Alright, let’s talk about how I keep tabs on the Fortinet Championship field each year. It’s become a bit of a ritual for me, kinda signaling the real start of the wrap-around PGA Tour season, even though folks argue about when the season really starts.
So, my process isn’t anything fancy. Seriously. Usually, a week or two before the event, I start paying attention. I’ll check the usual spots online where they post tournament entries. You know, the official tour site is the main place, but I also skim through a couple of golf news pages I browse daily anyway. I don’t use spreadsheets or anything complicated. I mostly just scan the list.
Who I Look For First
First thing I do is look for the big names. Are any of the top guys starting their season here? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It tells you a bit about who’s eager to get going and who’s taking a longer break. It’s never packed like a major, obviously. You won’t see everyone from the top 50, that’s for sure. It feels more like a Tour-owned event, which it is, not like one of those global things everyone has to play.
Then, my main focus shifts. I spend more time looking at the other guys. This is where it gets interesting for me.
- The Korn Ferry Grads: This is huge. You see a ton of names you might recognize from the Korn Ferry Tour finals. These guys are hungry. They just earned their cards, and this is their first shot on the big stage for the season. I try to remember who finished strong last season on that tour.
- The Bubble Guys: You also get players who are trying to secure their status, maybe guys who just barely kept their cards or are playing on exemptions. They need good finishes right out of the gate.
- Past Winners/Specific Exemptions: Sometimes you see familiar faces who get in because they’ve won it before or through other specific ways.
What I’ve Noticed Over Time
Honestly, tracking this field showed me it’s a real mixed bag. It’s not like The Players Championship field, which has super strict criteria like the top players from the previous season’s points list or recent major winners. Fortinet feels more…fluid? You get established pros shaking off rust alongside rookies trying to make a splash.
It makes the tournament unpredictable, which I kind of like. It’s not always the established star who wins. A lot of times, one of those Korn Ferry guys plays lights out because they have everything to prove. I remember a couple of years back, I specifically followed a rookie I’d watched on the Korn Ferry Tour. Didn’t win, but seeing him make the cut and hold his own for a couple of days was cool. It felt like watching the very beginning of someone’s journey.
Why bother tracking this one specifically? For me, it’s partly habit, partly because I love seeing the new talent. It’s like the first look at the season’s new characters. It sets the stage. I get a feel for who’s starting strong, who might be a surprise later in the year. It’s less about predicting the winner and more about just seeing who showed up to play and why.
So yeah, that’s basically it. No secret sauce. Just checking the entry lists when they come out, seeing who catches my eye, and getting a feel for the mix of players. It’s my simple way to kick off watching the new PGA Tour season unfold.
