'I hate it': Erik van Rooyen is not a fan of PGA Tour signature events. He explains why
'I hate it': Erik van Rooyen is not a fan of PGA Tour signature events. He explains why
Erik van Rooyen planned to go home this week. Instead, he's heading to Philadelphia Cricket Club to compete in the Truist Championship, the sixth signature event on the PGA Tour's 2025 schedule.
He got in the field thanks to the Aon Swing 5, a category created to help those not in the signature events have a way to play their way in, which van Rooyen did Sunday with his runner-up finish to Scottie Scheffler at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas. He earned more than $1 million for his efforts at TPC Craig Ranch, but now he's in the field at Truist, formerly the Wells Fargo, where there's a $20 million purse.
What does van Rooyen think of the signature events and the Aon Swing 5?
"How honest do you want me to be? I hate it," he said Sunday.
"I strongly believe that the strongest fields are the ones with the most players in them. The guys on the PGA Tour are so good. It's so deep. I get that you've got the Scotties of the world, the Rorys of the world, and people want to see them, it's entertaining.
"Like the PGA Championship coming up, for example, I think it's the strongest field in the game, similar to The Players. I love competing, so selfishly I want to compete against those guys."
Van Rooyen isn't the only player to share that sentiment of signature events with limited fields aren't the best thing for the Tour. It has become a common theme in the signature event era, and next year with more fields shrinking in an effort to speed up play and fewer cards available, it's bound to be more of a discussion point as the year goes on.
He was asked a follow up whether he thought being able to play your way into event was a good thing, and he agreed 100 percent.
"I think good play needs to be rewarded," van Rooyen said. "That's part of why the PGA Tour is the greatest tour in the world. It's so deep, it's so strong.
"But I think Rory always says it, just play better."
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