PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolopp gave his first Players Championship Week news conference on March 11 and outlined intriguing but far from finalized possibilities for the Tour’s schedule beyond the 2026 season.
It includes more than doubling the number of Signature Events when, combined with golf’s four majors, The Players, the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, could bring together the world’s best players around two dozen times during the season.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolopp addresses a the media, tournament sponsors and Tour employees during a news conference on March 11 at the PGA Tour Global Home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
He also threw out the notion of contesting the season-ending Tour Championship in a match play format, starting the schedule in late January with an event that features prime time coverage on the East Coast and a second tier of PGA Tour events that will enable players to “ladder up” for what he called “the First Track” events.
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“No decisions have been made. … this remains a work in progress,” he said at the PGA Tour’s Global headquarters.
Rolopp also stopped short of declaring The Players, the PGA Tour’s marquee event, a major championship, despite the debate that was fueled by a Players Championship promotional video released in February that said, “March is going to be Major.”
“I’m not entirely sure how majors become majors,” he said. “But history is really interesting to study. I think what’s important [is] that’s not for us to decide. What is important is that this is a pretty special event and I think among the best events. Anyone you talk to, players, fans, partners say the same thing and I think that should be celebrated. “
Rolopp left the door slightly ajar for the Players to move from its March date under a new schedule.
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“I think we’re open to anything,” he said. “I think in our discussions, moving this tournament has not been part of it. It seems to work well here [in March]. I think we like it here. So while we are really operating with a blank sheet of paper, to date, we have not discussed moving the date of this tournament.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PGA Tour CEO Rolapp talks about schedule changes, Players as a ‘major’
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