PGA Tour officer WALKS OUT before start of FedEx Cup Playoffs!

Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and co. were informed on Tuesday that PGA Tour Chief Tournaments & Competitions Officer Andy Pazder has resigned ahead of the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs in Memphis this week. 

The news was first reported by Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard, who is very often the first to break all the latest news from the circuit. 

Pazder's resignation comes on the same day the 2024 PGA Tour schedule was unveiled, featuring a Tiger Woods twist. 

There were some interesting nuggets to come out of the 2024 schedule, including:

• Of the 36 events in the FedEx Cup regular season, eight of them will be given 'signature' status. The bumper prize purse tournaments were created amid unprecedented disruption from LIV Golf. They were previously called 'elevated' before being referred to as 'PGA Tour designated'. The signature events will feature prize purses of $20m and limited fields
• Tiger Woods' Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village, will retain a 36-hole cut, with the winner receiving an extra 2% of the standard 18% payout. That means the champion of these tournaments will take home $4m. 
• The FedEx Cup champion will receive $25m, up from $18m. 

It is understood Tyler Dennis will now assume Pazder's role by overseeing all future PGA Tour events. 

No reasons have yet come to light as to why Pazder has resigned from his lead competitions role at the PGA Tour.

Pazder has worked for the PGA Tour for just shy of 35 years, overseeing a number of different roles in his career. 

He served as senior vice president of tournament administration for the Tour, Champions Tour and Korn Ferry Tour in 2007, before being named executive vice president and chief of operations for the PGA Tour in 2010. 

Pazder then progressed into the chief tournaments & competitions officer role. 

There will no doubt be more to follow on Pazder's resignation following today's PGA Tour players meeting, which takes place at 4pm local time in Memphis ahead of this week's FedEx Cup St Jude Championship, the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

PGA Tour players informed via e-mail that Andy Pazder, the circuit's Chief Tournaments & Competitions Officer, has resigned. "Tyler Dennis will assume Andy’s responsibilities, overseeing our tournaments and competitions," the memo read. Player meeting set for 4 pm in Memphis.

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) August 8, 2023

Golf Channel's Hoggard tweeted: 

Pazder's exit comes two months after the North America circuit confirmed a merger with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which currently bankrolls LIV Golf.

He is the second PGA Tour executive to resign in the past month. Former AT&T chairman Randall Stephenson resigned from his position as an independent director on the PGA Tour's policy board on July 9 due to concerns about the circuit's shock merger with Saudi Arabia.

A number of star names are now said to be "done" with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan due to the merger. 

But Jon Rahm confirmed today he remains content with Monahan, at least for now. 

That was after he spoke about the importance of Port-a-Pottys at PGA Tour events, and his wife remembering to bring the sandwiches. 

Woods last month joined Rory McIlroy, Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati as players on the PGA Tour's policy board.

With now half of the 12-seat board backed by PGA Tour pros, it means the players finally have full control and a final say on all future matters on the PGA Tour. 

It's also a potentially huge moment in light of Monahan's deal with Yasir Al-Rumayyan's PIF. 

Mickelson praised Woods on his decision. 

Related: Tiger Woods officially breaks his silence with huge PGA Tour update

More to follow...