The 90th edition of the Masters saw Rory McIlroy win the Green Jacket.
But before Sunday’s dramatic final round, the golf industry gathered at Augusta National throughout tournament week was abuzz with chatter about what the remainder of the year will bring for the professional game.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp is targeting June 23 to deliver a public update on potential schedule changes being explored by the Future Competition Committee. That date is the Tuesday of the Travelers Championship just outside of Hartford, Conn., the tournament right after the U.S. Open.
Rolapp is planning on being at the Travelers to hold a press conference, detailing further developments since announcing six working themes around the PGA Tour’s future annual schedule and overall competitive makeup last month at the Players Championship.
While some Front Office Sports sources are expecting major news to come from the June briefing, Rolapp did admit last month that the most significant changes for the PGA Tour are likely to come in 2028, not next year. The PGA Tour typically announces the following season’s schedule at its Tour Championship in late August.
Bryson’s LIV Future
While LIV Golf leadership was no doubt disappointed to see Bryson DeChambeau miss the cut by two strokes at the Masters, the subpar performance from the league’s biggest star likely saved LIV at least a few dollars.
DeChambeau and LIV remain in discussions about a contract extension, as his five-year, $100 million-plus deal he signed in 2022 expires after this season.
Winning a third career major championship would give DeChambeau even more leverage in negotiations, and adding a Green Jacket would have been the biggest bargaining chip the two-time U.S. Open winner could have grabbed.
Amazon, ESPN in Focus
Amazon’s debut as a Masters broadcaster went smoothly—and may be a warning shot for ESPN, some sources opined to FOS.
Prime Video had two hours of exclusive streaming coverage of the first and second rounds, and featured group and hole coverage during the whole tournament, including a new stats and data-focused alternate feed called Inside Amen Corner.
“Prime Video’s commitment to golf was evident with Rory McIlroy’s documentary that debuted last week,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said before the Masters. “This film exemplifies Amazon’s dedication to bringing premium golf content to audiences worldwide, and we appreciate Rory’s commitment to this project. We look forward to a long relationship with Prime Video, along with continued partnership with CBS and ESPN.”
ESPN has been a Masters broadcast partner since 2008, when it took over early round coverage from USA Network. And while ESPN received criticism from fans for adding Jason Kelce to its Masters Par 3 Contest team, that telecast averaged 956,000 viewers Wednesday afternoon, which was up 52% from the 2025 event.
The Masters famously keeps its broadcast partners on perpetual one-year contracts, with Augusta National keeping tight control of the on-air presentations.
Ticketing Talk
After Augusta National continued its crackdown on the Masters ticket resale market this past week, attention now shifts to the tournament’s “offseason,” with even further restrictions expected to be put in place before the 2027 Masters, according to FOS sources.
Last year, many longtime Masters Series Badge holders had their annual buying privileges revoked, due to selling—or at least being suspected of selling—their tickets on the secondary market.
Would Augusta National ever launch its own official Masters ticker resale service to capitalize on and own the market? The move would be unprecedented for the club.
Meanwhile, scores of Masters patrons were once again out in full force at Augusta National all week. The tournament doesn’t release official attendance figures, but has long been assumed to allow between 40,000 and 50,000 fans on site each day.
This past week, there was a feeling among astute patrons and other industry observers that there may have been even more people on the grounds daily.
