So far, no one dislikes the idea. At least no one said so publicly.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp shared details on Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club of a dramatic change to the playoffs beginning in 2028 as part of its plans for a new bifurcated schedule featuring upper and lower tiers of competitors playing for commensurately different purse sizes. The Championship Series of 120 players is where the biggest action is, with $20 million purses and culminating in a two-week run of match play that determines the winner of the Tour Championship.
The revamped concept begins with a 90-player stroke-play championship, followed by two weeks of match play. The first week will feature the top 32 players from the season-long standings in eight round-robin groups at one venue. The top two from each group advance to a final event at another course.
Reaction to the rollout of this news was largely positive across the board. The match play is different, which right off is considered a pleasing development. It can be played on classic courses, even those of modest yardage because of the match-play format. Similarly, these events wouldn’t necessarily requite a big footprint and buildout for large galleries, though it’s the tour, which probably wouldn’t mind healthy ticket sales to tweak the old bottom line.
“This is new and exciting, and from a playing standpoint, I hope it’s going to be a really fun end to what’s going to be a tough season of golf,” said Australian veteran Adam Scott, who serves on the PGA Tour Policy Board. “I think also, too, more from the commercial side of things, I think there’s a lot of flexibility with this format moving forward, and it can adapt and hopefully thrive to whatever conditions we face in the future.
“I feel like there’s a real opportunity for people to kind of buy in over a two-week period and grow as the tournament carries on,” he said. “I’ll be interested to see if that happens or if that’s not the case. As we see with World Cup football or other events that are longer, there’s a chance for it to really develop and it’s not over so quickly. I think that’ll be interesting, and I think it could work well for the Tour Championship, which should be an important event on our schedule.”
Chances are it will be important if the money is right. And you know it will be. But as two-time reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy notes, “Something only has meaning because of the meaning that you place on it, right?”
Here are some reactions to the proposed new Tour Championship plan, starting with Scott, who was part of the process of determining the direction the tour chose to go and shared some backroom details.
“For me, yeah, it evolved a lot. I’m guessing, but there’s 12 or 16 people sitting around those committee meetings. There’s lots of opinions, lots of different stop points with their own beliefs. They all can be right as well. But you can’t necessarily fit them all into a model, let’s say. If this isn’t exactly what I would have drawn up if it was left to Adam, I think it’s a better version than what I would have drawn up. I learned a lot listening to the different partners that are deeply involved in the tour that want to stay deeply involved in the tour and what’s important to them. But, ultimately, from a player point of view, I hate to call it a compromise, but I think we’ve got the best of both worlds here.”
Scott, soon to play in his 12th Presidents Cup, also identified an ancillary benefit.
“I really evolved my thinking about match play for this time of year, and I have nothing to add other than it’s almost like a month of match play with a Cup afterwards, whether it’s a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. I think it’s a fitting time for it. I think it could be interesting matches over two weeks leading into the big cups. I think it only benefits both events.”
Of course, leave it to McIlroy to poke at least one hole in the concept.
“The first week will be great trying to get into that top 16, and then the second week, I think for me, one thing I said to Brian is you really want to win a few matches in that second week. It’s going to be hard for some guys to be playing match play and playing for 14th position or whatever it is.”
That being said, Rory is happy for the fans.
“I think the PGA TOUR and the Future Competition Committee and Brian and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is match play. It’s certainly different. Two weeks, two different venues. But it’s cool. I think they’ve taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it.
“I think all the incentives are there, and the regular-season champion is going to be adequately rewarded after that final stroke-play event, and then the Tour Championship match play is going to be completely different. I think it’s sort of a departure from what we’ve had the last few years, but I do think it’ll be a great thing.”
The PGA Tour had NASCAR in mind when it created the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2007. Wyndham Clark thinks it has leaned into another country club sport now.
“I think the Tour Championship maybe the last few years is just … I don’t know, I don’t think it’s been right. I think going to new venues is going to be, I think, great for the fans, great for us, especially iconic ones. If we really do go to the Cypress Points and the Pine Valleys and these places that I’d say the majority of people have never seen or gotten to go to, I think will be amazing.
“The two-week thing kind of reminds me of a major in tennis, and it’s kind of fun. Those guys spend two weeks at Wimbledon, and that’s what it is. It’s unique to golf and new to it, but I think over time people will accept it and like it a lot.”
[Photo: Tracy Wilcox]
Or, says Alex Fitpatrick, we’re encroaching on football? The other football.
“I’m a massive fan of football … well, soccer for you guys. But obviously the World Cup has that group stage, and then you keep playing until you have a winner. I think it’s a good take on the game, and it’s different than the regular season. I think it provides like an end-of-year fun—especially for the viewers at home, I think it provides something different, and that’s super exciting.”
Of course, anything might be better than the previous iterations, Scott pointed out, having the final word.
“Ultimately, the players really need to enjoy the event, and hopefully there’s less critique of it over the next 17 years than there has been of this.”
