The PGA Tour released its 2026 schedule recently, and some of the Tour’s rank and file are not happy by what they saw.
One player who is rip-roaring mad is longtime Tour pro Robert Garrigus, who in an interview with Golfweek’s Adam Schupak, criticized the 2026 schedule apparently for its lack of opportunity for non-stars.
In the process, Jordan Spieth caught a stray from the 47-year-old Garrigus.
“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,” a fired-up Garrigus said to Schupak.
Why Some PGA Tour Veterans Are Frustrated by Schedule
The 2026 PGA Tour schedule looks a lot like the 2025 version with one notable tweak. The Tour added one more signature event, tournaments the Tour defines as “limited-field events offering increased purses and FedEx Cup points,” to the slate. The number of signature events goes from eight to nine in 2026 to facilitate a return to Trump Doral.
It’s not easy to qualify for those events, typically reserved for the top 70 players. What frustrates some players, like Garrigus, is that players are still afforded sponsor’s exemptions into those tournaments — even if they don’t meet the qualifications.
Take Spieth for example. He received five sponsor’s exemptions for signature events in 2025. The problem for other players, in addition to a lack of meritocracy, is Spieth still gets FedEx Cup points in those events. Those points get him more money, sure, but it also helps him qualify for the playoffs. If you get into the playoffs and make it through the first round, you’re qualified for all the signature events the following season.
Of course, players like Spieth probably will get sponsor’s exemptions for those tournaments anyway.
Rickie Fowler, another fan favorite who has struggled in recent years, also benefited from the system this year.
“Considering the narrow margin Fowler squeaked by to both get into the playoffs and then into the top 50,” The Fried Egg’s Joseph LaMagna wrote in August, “it is very difficult to argue that the sponsor invitations he received into signature events this year aren’t directly responsible for his pathway to signature events in 2026.”
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