New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp’s first big swing was to announce the formation of a nine-member “future competition committee” to be chaired by Tiger Woods and populated by five other players and three advisors.
“The purpose of this committee is pretty simple – we’re going to design the best professional golf competitive model in the world for the benefit of PGA Tour fans, players and their partners,” Rolapp said. “It is aimed at a holistic relook of how we compete on the tour. That is inclusive of regular season, postseason and offseason. We’re going to focus on the evolution of our competitive model and the corresponding media products and sponsorship elements and model of the entire sport. The goal is not incremental change. The goal is significant change.”
Using Rolapp’s assigned guiding principles – parity, scarcity and simplicity – here are a few suggestions for the committee to consider as it “moves aggressively” toward building a new PGA Tour, utilizing Strategic Sports Group’s $1.5 billion investment:
1
Reduce the schedule to create a genuine premium. Something closer to 30 tournaments instead of 38 in the 34-week window from the start of January until the end of August might be a good target.
2
Have a cut in every tournament outside the playoffs and season-opening Sentry, increasing the number of players in signature events to offset schedule contraction.
3
Separate the regular season and postseason, utilizing the points to determine the FedEx Cup champion at the end of the regular season and determine top 70 qualifiers for the playoffs to crown the FedEx Tour champion. Make the first two playoff events about that week only with players who finish outside the top 50 or top 30 being eliminated. Introduces an “upset” element and creates the possibility of sudden-death playoffs to see who advances.
4
Move all three playoff events around a course rota, playing each one in a different region (it doesn’t have to be the same region for each event every year). A West Coast prime-time finish for the Tour Championship every other year at places like Chambers Bay, TPC Harding Park, Sahalee or Olympic would be optimal.
5
Adjust the days some tournaments are played, particularly early in the season, taking advantage of Hawaii and West Coast time zones to finish on Friday or Saturday nights when the NFL season is culminating.
6
Follow the sun but don’t be bound by West Coast and Florida swings in their current windows that were constructed when players drove from event to event.
7
Bring back an improved version of the World Golf Championships, partnering with the other tours (including LIV Golf) to enhance existing legacy national opens (Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Canada, Ireland/France/Spain, Japan/India/China) to create six exclusive “Champions League” style events with lucrative purses on every continent.
8
Bring back a world match-play event set in the Middle East in January that draws 19 players each from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf and the remaining seven spots for season-long champions from other significant tours (Asian, Australasian, Japan, Sunshine, Korn Ferry, HotelPlanner and PGA Tour Americas).
9
Whittle down the PGA Tour Champions if it’s a financial drain and direct the money to bolstering fall events and the Korn Ferry Tour to fortify and develop card holders. With the amount of money players are making these days, fewer of the marquee players will look to play competitive golf after they turn 50. Focus on the franchise.
10
Be creative. Generate interesting new stories to enhance the core product. Try a shot clock? Create a Ryder Cup-style event vs. LIV? Invest in the collegiate game via NIL to foster new talent? Expand direct pathways for the best amateur players? Create and stream Monday qualifiers into signature events? Just don’t sit still.
Compiled by Ron Green Jr. and Scott Michaux
Have a suggestion for the PGA Tour’s future competition committee? Global Golf Post would love to hear it. E-mail executive editor Mike Cullity and provide your full name, city, state and country of residence.