During the early days of Twitter, after being called the N-word about a dozen times in the span of a few hours, I decided to leave the platform. I can’t remember why I was called so many racial slurs in such a short period – day that ended in ‘Y’ perhaps? But it had happened many times before. This was the Wild West days of Twitter when there were fewer protections, and many women and people of color were targets.

Two city of Dallas police officers found former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett walking around a gated area near downtown and the arts district when they responded at about 6:15 a.m. on Jan. 29 to a suspicious person call at a town home on the morning he was arrested for public intoxication.

Bennett, who led Georgia to back-to-back national championships the past two seasons, was observed “walking further back in the gated area to hide behind a brick wall by a random (apartment) in attempt to possibly avoid (the arresting officers) detection,” according to the police incident report released to the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday.

On the day of the arrest, Dallas Police said they responded to reports of a man banging on doors.

The request for the incident report was made on the day that Bennett was arrested and charged with public intoxication but it was made public during the same week that Bennett is among more than 300 prospects that will take part in the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

Bennett was in Dallas to train for the combine where pro teams meet with NFL hopefuls and watch them work out.

According to the report, the officers announced themselves multiple times as Dallas police and called for Bennett to come from behind the wall with his hands visible. He complied and was placed in handcuffs due to Bennett attempting to hide from the officers.

Bennett identified himself and was unable to call his friend who police said he claimed lived at the location. He was unable to provide his friend’s address. Bennett did not have a cell phone on himself to call his friend, the report said.

He was observed with a strong odor of alcohol from his ‘breath and/or body,’ police said, and “if not arrested, could have potentially become a victim of a crime.”

A Dallas police sergeant responded to the call location due to the “high profile arrest.” The incident occurred at 3:13 a.m., according to the report. Police said Bennett entered a ‘sobering center’ so the charge was classified as diversion public intoxication.

Are you ready to see Kevin Durant in purple and orange?

The 13-time NBA All-Star is expected to make his debut on the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced on Tuesday. It will mark the first time Durant has played since injuring his knee nearly two months ago and being traded to the Suns earlier this month.

‘Been lookin forward to getting this opportunity to play again,’ Durant told reporters on Tuesday. ‘It’s been a long time. I was having fun out there before I got injured. So I’m looking forward to going out there and picking up where I left off.’

Durant was averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting  55.9% from the field and 37.6% from three as a member of the Brooklyn Nets before he went down with an MCL sprain against the Miami Heat on Jan. 8. 

The Suns traded Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks to the Nets, in addition to a pick swap in 2028, for Durant and T.J. Warren on Feb. 9.

Follow every game: Latest NBA Scores and Schedules

Durant said he’s feeling ‘great’ and hasn’t ‘felt pain in my knee in a couple weeks.’

‘I know it’s not going to be that smooth. I know it’s going to take me some time to get used to everything early on,’ he said. ‘As far as just having fun and getting lost in the game, I’m looking forward to doing that again.’

Durant will join Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul in the starting lineup. He said he’s been ‘getting to know all the guys on and off the floor’ since his arrival, adding that ‘getting comfortable with everybody has been key.’

The feeling is mutual. Booker called Durant’s anticipated debut ‘exciting.’ 

‘It’s something we’ve all been waiting on,’ Booker said. ‘We’ve got 20 games to get everybody acquainted. He’s one of those plug-in players that’s good in any system. He knows the game. He’s up to speed on all of our sets and how we play. I don’t know how much time he’s going to be out there, but I’m looking forward to it.’

Coach Monty Williams said he’s also looking forward to seeing Durant on the floor. 

‘You just want to see him out there with the team,’ Williams said. ‘Obviously, there’s excitement, there’s all the stuff that goes with it, but for me, it’s allowing him to blend and figure out things we do, but also learn from him based on his skill set and experience and IQ of the game. I think it’s a great opportunity for us to grow and the most important thing is to win the game.’

To the longtime and hyper-traditional observer, baseball played with a clock is senseless.

Yet early returns through 50 spring training exhibition games tell a different story about Major League Baseball’s pitch-clock implementation: It may create a game experience that makes perfect sense.

After four full days of Cactus and Grapefruit league games, MLB is ecstatic over an average game time of 2 hours, 39 minutes. That’s nearly 20 minutes off the 2:57 required to play a game through a similar sample through four days of 2022 spring training. By spring’s end, average time of game was 3 hours, a prelude to a 3:03 nine-inning regular season average.  

MACHADO: Padre’s new deal gives San Diego flexibility to add stars

An average nine-inning major league game has not been played in less than three hours since 2015. Eventually, commissioner Rob Manfred felt compelled to implement a clock that forces pitchers to deliver 15 seconds after receiving the ball from home plate (20 seconds with runners on) and batters to be engaged with the pitcher eight seconds before expiration. Ball and strike penalties are assessed for violations.

It is extreme and potentially harsh for a true thinking person’s game. So far, however, it may be a significant cure to a sport that can occasionally stultify.

Low scores = quick game

When was there no turning back from a pitch clock?

Well, 2021 probably clinched it: Batting average dropped to .244, its lowest mark since 1972, and time of a nine-inning game ballooned to a longest-ever 3:10. See, it was never the 11-10 games, the slugfests, or the extra-inning staring contests that were the problem.

No, it was the 2-1 game that nonetheless took 3 hours to complete that spurred MLB into crisis mode. And while the new shift rules should spur more action, cramming that into a tighter window will on its own feel more exciting.

And so far, games are lasting as long as a traditionalist might think they should.

The median time of game so far is 2:36, and 22 of the first 65 games were contested in 2:30 or quicker. But perhaps most encouraging were the games that did, in fact, take the lion’s share of an afternoon.

Of the 15 longest games (2:54 and up), eight included one team scoring double-digit runs.  And of the eight games lasting 3:03 or longer, all had at least 12 total runs scored.

In short: A longer game actually means more action.

‘I love it’

With the pitch-clock getting workshopped (guinea-pigged, a cynic might say) over parts of the minor leagues in the last decade, it was widely expected that rookies and younger players would adapt more easily to the rule change; most of them grew up in the game with the clock looming over their shoulder.

In certain quarters, this space included, the pitch clock’s biggest challenge figured to come from the saltiest, set-in-their-ways veterans chafing at being told to move it along, service time be damned.

“It totally changes the whole pitcher-hitter dynamic,” three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer said after his first outing on the clock.

Oh, boy. Here comes the airing of grievances.

“I love it.”

Say what?

Thing is, vets like Scherzer are as cagey as they are creatures of habit, and at 38, Scherzer is far from averse toward a tool that may aid and abet his desire to get hitters out.

“I can totally dictate pace,” he said.

Even after they were called for four pitch-clock violations in their spring opener, the veteran-laden Dodgers remained bullish on 2023’s rule changes. It was hard not to be, what with a 7-4 game taking just 2:21 to contest.

“I think they realized that it wasn’t as big of a deal as we talked about, which is a credit to them,” says Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Biggest tests ahead

Of course, it’s all fun and games when it’s just fake baseball played under the high skies of Florida and Arizona. The violations will almost certainly hit different once the games count.

And as for the “clock-off” tie that occurred between the Phillies and Braves, when the game ended on a pitch-clock violation by hitter Cal Conley after Atlanta scored three runs to tie the game?

“I don’t think this (rule) was intended for a game to end like that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters. “It’s a good thing that we’re starting (now) because you never know what might happen. That instance right there, it kind of shows you what could happen.”

The Phillies found a loophole, in a sense, when their catch remained standing – not in the rulebook – while their pitcher was ready to deliver at the eight-second mark, enough to spur a violation.

Others will surely be found, perhaps kept under wraps until the regular season. That might produce a less tranquil conclusion than the aftermath of the Braves-Phillies “clock-off.”

But at least the end will come quickly.  

Keenan Allen’s name has been mentioned as a possible salary-cap casualty this offseason, but Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco debunked those rumors on Wednesday.

‘Keenan Allen isn’t going anywhere,’ Telesco said to reporters at the NFL combine.

Telesco also gave Allen a ringing endorsement on NFL Network.

‘Keenan Allen, to me, he’s our Andre Reed. He’s our Charlie Joiner,’ Telesco said. ‘He’s an incredible football player. We have a great quarterback, we need weapons around him, there’s never been any thought of that.

‘He’s with us, between him, Mike Williams, and Josh Palmer, we think that’s a great three receivers for our quarterback,’ Telesco added. ‘We got Austin Ekeler at running back, we got an offensive line that can protect. So those are key weapons we need for our quarterback. We’re thrilled with Keenan.’

Telesco’s statements on Wednesday backed his stance on Allen at the Chargers’ end-of-the-year press conference in January.

‘Good players make money, and I would rather have a lot of good players on our roster than a lot of cap space,’ Telesco said on Jan. 19.

Why is Keenan Allen rumored to be a cut candidate?

Allen is due a base salary of $15.5 million next season. He carries a cap hit of $21.7 million in 2023. The Chargers would save over $14 million if they release the veteran wideout before June 1.

The Chargers are currently $20.3 million over the salary cap for next season, per Over The Cap.

Allen will also be 31 years old at the start of the 2023 season.

Keenan Allen’s 2022 season

In 2022, Allen had his least productive year since the 2016 season due to injuries. He had 66 catches, 752 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 10 games.

The 10-year wideout has compiled 796 receptions, 9,287 receiving yards and 52 touchdown catches in his career. He ranks second in Chargers history in catches.

Why Chargers should keep Keenan Allen

Allen’s been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL over the past several years. Since the start of the 2017 season, Allen ranks third in the NFL with 575 receptions. The five-time Pro Bowler is also regarded as one of the NFL’s best route runners.

The Chargers are in need of some speed from the wide receiver position, but Allen’s role as a slot receiver and possession receiver is vital in the team’s offense.

Telesco will have some tough decisions to make in an effort to manage the team’s salary cap, but releasing Allen makes the Chargers worse and gets rid of quarterback Justin Herbert’s top receiving target.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.

Each year, hundreds of NFL draft hopefuls attempt to impress future employers with a dazzling display of skill and athleticism at the NFL scouting combine.

Part track meet, part grammar school fitness test, the combine is a cog in the NFL draft’s evaluation machine. This is also often the first time key decision makers in the league get a first-hand look at the fresh talent. And, as the saying goes, first impressions matter.

Sometimes way too much.

What happens in said workouts on Lucas Oil Stadium’s artificial turf by athletes clad in shorts and T-shirts can seemingly overshadow what transpired on the field in actual pads and cleats the previous autumn.

This is a look at those prospects whose work in Indy might have factored a bit too much into their overall draft evaluation. What followed? Well, mistakes were made.

(Important note: Tony Mandarich only participated in the physical exam and drug test at the 1989 combine. At his workout at Michigan State, he reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds and bench pressed 225 pounds an astonishing 39 times. He famously parlayed that workout into becoming the No. 2 pick in the 1989 draft by the Green Bay Packers, but would go on to an undistinguished NFL career.)

10. Tim Tebow

Position: Quarterback Draft: 2010, Round 1, No. 25 overallSelected by: Denver Broncos

The lowdown: Tebow — one of the most decorated and famous college football players of all time — entered the NFL with one glaring question to answer: Could he throw a football? As in, throw it with speed and accuracy in the confines of a complex offensive system. Tebow didn’t go through quarterback position drills at the combine since he was working on a revamped throwing motion that he would unveil to great fanfare at Florida’s pro day later that spring. Instead, he put on a display of his athleticism and seemed to impress teams with his football acumen in private meetings. The Broncos were enamored enough to trade back into the first round of the 2010 draft to get him. He had a memorable season in 2011, during which he led Denver on a series of come-from-behind wins and engineered an overtime triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card game. However, in 2012 the Broncos traded Tebow to the New York Jets after signing Peyton Manning. He attempted just eight passes while with the Jets, and after failed preseason stints with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, Tebow turned his attention to television and becoming a pro baseball player — though he would make one more go of it in the NFL before being released by his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2021 preseason.

9. Tavon Austin

Position: Wide receiverDraft: 2013, Round 1, No. 8 overallSelected by: St. Louis Rams

The lowdown: At the 2013 combine, Austin ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash, second only to Marquise Goodwin, who was a two-time NCAA long jump champion and competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. With the days of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt in the rearview in St. Louis, the Rams were desperate to replenish their once-proud receiving corps. They traded up in the draft to pick Austin (and also selected Austin’s West Virginia teammate, receiver Stedman Bailey, in the third round). Austin played nine seasons in the NFL with four different teams. Only once in his career did he have more than 500 receiving yards. 

8. Stephen Hill

Position: Wide receiverDraft: 2012, Round 2, No. 43 overallSelected by: New York Jets

The lowdown: Hill played in an option offense while at Georgia Tech, so he jumped into the draft — doing so as an early entrant, as well — raw and inexperienced as a passing game component. What Hill did possess was speed. He had 4.36-second speed in the 40, and the Jets hoped that would open up their aerial attack. In his two seasons in New York, the team’s offense ranked 30th and 25th in total yards. Hill combined for 594 yards and four touchdowns in those two seasons, and his career was over in 2016.

7. Chris Henry

Position: Running backDraft: 2007, Round 2, No. 50 overallSelected by: Tennessee Titans

The lowdown: He posted less-than-impressive numbers during his four seasons at Arizona, never rushing for more than 600 yards in a year and only scoring nine touchdowns with a 3.3 yards-per-carry average. Still, a stellar combine workout — highlighted by a 4.4-second 40 time — can change minds quickly. Henry played in just 11 games — with no starts — in a four-year NFL career, rushing for 122 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

6. Aaron Curry

Position: LinebackerDraft: 2009, Round 1, No. 4 overallSelected by: Seattle Seahawks

The lowdown: He was considered an elite prospect heading into the combine. Curry solidified that lofty perch by running a 4.56-second 40 and posting a 37-inch vertical. The Wake Forest standout became the highest-selected linebacker since LaVar Arrington went No. 2 overall in the 2000 draft. Curry played in 30 games in his first two seasons but rarely made an impact. By 2011, his draft-bust status was nearly complete after he lost his starting job to K.J. Wright and was shipped to the Raiders in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Now, he’s molding the Steelers’ inside linebackers in his first role as an NFL position coach.

5. Darrius Heyward-Bey

Position: Wide receiverDraft: 2009, Round 1, No. 7 overallSelected by: Oakland Raiders

The lowdown: No team has been more romanced by prospects with blazing speed than the Raiders. Of the 14 players with the fastest 40 times at the combine since 2006, four were drafted by the Silver and Black (Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Tyvon Branch). Heyward-Bey was a relatively unspectacular prospect coming out of Maryland, where he decided to forgo his senior season. That move paid off handsomely. Heyward-Bey’s 4.3-second 40 time boosted his draft stock, and the Raiders picked him over more heralded receivers in Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin. Heyward-Bey lasted four seasons with the Raiders, collecting 11 touchdown passes and 2,071 yards receiving.

4. Mike Mamula

Position: Defensive end/LinebackerDraft: 1995, Round 1, No. 7 overallSelected by: Philadelphia Eagles

The lowdown: Mamula is the cautionary tale for putting too much stock in a combine performance. Turn back the clock to 1995, and it was rare that a draft prospect trained specifically for the combine’s drills. But such preparation paid off tremendously for Mamula, who had a 38½-inch vertical, ran a 40 that was extremely fast for his position (a reported 4.58 seconds) and had more bench press reps than the top offensive tackle in the draft (Tony Boselli). These numbers helped convince the Eagles to make an aggressive move to get Mamula, trading up five spots from No. 12 to No. 7 overall with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Five picks after the Eagles selected him, the Bucs took future Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.

3. Matt Jones

Position: Wide receiverDraft: 2005, Round 1, No. 21 overallSelected by: Jacksonville Jaguars

The lowdown: He played quarterback at Arkansas and even once held the Southeastern Conference’s record for rushing yards by a quarterback (later surpassed by Tebow). Jones’ athleticism prompted a position switch to help his draft status. At 6-6, he ran a sub-4.4 40. Mesmerized by a target with that enticing stature-and-speed combination, the Jags picked Jones, who was off the board six spots before the Atlanta Falcons took Roddy White and three selections before Aaron Rodgers fell to the Green Bay Packers. Jones lasted four seasons in Jacksonville, starting 15 games and catching 166 passes for 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 2009, Jacksonville had had enough of Jones’ off-field troubles and released him.

2. Troy Williamson

Position: Wide receiverDraft: 2005, Round 1, No. 7 overallSelected by: Minnesota Vikings

The lowdown: After trading Randy Moss to the Raiders, the Vikings were desperate to replicate that vertical threat in their offense. Williamson was fast (4.32-second 40), but he caught a bad case of the dropsies. He failed to hang on in Minnesota, lasting just three seasons and catching 79 passes (on 167 targets) for three touchdowns. He was unceremoniously shipped to the Jaguars in 2008 in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

1. Vernon Gholston

Position: Defensive endDraft: 2008, Round 1, No. 6 overallSelected by: New York Jets

The lowdown: He came out of Ohio State with all of the measurables that teams seek: size, speed, length, strength. But Gholston was raw and inexperienced. The 6-4, 258-pound physical specimen was impressive at the combine (4.67-second 40, 35½-inch vertical, 37 reps of 225 pounds on the bench), and New York was smitten, burning a top-10 selection on a player who would start just five games and record no sacks over three seasons with the team.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.

Tom Brady has accomplished some of the greatest athletic feats of our time. And now the seven-time Super Bowl champion is adding the 24 Hours of Le Mans to his resume.

Kind of.

Brady said on Wednesday that his Brady Brand will be a team sponsor for Hertz Team JOTA in a Twitter post where he tries out a race simulator and, let’s just say it’s a good thing he played football and wasn’t a racecar driver.

‘I got a new team,’ he said. ‘… When you think Brady, you obviously think speed.’

Maybe power. Maybe leadership. Maybe determination. But speed? Carry on.

‘It’s manual?’ he said in shock before virtually swerving all over the place in the Porsche 963 that the team will be taking to the endurance race. ‘… Everyone chill out. It’s my first day, alright?’

How is Tom Brady sponsoring Le Mans?

Brady Brand is the official apparel partner of newly-formed Hertz Team JOTA, which will participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and other races in the World Endurance Championship series. The company released a special edition collection to commemorate the partnership. Fans can purchase a black longsleeve T-shirt, hoodie or hat with red details.

‘The WEC is the ultimate test of endurance, focus, commitment, and teamwork, the same qualities that we continue to strive for in our relentless pursuit of greatness,’ the Brady Brand website said. ‘Fueled by a passion for excellence and pushing the limits of achievement, we’ve joined forces with some of the great leaders in their respective fields to form the ultimate racing team.’

“I have been a big fan of motor racing for a long time, and for BRADY to now be a part of Hertz Team JOTA as the future of motorsport apparel and design is an incredibly exciting opportunity,” Brady said in a statement. “We’re all looking forward to competing at the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours later this year.”

The former quarterback founded Brady Brand in 2021 and has worn the products himself, including a t-shirt that featured a photo of him as a child. Brady Brand sells T-shirts, sweats, pants, underwear and accessories and is now available on Amazon.

What is the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is celebrating its 100th year this season. It is an endurance race where a team of three drivers rotate driving a hypercar for a full day around the Circuit de la Sarthe in the South of France. Speeds can get as high as 180 miles per hour. The winner is the team that has driven the most distance at the end of the 24-hour period.

António Félix da Costa, Will Stevens and Yifei Ye, all of whom have raced in the event previously, will be Hertz Team JOTA’s drivers for the centenary. It will be held June 10-11.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is part of the World Endurance Championship, which starts March 17 at the 1000 Miles of Sebring where Hertz Team JOTA will make its debut.

The race is considered part of the motorsport triple crown, which includes the Indianapolis 500 and Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix.

What are Tom Brady’s ties to motorsport?

Brady is friends with seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton. The two hung out ahead of the Miami Grand Prix last year and have expressed mutual appreciation for the excellence they’ve exhibited in their respective sports.

NASCAR also paid homage to Brady in its Super Bowl ad this year when Jeff Gordon teased the return of a ‘seven-time champion who retired, a lot of you may know him as the GOAT. Well, he’s coming back to Florida for one more go at it.’

The build-up was hinting at Brady unretiring yet again for a fourth season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the plot twist was that the ad was actually referring to Jimmie Johnson returning to the Daytona 500.

Orlando Pride players no longer have to worry their uniforms will be a giveaway to when they’re getting their periods. 

The Pride announced Tuesday that its secondary uniform will now have dark shorts rather than the white of previous years. The club is the first NWSL team to make the change for period concerns, though several in Europe have already done so. 

The Pride also said all of its girls teams will wear dark shorts for both training and games. 

‘The reasons behind not wanting to wear white shorts are clear, but it is unfortunately something that hasn’t been addressed until recently,” Pride midfielder Erika Tymrak said in the statement announcing the change. “I think it’s a big step for us as a club to make players feel comfortable and allow us to focus solely on competing.’

What’s the problem with white shorts?

Almost every woman has had the experience of getting her period unexpectedly or having such a heavy period that menstrual blood leaks through her clothes. While women getting periods is a natural fact of life, it’s embarrassing to walk around with a telltale red or brown splotch on your clothes advertising it to the world. 

‘It is very nice to have an all-white kit but sometimes it’s not practical when it’s the time of the month,’ England forward Beth Mead said last year, referring to the Three Lionesses’ uniform at the 2022 European championship.

The fear of the world knowing your biological business can also contribute to girls giving up sports. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, girls are dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14. By age 17, 51% of girls will have quit sports, according to a survey by Always. 

Those numbers are significant because research has shown that girls who play sports are healthier, less likely to use drugs and alcohol or be sexually active. They also do better in school and in their professional careers. 

A 2015 survey by Ernst and Young and ESPNW found that 94 percent of female corporate executives had played sports. The same study found that wages of women who played sports were 7 percent higher than women who didn’t.

‘We must remove the stigma involved in discussing the health issues impacting women and menstruating non-binary and trans athletes if we want to maximize performance and increase accessibility to sport,’ said Haley Carter, the Pride’s VP of soccer operations and general manager. 

Will this be a trend in women’s sports?

Probably. Women athletes are becoming more open in talking about periods and the impact they have on their athletic careers. They’re also pushing harder to remove anything that interferes with their ability to play and compete. 

Mead said the England players took their concerns about their white uniforms to Nike. Manchester City announced last October that its women’s team would no longer wear white shorts, following a handful of other, lesser-profile teams in the United Kingdom. 

And Wimbledon said in November it would relax its strict rule on all-white clothing and allow female players to wear colored undershorts. 

“It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety,’ Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Club, said at the time.

The PGA Tour is making some significant changes.

The organization’s board on Tuesday ratified tweaks to the 2024 schedule that will see certain designated events have a reduced field as well as the elimination of the cut halfway through the event, after the first two rounds. The fields will be reduced at the designated events to between 70 and 78 players.

These changes will not apply to the Tour’s marquee events such as majors, FedEx Cup tournament events and the Players Championship.

Typically, after the first two rounds of a PGA Tour event, which consist of 36 holes, a halfway cut eliminates the lowest-scoring players from competition in the final two rounds of the event.

The PGA Tour hasn’t made the changes public yet, though details were confirmed by Golfweek, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

Why did the PGA Tour opt to make these tweaks to the 2024 schedule?

As LIV Golf continues to fight for market share in professional golf, the PGA Tour’s response has been to launch these designated events, to entice the Tour’s top golfers to stay and not defect to the Saudi-backed startup that is in its second season. The minimum purse at each of the designated events is $20 million.

Which PGA Tour players will be eligible for these designated events in 2024?

The Top 50 players who qualify for the BMW Championship from the prior season’s FedEx Cup playoffs, the top 10 players not otherwise eligible in the current season’s FedEx Cup points race and five spots earned through performance in non-designated events will make up the fields at these designated events. Additionally, any player who wins an event on the Tour will be eligible for each designated event in the 2024 season.

A player’s standing in the Official World Golf Ranking will also be factored in for participation at the designated events, intending to accommodate top players who may have missed time due to injury or other issues.