Why The PGA Tour Season Needs a Proper Revamp

It is the middle of July, the height of summer. We had the Scottish Open last week and The Open Championship this week.

For the DP World Tour, the season goes on until the DP World Tour Championship, which kicks off on November 13. Before then there are many mouthwatering tournaments to look forward to, many of which will attract world-class fields.

They include the British Masters, the European Masters, the Irish Open, the BMW PGA Championship, the French Open, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the Genesis, the Abu Dhabi Championship and then the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. 

There is much gold still to play for, Ryder Cup points and Race to Dubai points. In other words, there is still all to play for.

It is a very different story on the PGA Tour. After The Open, there are just four events before all the money is handed out at The Tour Championship at East Lake on August 24. It just doesn’t sit right with me.

I know that Americans have always done things their own way - a World Series baseball that only includes teams from the USA and Canada doesn’t seem especially global to me!

I also have to say that I still cannot get my head around the thinking behind moving the US PGA Championship to May. After the final putt is holed at Royal Portrush we have to wait until April 2026 before golf’s next major takes place. And the final signature event on the PGA Tour has long since gone.

There is still much to play for on the other side of the pond, but I cannot possibly be the only one who questions the wisdom behind ending the official 2025 season at the end of August.

And, of course, the PGA Tour has had yet another go at restructuring the distribution of its playoff bonuses, including the FedEx Cup champion this season earning $10 million in prize money instead of $25 million as in the past two years.

I was never able to understand the logic behind the FedEx Cup leader starting the Tour Championship on 10 under par, as Scottie Scheffler did last year. I have said before and I say again that I believe the champion should be crowned as a result of a cumulative performance - and giving the number one a head start was never the way to do it.

The new payouts from the $100 million total in bonus money were finally confirmed after weeks of speculation. And the bottom line is that barring a horrendous slump in form, it is a safe bet that Scheffler is going to once again be collecting the lion’s share of the dosh.

Some things stay the same. The field at East Lake will consist of the top 30 after the second playoff event, The BMW Championship but there will now be a three-tier system that will reward players based on the FedEx Cup points standings after the regular-season finale at the Wyndham Championship (the top 10 splitting $20 million, with No. 1 getting $10 million), and after the second playoff event, the BMW Championship (top 30 splitting $23.93 million, with No. 1 getting $5 million).

The Tour Championship winner will get $10 million of the remaining prize money ($57.08 million), with the rest paid to the other 29 players based on their finishes. Players ranked Nos. 31-150 will divide $17.08 million.

If current points leader Scheffler is still No. 1 at the end of the regular season and after the BMW Championship and then wins the Tour Championship, he will receive the same total of $25m he collected for winning the 2024 FedEx Cup.

On top of that, the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 pays a further $40m to the top 10 players in the standings at the end of the regular season. First place is worth $8 million, and each place earns less down to $2 million for 10th place.

So what happens after the Tour Championship? A number of largely meaningless events known as the Fall Series in which the tour’s major stars will be staying at home and counting their money.

Why on earth can’t they follow Europe’s example and save the playoff events until October and November, thus maintaining some level of interest after the Ryder Cup?