PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has put the brakes on the growing push to elevate the Players Championship to major championship status, as he prioritizes finalizing the schedule and structural changes to the tour.
“We take a lot of pride in The Players, and with all the major talk, some may say even too much pride,” Rolapp said Wednesday in the opening remarks of his pre-tournament press conference. “Ultimately, that is not for us to decide.”
Debate over whether The Players should become a major championship—alongside The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship—has swirled since the PGA Tour early last month released a promotional video with the tagline “March Is Going to Be Major.” Players Championship executive director Lee Smith said the tour “wanted to start a conversation” about the tournament’s status.
“I’m not entirely sure how majors become majors,” Rolapp said. “The history is really interesting to study. There used to be more majors. There’s fewer majors. I think what’s important, 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 in golf.”
Beyond tradition, the Official World Golf Ranking awards 100 points for winning the four majors, and 80 for The Players—the most of any non-major event.
LIV Golf members are still eligible for the majors, which are not operated by the PGA Tour. They are not eligible for The Players, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
“That’s not a priority I’ve put on my list,” Rolapp said about allowing LIV members at The Players when asked by Front Office Sports. “That’s not something I’ve considered to date. There’s other priorities.”
Six-Step Plan
Rolapp revealed six themes that have emerged from the Tiger Woods–led Future Competition Committee he created in August and tasked with exploring potential changes to the PGA Tour’s annual schedule and overall competitive makeup.
- Season structure: Targeting a 21 to 26 tournament slate (including the majors) that “first track elevated events” played between late January and early September. The PGA Tour schedule in recent years has started in early January, this year holding events in 33 consecutive weeks (some with multiple overlapping tournaments).
- Consistent fields: Tournaments would have roughly 120 players and include a 36-hole cut. The eight $20 million signature events this year have fewer than 100 players and either no cut or a limited one.
- Open big: The PGA Tour wants to start the season at an iconic West Coast venue and play during primetime TV hours on the East Coast.
- Major markets: Evaluation of playing in cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., is ongoing.
- Promotion and relegation: Offering a clear pathway for players to ascend from a second track of PGA Tour events to the top level.
- Enhancing the postseason: The potential integration of match play is being considered for playoff events, either at the season-ending Tour Championship or even all postseason tournaments.
Rolapp said any “significant change” is likely to be implemented for the 2028 season. “Nothing has been finalized,” Rolapp said. “We are still doing our work and gathering input from our players, our partners, and other key stakeholders.”
Rolapp said he plans to hold another press conference at the Travelers Championship in late June to update the status of any schedule changes after a player policy board meeting earlier that month.
