A new format for the Tour Championship is still a work in progress, but it appears the “starting strokes” setup that has been employed since 2019 – whereby players are given a head start with strokes under par based on their position in the FedEx Cup standings – is on the way out.
“I hope so. I think everybody involved wants that to be the case,” PGA Tour Policy Board member Adam Scott told Golfweek.
While not disclosing specifics on a new format, Scott added, “There’s a direction, but of course, the tour needs to speak to everybody involved – TV, sponsors, venue – and make sure they have a level of comfort like the players.” He also suggested changes may be phased in over the next two years, with this year’s tournament serving as a bridge to the 2026 edition. READ MORE
Ken Murray, Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It would have been easy for Rory McIlroy and his new green jacket to take a pass on playing the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his friend Shane Lowry last week despite being defending champions.
But McIlroy fulfilled his commitment despite the cold he picked up while traveling to London to see the under-construction house where he and his family will eventually live followed by a visit to Northern Ireland to celebrate his Masters victory with his parents and friends.
“I honestly could not be in a better place in my life professionally, personally, all of it,” McIlroy said at a press conference ahead of the Zurich tournament.
Since that Sunday afternoon when McIlroy hit his knees after holing the winning putt, bursting into tears at the magnitude of his accomplishment, the reaction has been gratifying.
“I spoke to two presidents the day after, which was pretty cool. Just people reaching out from all walks of life, whether it be sports, entertainment, culture. Just all of it,” McIlroy said. “People that you would never even think that would watch golf or would know what’s going on, that was very, very humbling, I guess.
“I think people can see themselves in the struggle at times, and everything that you sort of try to put into getting the best out of yourself in that journey. I think people watching someone finally get it done, something they’ve been trying to do for a decade plus, I think it resonated with a lot of people.” READ MORE
Wesley Bryan said he plans to appeal his PGA Tour suspension for participating in an LIV Golf social-media influencer event earlier this month.
“It’s been a difficult few weeks for us,” Bryan said in a YouTube video posted Wednesday in which he appears in a golf cart with his brother, George – his partner in the popular Bryan Bros Golf YouTube channel. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster for sure for everybody in this cart.”
PGA Tour rules state that members participating in an LIV-backed event face a one-year ban. But Bryan, winner of the PGA Tour’s 2017 RBC Heritage tournament, said he is appealing because the influencer event staged in conjunction with the LIV Miami tournament was not a regular LIV event.
“I don’t feel like when the rule was written, it was meant to cover content creation on YouTube,” he said. “I feel like it was meant to cover organized, professional, high-level golf events.” READ MORE
TGL is in advanced conversations to expand its number of teams and is looking deeply into adding a women’s version of the high-tech indoor golf league.
Speaking on a panel at the CAA World Congress of Sports last week, TMRW Sports co-founder and CEO Mike McCarley said nothing had been finalized but progress had been made on both fronts. Regarding expansion, he expressed being “pleasantly surprised” at the number of bidders and would likely “start with one [new team] and then it’ll grow from there.”
Joining McCarley on the panel was Alexis Ohanian, owner of TGL’s L.A. Golf Club and husband of tennis legend Serena Williams, who has advocated for a women’s league. “I’ve been bugging these guys about the LPGA deal for a minute,” Ohanian said. “They have been very interested. It’s just these things take time, and I’m not allowed to make any news.” READ MORE
Tap-Ins
England’s Marco Penge vaulted 54 places to third on the final Asian Swing ranking with his maiden DP World Tour victory at the Hainan Open, joining Japan’s Keita Nakajima and Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra in the top three of the four-event series. Each earns a spot in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow May 15-18. READ MORE
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will headline the field for this week’s PGA Tour event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. Scheffler is the only top-10 player in the 156-player field. READ MORE
The R&A is exploring the feasibility of staging another Open Championship at Turnberry and the infrastructure investment it would require to accommodate more spectators than it has in the past, chief executive Mark Darbon said. The R&A announced that a record attendance of 278,000 is expected for this year’s Open at Royal Portrush, while the last time the Open was at Turnberry in 2009, Darbon estimated 120,000 spectators attended. READ MORE
The DP World Tour will stage a new tournament in India in October. Co-sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India, the $4 million DP World India Championship is scheduled for Oct. 16-19 at Delhi Golf Club. READ MORE
Davis Love III returned to competition at the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Duluth, Georgia, last week, less than three months after undergoing open-heart surgery to repair a leaky valve. READ MORE
Two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal was named a vice captain for Europe’s 2025 Ryder Cup team. READ MORE
Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall and England’s Mel Reid were named vice captains for Europe’s 2026 Solheim Cup team. READ MORE
Zurich Insurance announced it will extend its title sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans through 2030. READ MORE
The Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic will debut on the PGA Tour Champions in fall 2026 at Lehigh Country Club in Allentown, Pennsylvania. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity