PGA Tour stories will star its supporting players
Join the Club by John Patrick
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What’s wrong with the PGA Tour was on full display over the weekend at the first full-field event of the 2025 season.
When the tour created the eight signature events it also quietly created the season schedules for the game’s top players. Here’s an example. Should Rory McIlroy decide to play in all eight of those events (which he will not), add the four majors, playoffs, and any DP World Tour events he wants so play in, that’s a full season. There is no incentive for the best players in the world to play any other tournaments on the tour. The good news – this offers opportunities to a lot of players that would not have otherwise had an opening to play. That was the case with Sony Open this weekend in Hawaii.
Here’s why this move is unfortunate for the PGA Tour. This full field event had a field of 144 players. Only 59 were the top players and winners from last season. The finish over the last few holes was incredibly captivating. Bear with me. JJ Spaun battled Stephen Jager for the title. A couple of groups in front of them, Nick Taylor and Nico Echavarria made it interesting with their play on the 72nd hole. Echavarria made a conventional birdie, while Taylor chipped in for eagle from off the green. Both players finished at sixteen under for a chance.
The chance became reality when Jager bogeyed the sixteenth hole and Spaun bogeyed seventeen. They both came to the 18th hole needing a birdie to make it a four-way playoff. Both Spaun and Jager made a mess of the last hole, making pars and missing the playoff.
That sent Taylor and Echavarria to the sudden death playoff. It only took one hole. Taylor made a birdie and picked up his fifth win on the tour and the $1.6 million first prize.
It was compelling golf. I love golf, but I found it hard to sit there and get excited about JJ Spaun, Stephen Jager, Nico Echavarria and Nick Taylor, especially with NFL playoff games just a click away.
The tour loves to leverage these victories into warm and fuzzy stories about young players getting wins and changing their lives in the process. All of that is true, and for the die-hard golf fan, it’s a worthwhile story, for a while. The tour still must figure out how to address the tournaments that aren’t signature events. It’s my feeling that they’re banking on an eventual agreement with LIV golf and all the players will be back where they belong. But, until that happens, and the longer it takes to happen, the tour is going to have some real issues with fans, and importantly, sponsors. We’ll see how it all plays out. Until then, on to Palm Springs and the American Express.
I’m looking forward to cheering on Nate Lashley.