Our predictions for what will happen next in the ever-evolving landscape of men’s professional golf.
A genuine world tour
For too long North America has held a monopoly on the game, hoarding the world’s best players for up to 46 tournaments a year. The agreement by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to unify golf should be the catalyst to take the sport around the world.
LIV Golf and the PGA Tour can co-exist with different schedules across the calendar year. But let North America own the months of March, April, May and June. Give Australia, South-East Asia, Hawaii, the Middle East and South Africa the chance to run world-class tournaments in January and February when northern hemisphere courses are dormant. Allow Britain, Europe, Japan and Korea to have the months of July and August. – Rohan Clarke
New commissioner, Tiger Woods?
Nobody knows the make-up of this new-look tour, but one thing my ‘spidey senses’ are telling me is Tiger Woods is going to have an important non-playing role. Think about it: his playing career is deep on the back nine. His profile and influence inside the walls of Ponte Vedra and on the greater PGA Tour playing group is Churchillian. He’s basically been the de facto commissioner for some time now, with reports the 15-time major champion was helping the PGA Tour make many important decisions prior to the Saudi deal. What’s more, the Public Investment Fund would benefit handsomely by having the most marketable athlete in the sport’s history heading up its operations. This, of course, is assuming Greg Norman retains his current commissioner role on the LIV side of the equation and isn’t hand-picked to lead the new entity. How the two golf icons work together would make for a fascinating dynamic given their much-publicised rocky relationship. But as we’ve already seen, money trumps all. – Brad Clifton
No more FedEx Cup
Surely, the agreement to unify golf should see the demise of the FedEx Cup, a tedious snore-fest – the machinations of which nobody appears to understand. The PGA Tour had already decided to scrap its wrap-around season and revert to a calendar-year season in 2024. But what if a Tour Championship in August heralded a genuine end to the tour season? It would give top players the rest they desire. – R.C.
More co-sanctioning
When the “strategic alliance” between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour was first announced in 2022, only one event was co-sanctioned between the two leagues: the Scottish Open held the week before the Open Championship. But one co-sanctioned event doesn’t reflect the number of PGA Tour stars who regularly tee up in the other four tournaments within the European circuit’s premier Rolex Series. I believe the Abu Dhabi Championship, Dubai Desert Classic, and BMW PGA at Wentworth will be given PGA Tour co-sanctioning. I can’t see the other remaining Rolex Series event, the DP World Tour Championship finale also in Dubai, being co-sanctioned as the PGA Tour already has its own Tour Championship. – Evin Priest
Arrival of a legitimate F1 model
Rumours of LIV Golf’s teams model heading for the scrapheap is laughable. It could soon be golf’s new billion-dollar drawcard. Based on our first-hand account at LIV Golf Adelaide, the players love it, record merchandise sales suggest the fans have embraced it and, pretty soon, multinational companies are going to invest heavily in it. The only reason they haven’t up until now has been the make-up of the respective teams. The depth of field hasn’t quite been there for company ROI. That could be about to change with the merger, presumably, creating a free passage for players to bounce between traditional 72-hole tour events and the travelling roadshow of 54-hole team competition. Get ready for seeing Jon Rahm in a Fireballs hat alongside compatriot Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott rocking the Ripper GC polo with Cam Smith, and – wait for it – Smash GC’s Rory McIlroy teaming up with his neighbour in Jupiter, Florida, Brooks Koepka. Don’t laugh. – B.C.
Promotion and relegation
The September/October/November period could be used to identify who is a worthy recipient of PGA Tour and LIV Golf cards. The existing Korn Ferry Tour has become a gargantuan saddle on the back of the PGA Tour with 26 events spanning nine months. Why? To provide content for Golf Channel.
Give unsuccessful PGA Tour and LIV golfers the chance to regain their status in an eight-tournament swing. It would be much fairer than the lottery of a six-round qualifying school. Let them compete against the leading players from Australia Asia, Europe, Japan, South Africa and North America. These circuits should act as a feeder of elite talent onto a genuine world tour.
Allow storied national championships like the Australian Open or South African Open to be a part of this pathway. They have more tradition and credibility than the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. – R.C.
Welcome, “Lexi”
LIV Golf’s teams format, shotgun starts and penchant for shorts will survive in at least some capacity, but expect the 54-hole format to be forced up to 72 holes. Ergo, we bid goodbye to LIV and hello to LXXII, which instantly becomes known to all as “Lexi”. – Steve Keipert
Seniors, All Abilities and veterans
November and December used to be known as the ‘Silly Season’ of golf. Open a window to the best players over 50, 60, 70 and 80 years of age. Not just the ‘has-beens’ of the PGA Tour Champions. Once again, why is the PGA Tour funding 26 tournaments on Champions circuit? To provide content for Golf Channel.
Create new and interesting tournaments for All Abilities golfers and combat veterans injured by war. It would be great to showcase that golf is a game for life and playable for all ages. – R.C.
