Arnold Palmer Invitational leader sounds off on PGA Tour Signature Event distaste

Despite opening with a 5-under 67 at Bay Hill, first-round co-leader Justin Lower is not a fan of Signature Events.

Ironically, he made it into the field through the Aon Swing 5. This newly established metric totals the top FedEx Cup earners from the full-field events leading to each Signature Event.

As such, Lower’s third-place finish at the Mexico Open qualified him for Bay Hill this week.

“For the majority of the PGA tour, I don’t think [Signature Events are] more fun if I’m being honest, just with the points structure and everything from these events,” Lower said.

“I do know a lot of guys are unhappy with that. I will admit I am.”

The Arnold Palmer Invitational marks the fourth Signature Event of the 2024 season. These marquee events are designed to include the game’s top players and award them top dollars. Typically, only 70 players tee it up at Signature Events. Most of them lack 36-hole cuts, although that is not the case this week, despite the 69-man field. Only the top 50 players and ties will make the cut at Bay Hill.

Photo by Brian Spurlock/Getty Images

Still, no cuts ensure that the stars will play the weekend, much to the delight of television executives.

“The way the PGA Tour has it set up is you have to be playing very well, which is what the product is. For these events, you want the best players in the world playing at the same time,” Lower added.

“Whether you get in through sponsor’s exemption or Swing 5 or Next 10, you’re obviously playing pretty well. The sponsor’s exemptions have to go to PGA Tour members, which is nice. Hopefully, they’re playing well at the time, and they can take advantage of it, especially with the Next 10 and Swing 5.”

Along with the Aon Swing 5, the Aon Next 10 is another metric the PGA Tour established for the 2024 season.

The Aon Next 10 consists of the top 10 players, not already exempt, from the current FedExCup standings.

Signature Events also include the top 50 players from the prior year’s FedEx Cup standings, so anyone who qualified for the 2023 BMW Championship receives an invite into every Signature Event in 2024.

“I would be fine with 120 like the invitationals were. But I understand the want and need for it to get all the top guys together,” Lower reasoned.

“I feel like I’m slowly going through a rabbit hole right now, and I could talk about this for a while, but because it’s an ongoing subject, it is what it is, and I’m here, and I’m just trying to take advantage of it.”

Lower took full advantage of his opportunity, birdieing three of his final four holes to soar up the leaderboard and into a share of the lead with Hideki Matsuyama.

Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

“I putted well, which is nice. I hit some shots really close, which is always nice. Kind of hard to do around here, but the greens were a little more receptive than I thought they would be,” Lower said of his round.

“Just an overall solid day.”

If not for Lower’s strong play at the Mexico Open, he would have been up in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida, getting ready for THE PLAYERS. But luckily for him, things went his way at the Cognizant Classic, even though he missed the cut at PGA National.

He had earned enough points in Mexico, which allowed him to compete among the best this week.

But who knows, maybe Lower will continue his strong play and don the red cardigan sweater on Sunday evening.

That would be quite the story.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.