PGA Tour veteran Charley Hoffman has expressed his frustration with a number of elite level golfers in an open letter to the membership.
In the letter to PGA Tour members, Hoffman shared his disappointment at an apparent lack of commitment to the US-based circuit by some of the tour’s players.
The letter, shared by Golf.com’s Sean Zak, addresses pace of play, the effectiveness of the Aon Swing 5 initiative, and a perceived lack of commitment from some players to the Tour’s core events.
Hoffman’s criticised individuals who, while advocating for fewer tournaments, still manage to play in non-PGA Tour events such as the TGL or the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai.
He stated” “If we truly care about strengthening our Tour, we should be supporting as many PGA Tour events as we can.
“Many of you keep saying you want to play fewer events, yet you still find time for TGL, Race to Dubai, and other non-PGA Tour events, and that’s going to continue regardless of field size.
Just last week, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Rory McIlory called for fewer events on the PGA Tour’s rota.
Six-time Race to Dubai winner reckons the PGA Tour has been diminished due to the number of events on the schedule.
He also believes the game is oversaturated for the consumer before calling for an NFL-style, shorter season.
He said in 2023 that he played too few events before upping his schedule last year.
He said: “I think it [the tour] already has been diminished.
“I think there’s space for all of this.
“Yeah, I can see when the golf consumer might get a little fatigued of everything that’s sort of available to them.
“So to scale it back a little bit and maybe have a little more scarcity in some of the stuff that we do, like the NFL, I think mightn’t be a bad thing.
“But look, I would much rather sit down and watch real golfers play real tournaments and that’s just my opinion.
“That to me is more entertaining. But I understand that other people want something different and that’s totally fine as well.”
The Northern Irishman’s comments may be perceived as contradictory by some after the launch of the simulator TGL league in January.
Four-time major winner McIlroy is one of the founders, alongside golf legend Tiger Woods.
Hoffman also questions the recent emergence of Signature events and closed off fields in recent years on the tour.
He added: “The best competition happens when the best players go head-to-head in a deep, competitive field — not in small, limited-entry events that leave deserving players on the outside looking in.
“This Tour was built on open competition, where anyone with the game to compete has a chance to prove it against the best.
“That’s what has made our Tour special for generations, and we need to keep pushing for that.
“At the end of the year, only 100 of us will keep our cards. We all start the season at zero in the FedEx Cup Point standings, and every single one of us has the chance to be the FedEx Cup champion.
“Let’s come together, put on a great show for our fans by giving them the strongest competitions, and keep the PGA Tour moving in the right direction.”
