Alex Fitzpatrick is making waves on the PGA Tour, fueled by a PGA Tour format that rewards consistency. His 20th-place FedEx Cup ranking proves that he has been enjoying the Signature Events.

In 2023, the PGA Tour started the Signature Events to combat LIV Golf. They brought the world’s best players together more often in limited-field, high-purse tournaments. Although it had many critics, Fitzpatrick is not one of them.

"I think there was probably a handful of people that had a problem with it, me not being one of them," he said to reporters on Saturday.

"Yeah, it's been amazing. It's a weird one because it's a great opportunity for you to get a lot of points and move up FedEx Cup rankings, but at the same time, if you don't play very well, you don't get many points," he added, via a transcript by ASAP Sports.

For Fitzpatrick, that balance has paid off—he's leveraged the format to climb the FedEx Cup standings.

Fitzpatrick's season started on the PGA Tour in New Orleans, when he and his older brother Matt won the Zurich Classic together on April 26, 2026.

It got him a PGA Tour card. As a non-member who entered the Zurich Classic on a sponsor's exemption, winning the event earned him a two-year Tour exemption through the end of the 2028 season.

It also punched his ticket into every remaining Signature Event of the 2026 season. He finished T9 at the Cadillac, 4th at the Truist, T6 at the Memorial, and T14 at the Travelers

He then finished T75 at the 2026 PGA Championship and T41 at the 2027 Players Championship.

Fitzpatrick is currently playing in this week's Travelers Championship. He is eyeing the Tour Championship to compete for the FedEx Cup title.

"So you still have really got to play well in order to move up the ranking system. It's been nice that I've played well on the right weeks and moved myself up and given myself a chance at hopefully trying to get inside the top 30 at the end of the year," he added.

But Not Everyone Is a Fan of This System

In 2026, there are eight Signature Events, each worth $20 million, with only three of them having cuts. That is why the format still has so many fans and so many critics at the same time.

Although there are players who have used these events to jump up the ladder, many more feel they have been pushed off it completely. The smaller fields, the no-cut structures, and the huge gaps in prize money have created a tour within a tour. 

Some very famous voices are not happy about it. 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover has been the loudest critic from day one.

"I've been on record as saying I was not a fan of these when they hatched the idea of them," Glover told Golf Monthly.

Glover also added, "I didn't like them then and I have been in most of them since they started and I still don't like them."

Erik van Rooyen has said much the same thing, only in a blunter way.

“How honest do you want me to be?” van Rooyen told Golf.com. “I hate it. 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."

The argument is fair. According to them, if the sport is supposed to reward merit, then more players should have more chances to earn their way in.

Do you think this PGA Tour format should continue? Please let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Koushik Biswas