $200-plus million in three years for what? For nothing. The PIP was the biggest joke,” he expressed. “Every time I say something like that, whoever wants to run their mouth says, ‘Play better.’ It has nothing to do with play better. I’m talking about our business being sustainable.”
The frustration isn’t limited to Hahn and Garrigus
Earlier this season, Erik van Rooyen, who earned nearly $1 million at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where Scottie Scheffler won, voiced his own concerns about signature event formats.
“How honest do you want me to be? I hate it,” Van Rooyen told reporters after the event with a laugh. “The strongest fields are the ones with the most players in them.”
The Miami Championship, scheduled for late April 2026, replaces the Mexico Open and will feature a 70-man field with no cut. While the Tour insists these events are designed to reward excellence and attract sponsors, critics argue they deepen the divide between stars and struggling golfers, rising stars.
As for Spieth, he hasn’t responded publicly to Garrigus’ challenge.
But the three-time major winner remains one of the Tour’s most marketable figures, despite not winning since 2022 and sitting outside the top 50 in the current FedEx Cup standings.
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