I will be very interested to see how the players react to this event being an "X" designated major instead of a regular major. The tour guidelines say that is what should happen here.
I doubt they will react at all. Top pros don't play for ratings. They play for titles, prestige, and cold hard cash.
USDGC has all 3. This unfortunately is another example of the PDGA not getting it, which has been a trend as of late. It seems like there's a bit of digging the heels in by our governing body - which to a point I understand, you don't just change on a whim - however it's pretty obvious at this point that the majority of their constituency supports the efforts of the PT and WT to grow the pro game and create a marketable product.
They're going to need to make a choice to concede some ground and work with the new reality, before they lose their remaining leverage completely. It has become abundantly clear that the biggest movers and shakers in the sport (with the notably silent exception of the DD crew, whom I predict will seize the opportunity and get closer to the PDGA), feel that the PDGA is no longer necessary to attract elite talent and fan viewership. The PDGA tier blessing doesn't carry nearly the weight it did even 5 years ago.
I've consistently said for my entire career in the media of this sport that the biggest problem is you can drive by a National Tour event and not even know anything special is going on. Until the PDGA properly addresses the symptoms of that problem, they're going to continually find themselves at odds with these other movements...and at least at this moment in time, the new movements are winning.