PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp has revealed a number of possible future changes to the circuit in a press conference ahead of THE PLAYERS Championship.
The 53-year-old, who took over from Jay Monahan as the circuit’s CEO in the summer of 2025, addressed the media on Wednesday at PGA TOUR HQ outlining how the circuit could evolve from 2028 onward in an effort to improve the experience for players and fans.
Rolapp focused on six key themes: number of events, field sizes, multiple tours, enhancing the postseason, starting seasons big, and bigger markets. However, Rolapp stressed in his opening statement that “no decisions have been made.”
Number of Events
“We are looking at roughly 21 to 26 tournaments on a first track of elevated events with the best players competing for higher purses,” Rolapp said.
“Today, we have eight signature events. We are effectively looking to at least double that number. Add the four majors, the Players Championship, our postseason, and the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup, and you get to the 21 to 26 event range. We will have a second track of PGA Tour tournaments, which will ladder up to those elevated events.”
Field Sizes
“A key consideration has been establishing more consistent fields to the PGA Tour,” Rolapp said. “This means moving away from small fields and no cut events. Our best events will have larger fields. Ideally, we are targeting something closer to 120 player fields with a cut that consistency matters.
“It helps fans know who they will see, and showcases who they want to see the most competitive players. It helps partners know what they’re investing in, and it helps players better understand the competitive landscape in their schedules, all while embracing meritocracy.”
Multiple Tours
“What we envision is a merit based system that leans into what makes professional golf so compelling, players earning their way to the top with every event having greater meaning,” he said.
“You see this work powerfully elsewhere, including an English football where clubs move between the Premier [League] and the Championship based on their performance, applying elements of that approach to the PGA Tour creates real consequence, lifting the competitive standard across the entire platform. For our members the message is pretty simple, play well and you earn the opportunity to compete in our biggest events and for more money.”
Enhancing the Postseason
“We are exploring ways to enhance the postseason,” Rolapp said. “We have heard from fans and partners that they want more drama. We are considering the potential integration of matchplay at either the Tour Championship or across the postseason as a whole, bringing ‘win or go home’ moments to the conclusion of our season.
“I can’t emphasise this enough – nothing has been finalised. We are still doing our work and gathering input from players, partners and stakeholders. No recommendations have gone to player boards. We expect to make more meaningful progress by the summer.”
Starting Seasons Big
“We want to open big with a marquee event at an iconic venue in the west, among other things allowing us to finish on network television in primetime on the West Coast,” he said.
Bigger Markets
“We are also looking closely at where we play today,” Rolapp said. “The PGA Tour competes in only four of the top 10 largest US media markets. That is an opportunity. We are evaluating markets like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Boston, and many others places where there is a strong fan demand for our sport and a chance to reach new fans.”