Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick won the Zurich Classic on Sunday.
As a result of their win, Alex Fitzpatrick was granted exempt status on the PGA Tour through the 2028 season.
And the PGA Tour have received real criticism from many golf fans due to that rule. There have been suggestions that the rewards for winning the Zurich Classic are simply too lavish.
In addition to that, some golf fans have demanded that the PGA Tour cut the Zurich Classic from the schedule altogether.
Golf journalists Ryan Lavner and Rex Hoggard have claimed that it will be in the PGA Tour’s best interest to scrap the Zurich Classic.
The team event at TPC Louisiana is the fifth least-watched event on the PGA Tour schedule.
And with Brian Rolapp set to make sweeping changes from 2027 onwards, the Zurich Classic seems to be an event that is under threat.
With big changes incoming on the PGA Tour, the Zurich Classic definitely feels like a tournament that could be cut from the schedule.
Smylie Kaufman was speaking on the Smylie Show about the Zurich Classic and, more specifically, how it can be enhanced as a tournament.
“I just wonder. It’s like, okay, can we just do 36 holes of qualifying, like we do, have a cut, and instead of cutting it to 30 or so teams, let’s cut it to the top 16 teams,“ he said.
“And from there, we’re gonna have nine-hole matches.
“So right from the get-go, if you want to do best-ball on the first hole, and then even holes is alternate shot.
“I mean, just make it to where this is right from the get-go, you gotta bring your stuff, and it’s not a drawn-out 18-hole deal.“
Kaufman highlighted how the change in format that he suggested would get more fans watching the Zurich Classic immediately.
“So you now got your 16 teams and you just play match-play for nine-hole matches, and then maybe have that last match be an 18-hole match, where you do nine holes of best-ball and nine holes alternate shot, or whatever you want to do,“ he said.
“Or 18 holes of alternate shot, because that’s such a fun format.
“But when I was thinking about it, I was like, I tell you what, I would tune in on a Saturday, right from the get-go to watch match-play.
Smylie Kaufman makes a great point about how a change in format to match-play could save the Zurich Classic.