The Pebble Beach Pro-Am may be elevated on the PGA Tour schedule for 2024, as Jack Nicklaus has hinted.
The comment was made at the Honda Classic, which had a relatively weak field this year, with only three of the world’s top 20 playings. This was partly due to the two elevated events coming just before the PGA National.
The WM Phoenix Open and Genesis Invitational were given elevated status by the PGA Tour, meaning they were guaranteed to host most of the world’s best players along with a $20m purse. Next year, Nicklaus said that would change, as the Pebble Beach Pro-Am will benefit from the WM Phoenix Open’s loss.
“He mentioned that the upcoming schedule for next year consists of elevated tournaments, Pebble and LA (the Genesis Invitational), whereas Phoenix is not included. The players will go to Mexico and then come here. He reassured that the tournament will have players next year, and they have Bay Hill and Players on the schedule. Therefore, the tournament will be just fine.”
In the weeks leading up to the WM Phoenix Open, there will be a break between elevated events due to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am being a week earlier. Moreover, adding a tournament in Mexico after the Genesis Invitational would boost the Honda Classic, which will have a new sponsor next year after the motor company decided to end its 42-year sponsorship after the Genesis Invitational.
As well as the two big tournaments before the Honda Classic this year, it had to contend with two more coming straight after it, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, which caused most top players to skip the event, following a trend of recent years.
It is Nicklaus’s intention to encourage players to compete in the tournament even though the field is weaker due to his charitable association with the tournament. He said: “I don’t do that. I don’t do it for the Memorial Tournament. I don’t do it for any tournament. I didn’t like it when people did it to me. If you’re going to play, you’ll play. If you don’t play, you’re never going to play.”
A top-quality field is also guaranteed to play alongside celebrities at the famous Californian event if Nicklaus’ prediction is correct and Pebble Beach-Pro Am receives elevated status in 2024.
