PGA Tour’s Schedule Shift Sparks Hot New Reality

Lucas Glover on the PGA Tour’s New Schedule and Its Challenges

Lucas Glover, a former U.S. Open champion, is preparing to join the PGA Tour’s Policy Board as a player director in 2027. However, he’s already deeply aware of the ongoing discussions about the new schedule that CEO Brian Rolapp recently announced. At last week’s Travelers Championship, Rolapp revealed sweeping changes that were approved by the membership. These changes are set to take effect in 2028.

The PGA Tour will implement a two-track system starting in 2028. Track 1, known as the Championship Series, will feature around 130 players competing for $20 million purses. Track 2, the Challenger Series, will include more players competing for purses of approximately $4 million. While the specific tournaments designated for each track are still being finalized, the changes have sparked significant debate among members of the PGA Tour.

One of the most contentious issues is the rule that players on the Championship Series will not be allowed to drop down and compete in Challenger Series events. Jordan Spieth has expressed concerns that this could create a “strange” situation where players who win Challenger Series events might not be able to defend their titles the following season after being promoted to Track 1.

Glover acknowledges that many players, including himself, would prefer to play in Track 2 events due to their location or personal connections to the tournaments. He mentioned that this topic was a hot discussion point during meetings with the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and the policy board.

Glover specifically pointed out several tournaments that have a large number of PGA Tour pros living in their areas. These include The Cognizant Classic (West Palm), the CJ Cup Byron Nelson (Dallas), the Charles Schwab Challenge (Fort Worth), and the WM Phoenix Open (Scottsdale). World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler makes the CJ Cup Byron Nelson an annual stop, while many PGA Tour stars used to regularly participate in the Cognizant Classic before the Signature Event model and schedule changes post-LIV’s arrival made it less appealing.

Glover and other professionals are willing to forgo playing in high-money Tier 1 events for the chance to play in meaningful Tier 2 events. However, after discussing with current board members and others within the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises, Glover understands that this reality is unlikely to happen due to the significant financial commitments from sponsors in Tier 1 events.

“I would choose to come here and play for less points and less money than a Track 1 event with more money and more points because, chances are, I’m going to do better here than there. I’m trying to win; I don’t care about the money,” Glover said. “Then it was explained to me commercially and what we’re going to be asking these sponsors to do, one compared to the other. It stinks, but it kind of made sense.”

The PGA Tour’s Schedule Changes: Pros and Cons

The PGA Tour is undergoing significant changes, and while there are both positive and negative aspects, the overall goal is to create a more structured and predictable environment for players.

The new schedule offers scheduled predictability, which is a major benefit for players. In the current structure, many players determine their schedules based on their priority rankings, leading to uncertainty about how many starts they will get. With the new system, over 200 players will know exactly how many starts they will have and when they will occur. They will either receive 21 stroke-play starts on the Championship Series or 20 on the Challenger Series.

While the changes bring some challenges, such as the prohibition of players from crossing between tracks, they also aim to create a more competitive product that is easier for fans, media, players, and sponsors to understand. Everyone involved will need to make compromises to help the Tour move forward, but the long-term benefits are expected to outweigh the short-term difficulties.

Glover has been a vocal critic of the Tour’s direction regarding elevated events, no-cut events, and fewer full-status members. However, he recognizes the vision of Rolapp and the Future Competitions Committee, led by Tiger Woods. He understands the changes even if he doesn’t agree with every aspect of them.

“People a lot smarter than me are making those decisions, but that was a huge, huge point of contention and discussion, but it’s just going to have to be the way it is,” Glover said about the rule preventing Track 1 players from competing in lower-tier events.

Change is difficult, but sometimes necessary. The PGA Tour is moving forward with its new schedule, and the changes are expected to take effect in 2028.