PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A few weeks ago, Tiger Woods watched from atop the hill encircling The Riviera Country Club’s 18th green as his tournament came to a thrilling conclusion. Max Homa, trying to win his hometown event in front of friends and family, watched in astonishment as his chip shot bounded toward the hole before bouncing out.

When Homa’s ball failed to fall, Jon Rahm was just two putts away from another victory, one that returned him to the top of the world ranking and extended his lead in the FedExCup.

As Rahm received the trophy from Woods, who hosts The Genesis Invitational at the course where he made his PGA TOUR debut, Homa was not far away, holding back tears. He rued a missed opportunity to win again in Los Angeles at the course where he grew up watching the PGA TOUR. History, drama and emotion all were intertwined, displaying pure competition at the finest.

This sort of scene is what PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan believes the PGA TOUR’s radically-transformed schedule will deliver more of in 2024 and beyond. The PGA TOUR announced last week that, beginning next year, eight Designated Events will be part of a new-look TOUR season, one that offers a dramatic interplay between golf’s stars and its ascendant talents.

The announcement of this new schedule, as well as a first quarter that has been defined by compelling competition and continued innovation, is why Commissioner Monahan declared the TOUR has a “tremendous amount of momentum” as THE PLAYERS Championship nears.

That momentum is the fruit of exciting duels between the TOUR’s top names, debut of Netflix’s “Full Swing” documentary and innovations such as the star-studded TGL, new broadcast features and a redesigned PGA TOUR app and website. A second season of “Full Swing,” which introduced the TOUR to Netflix’s more than 230 million viewers, was announced earlier Tuesday.

“It is a great time to be a PGA TOUR fan and a PGA TOUR player,” Commissioner Monahan said Tuesday.

First and foremost is the competition. This season has seen wins by top players like Rahm, Homa and Scottie Scheffler, as well as Chris Kirk’s emotional return to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2015 and the emergence of a new star in Kurt Kitayama, who earned his first PGA TOUR title last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

With this year serving as a bridge to a new era of PGA TOUR competition, the variety of storylines already in 2023 points to the potential of the new schedule.

“It truly is the best for everybody,” world No. 1 Jon Rahm said. “It's the best product for the PGA TOUR.”

The new competitive model meets fans’ demands to see the top stars compete against each other more often, but that isn’t its only benefit.

The biggest names competing against players climbing the TOUR’s meritocracy is a theme that has always been ingrained in the TOUR’s ethos, and this new format ensures that will continue.

“The stars of the future are the stars you don't even know exist yet,” said Commissioner Monahan. “This platform is going to produce them and identify them and bring them forward to compete in Full-Field events and to compete across the entire FedExCup schedule on the PGA TOUR.”

Tom Kim didn’t have a PGA TOUR card at the start of 2022 but still became the first player since Tiger Woods to win twice on TOUR before turning 21.

Kitayama, 30, competed on a myriad of tours before becoming a TOUR member last season. He finished runner-up three times in 2022 – to Rahm, McIlroy and Xander Schauffele – before beating a star-studded leaderboard last week at an iconic venue.

The success of this year’s Designated Events started with Rahm’s Sunday 63 to pass Collin Morikawa at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Rahm played a central role again at the WM Phoenix Open, but Scottie Scheffler was able to hold him off, successfully defending his title to regain the No. 1 ranking in the world.

The Genesis Invitational at The Riviera Country Club came down to Rahm and Homa. Rahm’s win allowed him to retake the No. 1 ranking from Scheffler.

Kitayma’s victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational illustrated how quickly players can play their way into golf’s elite circles. After starting 2022 ranked 250th in the world, he is now inside the top 20 of the world ranking and sixth in the FedExCup.

But the drama has not been limited to the Designated Events. Rahm also won at The American Express, but not until he held off rookie Davis Thompson on the dramatic closing holes at PGA West. Homa won the Farmers Insurance Open to continue his ascendance into the elite (he entered the world top 10 for the first time weeks later at The Genesis). Stars will continue to compete in the tournaments between Designated Events to remain competitive and visit beloved venues and cities.

Next year’s Designated Events will feature fields of 70-80 players with elevated purses and FedExCup points.

These events will consist of the top 50 in the prior year’s FedExCup, with additional opportunities for players to play their way into the fields, including a category for top performers in the events between Designated Events.

“At the heart of the changes announced is our effort to present the best possible PGA TOUR to our fans and provide maximum benefits for every PGA TOUR member across the board,” Commissioner Monahan said. “This is what fans want and this is what fans have been asking for.”

An exciting era in the PGA TOUR’s history is upon us.