The PGA Tour is rumoured to be making drastic changes to its schedule in 2027.
Harris English was the first to break the news that the tour’s CEO, Brian Rolapp, was making changes to the schedule. According to reports, the new season will start after the Super Bowl, meaning iconic venues on the West Coast will be cut.
It will also mean the end of elevated signature events, as the new schedule is set to feature 20 tournaments of equal value. This change should see the tour’s best players play more often as they try to accrue FedEx Cup points.
Rory McIlroy recently spoke about the changes and explained why there’s a hidden winner as a result.
Rory McIlroy explains why the DP World Tour is the winner from PGA Tour changes
McIlroy is typically on the side of tradition when it comes to his opinions on the state of golf. So he expressed some concerns about how condensed the reported schedule might be.
However, he said that it will give him more opportunities to play on the DP World Tour, which he is excited about.
Speaking after a TGL match, McIlroy said, “Keegan[Bradley] and I were talking about this earlier. We’ve all heard the rumblings without really knowing what’s being said in those rooms and what they’re thinking of.
“Obviously, I think we’ve all heard starting maybe after the Super Bowl and then going through to the end of August before the football season starts again. That seems very condensed to me. Seems like a lot of golf in a pretty short period of time, depending on how many events they want to play.
“But that does open up opportunities for the other five months of the year around the world. I’m a DP World Tour member, a very proud one, and I think that opens an opportunity up for them to showcase some of their biggest events in that time of the year.
“Obviously, with TGL, we’ve tried to do a good job of starting earlier this year, so this season doesn’t run so much into the PGA Tour season. I think if the Tour does go to that condensed schedule, it does open opportunities up for others to take advantage of those other five months of the year for sure.”
McIlroy started his 2026 season playing on the DP World Tour instead of the PGA Tour, so he clearly values his time playing around the world. And it will be great for the DP World Tour to have the Masters winner playing in its events more often.
Why TGL could be affecting Rory McIlroy’s performances
McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf team got off to a far better start to their TGL season than they did in their winless 2025. McIlroy, Bradley and Michael Thorbjornsen have won two events already, but it is coming at a cost.
The Northern Irishman flew into Florida from Dubai for this match and explained that he had to “rally” to muster the energy to play.
McIlroy said, “I slept okay. Yeah, I probably slept for seven or eight hours on the way home and then I took a couple-hour nap this afternoon before coming here, which actually made me feel worse.
“When you have a nap that’s like two and a half hours, it’s probably too long. But hopped in the cold plunge, woke myself up, and rallied.”
He might have been able to perform in TGL, but he suffered his worst-ever performance at the Dubai Desert Classic last week and was never in contention.
Is all of this extra travel really worth it, especially as TGL hasn’t captured the imagination of the golfing world as they might have hoped?
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