Rory McIlroy made headlines ahead of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills when he labelled Track 2 events on the the PGA Tour’s planned two-tier schedule “a glorified Korn Ferry event”, but in the wake of PGA Tour Boards approval of the proposals and on the day that the PGA Tour officially unveiled the new-look Tour, the world number two has voiced his approval.
“Today’s 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,” a McIlroy statement read.
“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.”
In a press conference at which PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp fielded questions about the new-look PGA Tour which will come into effect for the 2028 season, he addressed McIlroy’s comments at Shinnecock Hills.
“Yeah, I had a chance to speak with Rory today,” Rolapp said. “We talked a bit about it, and I think he’s made some comments publicly since then.
“But I think the best way to think about what we’re doing here is that right now we have 47 events at the PGA Tour. We’ll have 47 events going forward. That current model serves roughly 230 players. We’ll serve that amount of players, the same.
“We are just organised now in a more simple understanding competitively so our fans can understand it, our partners know what they’re getting as far as value. So we think we’ve just organised the same tour into a much more interesting and competitive system.
“If you look at the Challenger Series events, they’ll be at venues you recognise. They’ll be for healthy purses, which we announced today. They’ll include a subset of the same 200 and change players that we have today. That is much different than what the Korn Ferry Tour is today.”
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