The PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica merge to form a single circuit called the PGA Tour Americas. It will have a season divided by two swings – South America and the Great White North – which offer no fewer than 10 locations on the Korn Ferry Tour.
“We talk all the time about wanting to identify and provide access to the best players in the world,” said Alex Baldwin, President of the Korn Ferry Tour who now oversees all routes to the PGA Tour – PGA Tour Americas, PGA Tour University. And Q-school.
“It’s a very competitive environment,” she said. “We have a great opportunity to bring the best of these two Tours together.”
The schedule of 16 tournaments for both regions in 2024 that will run from February to September, and the size of the purses, have yet to be decided.
The fields will be filled by the leading 60 players from this year’s PGA Tour Latinoamerica and from the PGA Tour Canada season. Other locations will be available during the early stages of Q-school this fall.
The Latin American Swing Race will run from February to May, and the top 60 players will have a placement in the North American Swing.
Before the second swing begins, the PGA Tour Americas will have another Q School. These alumni will advance alongside numbers 6-20 of a PGA Tour university. The rest of the fields will be populated with open qualifications, sponsor exemptions, and others in the priority list.
The cumulative score list for both swings will determine which 10 players advance to the Korn Ferry Tour. Also, the top 3 finishers from Latin America and the top 3 finishers from Canada will receive conditional status, provided they do not finish among the top 10 overall.
The conditional means that they are excluded from the Korn Ferry tour during the first amendment to the priority list.
These fifteen players will also be exempt from the final stage of Q-school – five cards on display for the PGA Tour – and the next dozen or so will go straight to stage two.
The Canadian tour has been the most popular venue of Proof over the decades and has been a springboard for the likes of Mike Weir, Stricker and Mackenzie Hughes. The PGA Tour took over both tours in 2012, and now it’s bringing them together as one starting in 2024.
“The ecosystem is expanding, but we are creating opportunities,” Baldwin said. “Every time you play for something, it’s part of your growth, your development, and your experience to get you to compete at a high level.”