I can generally be okay with the NFL having added a 17th game to the season back in 2021. It correlated with a reduction to three pre-season games. I am not a huge fan of the third wild-card team that was added back in the 2020 season – it created additional competitive tiers late in the season, though at the cost of postseason exclusivity.
There have been many rumors floating around about the NFL potentially moving to an 18-game season, adding a second bye week, and playing the Super Bowl on Presidents' Day weekend.
I like the idea, in general, as a second bye week paired with a Thursday night game would help alleviate some concerns about player safety.
The NFL, and to a lesser extent, college football, reigns supreme in the United States. I discussed here about how the PGA Tour goes dark when the football season starts. When the NFL and college football are finishing up, where is the PGA Tour playing its events? Hawaii – owing to the time difference, broadcast to hopefully happen after the games end.
With the aforementioned expansion of the NFL, what does that mean for the PGA Tour? Given the current PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp’s history with the NFL, one would expect a reaction.
If the NFL expands to an 18-game season, the PGA Tour will be forced to rethink not just its calendar, but its entire competitive structure.
One speculation: The PGA Tour schedule shrinks.
It sounds preposterous at first but becomes more plausible upon closer inspection. If the PGA Tour wants to avoid competing directly with football, waiting until after the Super Bowl means the PGA Tour season starts after President’s Day in February. While revamping for a later start to the season, the PGA Tour would be best served by restructuring in other ways.
At present, the Tour's regular season schedule is split into two parts: Signature Events + majors, and non-Signature Events + majors.
Combining The Players, Signature Events, and majors, there are 13 events in 2026 (14 if you include the Sentry that is not being played this year). That is almost an entire season for the top players – just add two other events to get to the magic number of 15.
There are 20 non-Signature Events in 2026 (twenty-one if you include the ISCO Championship taking place opposite the Scottish Open). For the PGA Tour members who have not earned a spot, or have fallen out of having a spot, in the Signature Events, that is a good selection of events to choose from.
So, what is the speculation exactly?
This would be a good time for the PGA Tour to formally create another Tour.
This structure would formally separate Signature Events from non-Signature Events. While we discuss it, let’s call them PGA Tour 1 and PGA Tour 2.
Brian Rolapp, and with his NFL background, could go ahead with the rumored post-Presidents' Day start of PGA Tour 1 and begin its season after the Super Bowl.
What would PGA Tour 1 look like if it started in 2027? Using current dates, below is my best guess.
- Torrey Pines – Feb. 15-21
- Pebble Beach – Feb. 22-28
- Bay Hill – Mar. 8-14
- The Players – Mar. 15-21
- The Masters – Apr. 5-11
- Hilton Head – Apr. 12-18
- Doral – Apr. 26-May 2
- Quail Hollow – May 3-9
- PGA Championship (Frisco, Texas) – May 17-23
- Memorial – May 31-June 6
- U.S. Open (Pebble Beach) – June 14-20
- Travelers – June 21-27
- Scottish Open – July 5-10
- The Open Championship (St. Andrews, Scotland) – July 11-18
- Canadian Open – Aug. 2-8
- FedEx Playoff #1 (Memphis, TN) – Aug. 9-15
- FedEx Playoff #2 (Jersey City, NJ) – Aug. 16-22
- Tour Championship (Atlanta, GA) – Aug. 23-29
- Ryder Cup (Limerick, Ireland) – Sept. 13-19
The top 100 PGA Tour players, playing PGA Tour 1, would surely like what they see here. Most events are paired with another nearby event, courses generally liked by players, and events with a prominent place in golf history.
PGA Tour 1 points (including the majors and The Players) are awarded at a higher scale than PGA Tour 2 events.
The Torrey Pines and Quail Hollow events are set to lose their Farmers Insurance and Wells Fargo sponsorships respectively after 2026, are possible issues to explore for Rolapp. With the Kapalua event set to go away, at least from PGA Tour 1, perhaps Sentry could be persuaded to pick up the sponsorship at Torrey Pines.
In this scenario, the Scottish Open could be well positioned to be elevated to PGA Tour 1 given its scheduling pairing with The Open Championship the next week. Whether Genesis or the DP World Tour would agree to play the Scottish Open on PGA Tour 1, would be a subject for discussion. Also, to add a last-chance event, similar to the Wyndham Championship currently, the RBC Canadian Open is elevated.
Alternatively, if Sentry were not interested in picking up an existing event’s sponsorship, perhaps a late July event could be added at SentryWorld Golf Club in Stevens Point, Wisconsin – a course Sentry owns and host of the 2023 U.S. Senior Open.
Regarding format, PGA Tour 1 would be limited to 90 eligible players. The top 70 qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and the bottom 30 are relegated to PGA Tour 2, plus players with other exemptions. Each event, besides the majors and the Players, is limited to 100 players. If spots are unfilled, players from PGA Tour 2 fill the spots – and those points count to their PGA Tour 2 standings.
So, what does PGA Tour 2 look like?
- Waialae – Jan. 11-17
- Palm Springs – Jan. 18-24
- TPC Scottsdale – Feb. 8-14
- PGA National – Mar. 1-7
- Puerto Rico – Mar. 8-14
- The Players – Mar. 15-21
- Innisbrook – Mar. 22-28
- Houston – Mar. 29-Apr. 4
- The Masters – Apr. 5-11
- TPC San Antonio – Apr. 19-25
- New Orleans – Apr. 29-May 3 (Sunday – Wednesday)
- Houston – May 10-16
- Colonial – May 17-23
- PGA Championship (Frisco, TX) – May 24-30
- Byron Nelson – June 7-13
- U.S. Open (Pebble Beach) – June 14-20
- TPC Deere Run – June 28 – July 4
- Louisville, KY – July 11-18
- The Open Championship (St. Andrews, Scotland) – July 11-18
- Minneapolis – July 19-25
- Detroit – July 26-Aug. 1
- Greensboro – Aug. 12-18 (Sunday – Wednesday)
- Asheville – Aug. 19-25 (Sunday – Wednesday)
- Ryder Cup (Limerick, Ireland) – Sept. 13-19
- Japan – Sept. 20-26
- Bermuda – Oct. 3-10
- Mexico Open – Oct. 18-25
- Austin – Nov. 1-7
- Sea Island – Nov. 8-14
The next 150 players are eligible for PGA Tour 2, plus potential exemptions. Events are 132 or 144 players, depending on the time of the season. Events that are less than full are filled by top Korn Ferry Tour players (whose points count on the Korn Ferry Tour standings), sponsor exemptions, and local PGA Professionals. PGA Tour 1 players may enter these events, and their results count toward PGA Tour 1 standings, but they may only play up to 3 such events a season and they do not ‘take away’ a spot from another player.
Points won are at a reduced scale than PGA Tour 1 events but a greater scale than Korn Ferry Tour events. Points won at The Players and the majors count to PGA Tour 2 standings.
In this scenario, the financial investment of potential sponsors is less, thus allowing more potential for a more complete and diverse set of events. If you want to be involved in the professional game, a PGA Tour 2 sponsorship gets eyes on you at a lower investment; a PGA Tour 1 event gets your name out there as well with the PGA Tour 1 players and additional media and viewers. Perhaps Farmers Insurance or Wells Fargo would be interested in a PGA Tour 2 event.
The top 30 players at the end of the season are promoted to PGA Tour 1. PGA Tour 2 the following season is the relegated 30 players from PGA Tour 1 season and the next 120 players from the PGA Tour 2 season. Players finishing below are relegated to Q-School or the Korn Ferry Tour.
Broadly speaking, the PGA Tour effectively gets larger: instead of 100 players, it becomes 250 players, plus Korn Ferry Tour members. The two tours can grow separately from each other while increasing events.
Television packages can be offered to additional networks and other media, to both increase how often the best players compete against each other and expand the overall product – including mid-week events.
What are some concerns?
How would a PGA Tour 1 player accept relegation to PGA Tour 2 after a so-so season (and not having an exemption)? Perhaps knowing that a few high finishes to start the PGA Tour 2 season could find you being added to an early season PGA Tour 1 event, would motivate the offseason prep.
Would a PGA Tour 1 player like the idea of having fewer events? Maybe, but they have the opportunity to add a PGA Tour 2 event – perhaps a hometown or event where a player got their first victory. Unlike LIV Golf, there is a clear path back to PGA Tour 1 for a relegated player.
But would LIV Golf attempt to swipe any relegated PGA Tour 1 player, especially if a big name has a down season without any other exemption? Given recent developments with Brooks Koepka and the Returning Member Program, would Rolapp feel the PGA Tour is in a position of strength or not?
How would the majors, Ryder Cup standings, and the Official Golf World Ranking view PGA Tour 2 events? Hopefully, the Masters would appreciate the continued quality of the PGA Tour 2 membership and still offer an invite to event winners.
The PGA Tour has proven that promotion and relegation – long a staple in European soccer – is workable. The Tour has been uneven with its balancing of the desires of its top players and the rank-and-file members. By splitting into two tiers – with clear opportunities to move up and down based on successes and failures – the Tour can effectively cater to the needs of more players.