PGA Tour fans, we’re so back! It’s almost go time for the top golfers to hit the Bay Hill Golf Course. The 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational will feature Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele among other big names on the PGA Tour. But while they compete in the prestigious Signature event, there will be another set of players who will simultaneously tee off in Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rico Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational will be played from March 6-9, 2025. But why have Jay Monahan & Co. scheduled two tournaments at the same time? Is it a scheduling error or their new strategy to beat LIV Golf in TV ratings? Maybe the Tour’s history will give us a clue.
The clash of the PGA Tour events
The 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational is gonna be must-watch TV! With the best of the best, it is guaranteed to be an exciting contest and draw a lot of viewers. But then why are Jay Monahan & Co. risking hosting the Puerto Rico Open at the same time?
Well, the PGA Tour has had the tradition of hosting alternate events when not everyone can rank up to qualify for the Signature events. This gives others with a PGA Tour card the opportunity to continue competing and avoid missing out on vital FedEx Cup points. However, alternate events don’t include big prize money rewards or many FedEx Cup points. As per information provided on Golf Link, an alternate event only offers 300 points. The purse is also under $4 million.
However, a Signature event or major that is played during the same week gives the winner 700 or 750 FedEx Cup points respectively. Their purse value also ranges from $16.5 million to $20 million. This is what appeals to the top golfers on the Tour.
There are 4 alternate events played every year that coincide with a Signature tournament or a major. Apart from the Puerto Rico Open, the Corales Puntacana Championship, the Myrtle Beach Classic, and the Barracuda Championship. The Puntacana Championship is played in the same week as the RBC Heritage from April 17 – 20, 2025. The Myrtle Beach Classic will be played during the Wells Fargo Championship from May 8-11.
Lastly, the Barracuda Championship and the Open Championship are also played at the same time from July 17-20. Now, that we’re caught up, let’s see who might be making the trip to Puerto Rico from March 6-9, 2025.
Players not playing in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational
There are a few players who have received exemptions for the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Interestingly, one of them is Rafael Campos, who won’t be going back home to Puerto Rico to play in the alternate event. Other than him, Mackenzie Hughes, Min Woo Lee & Justin Rose have all received exemptions to play in the prestigious Signature event.
Shockingly, the famous golfers who didn’t get a ticket to the Bay Hill Golf Course are Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. It comes as a major shock considering both of them have been included in every other Signature tournament in 2025 so far. They might fly to the Caribbean Island to participate in the alternate event.
Interestingly, Spieth last participated in the tournament 12 years ago in 2013. A year after turning pro, the Dallas local finished at T2, 1 stroke behind the winner, Scott Brown. Brown is not a regular on the PGA Tour anymore. But he might also join Spieth in the field in Puerto Rico as this is one of the two events he played in 2024. Fowler has never played in the event. Defending champion, Brice Garrett might also make the field for the 2025 Puerto Rico Open.
Who else are you expecting to see in the 2025 Puerto Rico Open? Let us know in the comments section.
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