Don’t get me wrong. Several decisions have already been made regarding the 2027 PGA Tour schedule.
Some decisions had to be made. Tour events, especially early season tournaments, require some knowledge of the dates to ensure that contracts are signed, hotel venues are lined up, and participating local sponsors understand when the tournament will be held and what the sponsorship costs will be. The PGA Tour couldn’t wait until, say, June to tell February tournaments that they would actually be held in February instead of March.
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As the world waits for more information to be announced next week at The Players Championship in Florida, the proposed cuts to the sport have disappointing consequences. Tournaments are pitted against each other, much like college basketball teams trying to qualify for the 68-team NCAA March Madness bracket.
Who is better at this aspect of the game and who is better at that aspect of the game? Tournaments that shouldn’t really be compared to each other are actually being compared by fans, the media, and of course some people at PGA Tour headquarters.
So what are the intangibles that tournaments are being compared to these days? Here are some things to consider:
Field quality is important
The whole idea of a smaller, leaner PGA Tour is to have the best players play in the same tournaments more often. Therefore, tournaments that already attract a lot of good players may have an advantage over tournaments that traditionally struggle for players. American Express is in five of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings and would have been in six of the top 10 if Justin Thomas was healthy enough to play. By comparison, Cognizant Classic only had one spot in the top 30 before several big-name players left. Part of that will depend on the PGA Tour schedule and where Cognizant ranks among its signature events. If it’s a contest, which tournament will win?
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Golf course situation
Year after year, players rave about the condition of the greens at American Express’ three golf courses, especially La Quinta Country Club. This is not necessarily the case in some tournaments. Although the grass is in good condition at Cognizant this week, some players claim that the overseeding of Bermuda’s home base with ryegrass has made the course too easy. This is the same overseeding used at Coachella Valley courses, but at PGA West, the Bermuda grass in rough areas is not overseeded and is forced into a dormant state. Is it a fair comparison? Probably not.
weather
If it rains during the tournament, will points be deducted from my final score? Pebble Beach had rough weather this year with rain and strong winds. But that’s not unusual on the Monterey Peninsula this time of year, and the iconic Pebble Beach doesn’t have to worry about being demoted from tours. American Express had four days of perfect weather, but in February we get warm weather, like 90 degrees. Even Tiger Woods, the tournament organizer for the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, said the weather for his tournament was better in August than in February.
Course conditions are always a strength of American Express PGA Tour events held at La Quinta, such as the 18 holes at PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course in this year’s tournament.
metropolitan area size
This is an area where American Express could run into trouble. Much of the PGA Tour’s rhetoric focuses on playing in large markets. It might be Los Angeles or San Diego, but the Coachella Valley is a small market based on population. But it’s a big market for golf itself, and that could make a big difference. The major golf markets may not be major demographic markets like Boston or Detroit, but they might be enough to host a tournament in the desert.
This article was originally published in Palm Springs Desert Sun: PGA Tour 2027 schedule changes must consider these intangibles.
