Rory McIlroy finally arrived at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday after withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week due to back spasms.
McIlroy arrived on the property not long after PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp delivered his speech outlining some potential changes that could soon be implemented on the Tour.
Advertisement
Rolapp raised some eyebrows after the sheer extent of the proposed changes became clear.
And while McIlroy is not as involved behind the scenes of the PGA Tour as he used to be, he is still the face of the Tour, so to speak.
McIlroy is hopeful of competing at The Players this week and the PGA Tour chiefs will be desperate for him to tee it up on Thursday afternoon.
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
The five-time major champion is one of the PGA Tour’s most valuable commodities.
And with that in mind, it was very interesting to hear his response to Rolapp‘s comments on Wednesday.
Brian Rolapp’s proposed changes to the PGA Tour
Rolapp made the following statement at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday.
Advertisement
“While no decisions have been made, I want to walk you through six themes that are beginning to emerge,“ he said.
“This remains a work in progress, and it is by no means a baked cake. These are simply areas we are starting to see a meaningful consensus.
“Number one, as we look at the calendar, there is an emphasis on playing our season from late January to early September. In terms of overall structure, inclusive of the majors, THE PLAYERS, and the post-season, we are looking at roughly 21 to 26 tournaments on a first track of elevated events with the best players competing for higher purses.
“Let me break that down. Today we have eight Signature Events. We are effectively looking to at least double that number. Add the four majors, THE PLAYERS Championship, our post-season, and the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup, and you get to the 21- to 26-event range. To be clear, we will have a second track of PGA TOUR tournaments which will ladder up to those elevated events. I will touch on that shortly.
Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
“Number two, a key consideration has been establishing more consistent fields to the PGA TOUR. 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 consistently 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.
Advertisement
“Number three, 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 East Coast.
“Number four, we are also looking closely at where we play. Today the PGA TOUR competes in only four of the top 10 largest U.S. 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.
“As I mentioned earlier, our work is not just about those elevated 21 to 26 events, which brings me to number five. There has been a lot of discussion about scarcity. Ultimately, scarcity is not about the number of events we have, but rather scarcity is about making every event we have matter. This is why we are evaluating the role of promotion and relegation between these two tracks within our competitive model, an added element that we would bring to life in the second track of events I described earlier. 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.
“You see this work powerfully elsewhere, including in English football, where clubs move between the premier 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.
Advertisement
“Lastly, number six, we are exploring ways to enhance the post-season. We have heard from our fans and our partners, they want more drama. We are considering the potential integration of match play, either at the TOUR Championship or across the post-season as a whole, bringing win-or-go-home moments to the conclusion of our season.“
How Rory McIlroy feels about Brian Rolapp’s proposed PGA Tour changes
McIlroy was unsurprisingly asked what he thought of Rolapp’s comments on Wednesday.
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
“I spoke to Brian for about an hour,“ the Northern Irishman said.
“I was supposed to meet with Brian on Monday night up here, so I spoke to him for about an hour on the phone on Monday.
Advertisement
“So he just sort of took me through everything that he was going to say to you guys today.
“Yeah, I think it’s all — yeah, it’s all pretty positive. I think he’s got into this job and realized how difficult it is to turn this big ship around, and there’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen and a lot of opinions.
“So he’s obviously navigating that. But, yeah, I think what he said today was — it’s obviously a really good direction of where the TOUR should be going, I think.“
McIlroy is clearly on board with the new direction the PGA Tour is seemingly headed.
Now it’s up to Rolapp and co. to implement the changes correctly.
Read the full article here