Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy all appear in favour of the sweeping changes coming to PGA TOUR.
PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp rolled out the plans that will see the tour become a two-tiered circuit, including the Championship Series and the Challenger Series.
But what do the best players think?
“I think we’re moving in the right direction for sure,” Scheffler said.
“I think what people want is to get the best players playing together more often. I’m not sure if the smaller fields were a huge fan favourite, so getting fields back to 120-man fields, getting a cut back, I think it’s a good changes.
“The more I think we can simplify it for people, the better. Especially when you’re looking at tournaments stretched across an entire season.
“I think it’s easier for our fans to follow. Hopefully it will make them more interested. I think the competition will get better. I think when you look at larger fields it will be much harder to win tournaments, it will be different than the old days on tour where you could win a tournament where there wasn’t many of the top players playing.”
Tommy Fleetwood is in favour of a less condensed schedule.
“I think you get to this time of year and over the last couple of years you can definitely see it’s easy to start feeling tired,” he explained.
“I think niggles start to happen in the body and stuff like that. I think mentally it can have its strains. But we’re having opportunity to learn from that and then put that into the following season as well. So I think, yeah, seeing how the schedule continues to evolve, how much golf we’ll play in that period of time, and then looking at how we can best manage that.
“I think it’s really, really important, but like I say, it does have its benefits. I think for us as European golfers we’ve had the opportunity the last few years to play over in Europe from that period of September through to November, December. I think that’s great for us. So that’s worked really, really well.
“But, yeah, like for sure there’s a lot of golf, a lot of intensity, and you just have to keep learning how to manage that as best as possible.”
McIlroy suggests the announcement is a positive step for professional golf.
“As more details emerge, it is encouraging to see the PGA Tour reaffirming the importance of meritocracy and creating a structure that will serve both players and fans well into the future I’ve always been proud to compete around the world, and the collaboration between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour is one founded in the betterment of the game globally.
“The commitment to elevate some of these historic international tournaments and national opens is incredibly important for the game and something I’m very supportive of.
“Over the last few years, golf has faced a period of uncertainty and division, which has not been in the best interests of the players, or the fans of the game. Today, we are putting the fans first, and I am excited about the future of our sport.”
Article Link: Top players backing new PGA TOUR route