Shriners Children’s Open gets date on 2023 calendar

The Shriners Children’s Open is officially on the 2023 calendar after the PGA Tour announced its revamped fall schedule on Wednesday.

TPC Summerlin will once again host the tournament Oct. 12-15 with an $8.9 million purse and a full 156-player field. But what the quality of that field will be remains a mystery.

PGA Tour officials have completely altered their schedule this season in large part in response to the massive purses offered by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The rapid changes caused the 2023 schedule to be released in chunks, with the seven tournament Fall Series the final piece of the puzzle.

“The re-imagining of our schedule, from the regular season with designated and full-field events to the FedEx Cup playoffs and culminating with the FedEx Cup Fall, creates distinct but connected chapters. Within this new framework, the FedEx Cup Fall is now more than ever an integral part of that compelling story,” said PGA Tour President Tyler Dennis.

The current regular season wraps up Aug. 6 at the Wyndham Championship, with the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings moving on to the playoffs, a three-tournament swing that concludes with the Tour Championship the final week of August. The 70 players that qualify for the playoffs will guarantee their playing status for the 2024 season.

FedEx Cup Fall will begin in mid-September with the new twist. Players ranked No. 51 and beyond will carry their FedEx Cup points from the regular season and the first playoff event and continue to accumulate points to finalize their eligibility for 2024. Players who finish between 51 and 125 at the end of FedEx Cup Fall in mid-November will have full status for 2024.

“There will be so much at stake, and more immediate payoffs, as opportunities are unlocked in the FedEx Cup Fall for the season to come,” Dennis said.

What this means for the Shriners and the six other Fall events is their fields will be loaded with those players fighting for their jobs. That group will include non-winners from the 2023 season, veterans trying to maintain status and young players trying to become exempt without having to go back to the Korn Ferry Tour or to qualifying tournaments.

The FedEx Cup Fall tournaments might also get some of the top-tier players to compete. Even though their status is secure, top players will be eligible and may want to continue to play in the fall to stay sharp and fulfill a need for competitive rounds.

Otherwise, they would have four months off between the Tour Championship in August and the start of the 2024 season in January.

For the Shriners, that could easily mean the return of defending champion Tom Kim, past champions Patrick Cantlay and Sungjae Im, and such stars as Max Homa, Hideki Matsuyama and Rickie Fowler who have made Las Vegas a regular stop on their schedules.

Dennis is certain that will be the case.

“Players have the chance to secure or improve their playing status and earn additional benefits for the following season, and we are confident a number of top performers will continue to support events that have traditionally fit into their respective schedules,” Dennis said.

These changes are part of the PGA Tour’s move to return its schedule to a calendar year. Since 2013, the Fall events have marked the start of a new season as part of a wraparound schedule.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. Reach him at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.