"It just seems very fishy" - Anonymous PGA Tour Pro expresses strong disapproval of Webb Simpson and Peter Malnati

The PGA Tour's Pebble Beach Pro-Am is going to look very different this year. It's one of the Signature Events, which means it has a restricted field and higher talent pool. There are just 80 players in the event, and it's supposed to be the best of the best playing alongside one another.

It also has 700 FedEx Cup points at stake instead of the standard 500, so it's an important event. Based on the way it's set up, one golfer believes the field shouldn't have a few members that presently reside there.

Three of the four sponsor exemptions for the event were given to PGA Tour Policy Board members Peter Malnati, Webb Simpson, and Adam Scott. That hasn't slipped under the radar of many, who believe that's not a fair way to divvy up the exemptions and get spots in these events.

One anonymous pro golfer said via Golf Magic:

"Peter Malnati has zero business getting an invite into a Signature Event and Webb [Simpson] shouldn't really either. It just seems very fishy."

Another professional golfer also expressed his opinion anonymously. He said he's surprised that certain golfers couldn't get in, and he doesn't believe it's a good way of doing these events either:

"Now it's like, oh, no, winners are part of the Swing 5. That is allowing fewer players to qualify for these events. It's really disappointing that you're under the impression that if you play well, you're going to have the opportunity to get into one of these events and then you don't. If there are an extra two or three players in this field, who cares at this point? There's $20m in the purse."

It's safe to say a few people are seemingly not happy with this whatsoever.

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PGA Tour's new Signature Event rule ruffles feathers

The Aon Swing 5 plays a big role in the PGA Tour event's field as well. This category rewards players who have won at certain points of the season.

Recent winners Matthieu Pavon and Grayson Murray, plus Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Kevin Yu, and Stephen Jaeger are playing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this weekend through this category.

Matthieu Pavon is in the field for winning the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open.

The Swing 5 also consists of the top five FedEx Cup points earners from the last three full events, which are the Sony Open, The American Express, and the Farmers Insurance Open.

Golfers figured that they'd be in based on wins. That's true to a point, but the Swing 5 is a higher priority for those spots in the field than winning is, so it's a little more difficult.

The PGA Tour has said that this was designed to give players who are trending up in recent weeks a way into the field. It's supposed to give hot players who are in good form a shot at competing in something they otherwise probably wouldn't have.

That said, it's not the most popular change, and at least a couple of anonymous pro golfers have spoken out against what they feel is an unfair system with these Signature Events.