The fans will understand all of this because we always do.
To get through all this new-look PGA Tour thingyou have to start at the starting point: The role of the tournament commissioner was to expand the playing opportunities for his membership. By statute and definition, that was the commissioner’s job. That’s how it was then.
Now the Tour has a CEO, Brian Rolappwhich in Hartford on Tuesday presented a new structure and vision. Rolapp’s job is to make money for the Tour’s investors (John Henry & Co.) and its shareholders (select PGA Tour players, past and present). The way to do that is to give our customers – golf fans of all stripes – what we want. With this in mind, tour guides will use this ancient mathematical formula developed by Archimedes and his friends:
👀 👀 👀 = $$$
So the starting point is to accept that this is a brand new day because it is. The starting point is to recognize that the PGA Tour was founded by golfers: Bob Goalby, Joe Dey (first commissioner, for five years), Jack Nicklaus, Deane Beman (second commissioner, for two decades). Brian Rolapp is not a golf guy. He is a boy of the eye. Tiger WoodsHis designated golf guy, and who introduced Rolapp in Tuesday’s press, is also a show-me-the-money guy. His guy showing me the money is his agent for a long time, Mark Steinbergcage and smart. Steinberg made a big bet early on that Tiger and his other clients — Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, maybe a few other Justins — would stay away from PIF money. Loyalty pays.
Here’s what makes sense, once you accept the above:
* A PGA Tour schedule with about two dozen events on it, including majors and (how does that work?) the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. One guess is that the Tour will find a way to pay players, beyond just a “payout.” Yes, it’s gross. Get over it.
* Fields in those 20 singles events with 120 players and a cut. That’s a good number and, given that a trio of elite pros take more than five hours to play 18 holes, these – should take under four – 120 is a good number. Also, you can meet 120 players.
*Relegation. As a concept, good. The word itself will have no footing in the culture of the game. It is a team sports term, football more specifically. When baseball players come and go, they are called up or demoted to the minors. The PGA Tour has a beautiful phrase embedded in its lifeblood, and it can be used here: Charter. You either have a card – PGA Tour playing privileges – or you don’t. You are trying to get a card. You are trying to retrieve your card. You are trying to hold your card. If American Express takes this as a branding opportunity, it will kill its appeal, but it will probably happen anyway.
*State I and Level II, as terms, are now buried; they are not mentioned in the tournament’s Tuesday press release. The terms used, Championship Series AND Challenge seriesare as attractive as the PGA Tour Champions for the Senior Tour. Just call the Championship Series by its historical name: The Tournament. To play it, you need a Tour Card. You could call the series for aspiring tour players the Driving Tour. Or the car ride. (Not everything needs to be capitalized. Consider iPhone and iPad.)
of Korn Ferry Tour gets a brief, vague mention in Tuesday’s press release. The challenge tour sounds like the Korn Ferry Tour. The Korn Ferry Tour was previously the Web.com Tour, the Nationwide Tour, the Buy.com Tour, the Nike Tour and the Hogan Tour. We are tired. A key component of the driving tour would be to make it a driving tours (powered by Avis!). That’s how the tour was done, guys driving. People love a road show. Driving Tour can be the place for real golf. It could be just as engaging as The Tour. If not more.
*The tournament final is scheduled to be a match play contest. This can be a big deal. The FedEx Playoffs have been a mess from the start – they never felt like anything other than a rich-get-richer cash grab. But if you’re going to play games at the end of the year, you might as well have it at the beginning. You’ve probably heard of the work being done by Committee to Revive Walter Hagen.
In short: the first major of the year, in late winter, becomes the PGA Championship, now combined with the AT&T – Pebble beach pro-am. Three rounds at Pebble. The winner gets a big check, the Bing Crosby medal, eternal consciousness. The top 16 players then advance to a weekend of match play Cypress Point Clubright down the road. Single elimination. Saturday morning and afternoon. Sunday morning and afternoon. The guy who goes 4-0 is your PGA Championship Champion, with all the rights and privileges heretofore, etc. Do you know why it works, or one of the reasons? You can figure it out, just like you can figure out match play.
Despite all these improvements, Rolapp’s presentation isn’t perfect. There are three obvious issues, from this seat at home:
*The explanatory press release does not mention any charitable giving. This is the foundation of the PGA Tour. This is how these events get their free labor power. That is, the volunteers.
*A card tournament player must be able to play other smaller events as desired. Good for everyone. Just say it.
*Say something about the way back to the Tour for his prodigal sons — or say there isn’t one. If you want a fourth, it all sounds very legalistic and bureaucratic. It’s a sport. It should be fun.
One last thing: Want to understand what the PGA Tour will look like in 2028 and beyond? Read my colleague Sean Zak, here and here on. Since Golf Channel’s Steve Sands was once the only person who understood the FedEx playoff, Zak is the only person or one of the few who can actually explain what Tiger and Steinberg and John Henry and Brian Rolapp are doing here. In time, it will all make sense. Because sport, in general, is a refuge in our lives, a place where we can go because everything makes sense. What makes sense here will have legs. You can reach it from the tour by car to the tour. You can get a card. All you have to do is play well. No grammar check needed.
