Tiger Woods is one of the main figures responsible for shaping the new PGA Tour schedule for next year. This is one of the hottest topics concerning the future of the American circuit, as many changes are expected. There will be fewer tournaments, in a more compact timeframe, with fewer players, as well as venues and sponsors that will change dates or even disappear.
Tiger has offered some new insights. For example, they want the 2027 schedule to be revolutionary, although he is aware that they won’t be able to implement all the changes they want in such a short time. “We are going to get more top players to play and make it more competitive by having… fewer cards. Simply being here will be more demanding. We are trying to create opportunities for that renewal coming from the PGA TOUR University or the Korn Ferry Tour, and try to bring more youth here, because in the end, they are going to take over. That is the biggest challenge,” he states.
Regarding the timelines, Tiger confirms that he expects it as early as next year. “We would like it to happen in 2027. We might have to roll it out over a couple of years. We may not be able to implement everything in 2027, but there will definitely be integrated parts or changes from what it is now in 2026 towards 2027.”
Among these changes, one of the possibilities being considered is that, precisely, the Genesis Championship, his tournament, becomes a FedEx Cup playoff and moves to August. “You would have weather that wouldn’t be like this. They would be perfect days. In August in Southern California, it’s always perfect. So yes, we are looking at things like that, looking to go to bigger markets for the playoffs. Trying to improve our competitive model, and how we do it. One of the options on the table is moving the Genesis to the playoffs,” he confirms.
As for other topics, Tiger acknowledges that Anthony Kim’s victory in the LIV Golf in Australia had great emotional value. “This guy hit it incredibly. He was on an amazing streak when he won in Charlotte and when we played head-to-head at Congressional (Kim won). He played incredibly in the 2008 Ryder Cup. He had a lot of natural talent. He could hit any shot he wanted. And then to see him struggle in life and not want to play golf, not want to be part of golf… and to have come back from so far and win and be so dedicated to his family… it’s a story that… touches your heart. That he fought and that Anthony has come as far as he has, from the lowest point he was at, is something that, as I say, touches your heart.”
The Genesis Championship celebrates its centenary this year since the first edition back in 1926. Tiger, as a tribute, wanted to share an anecdote that happened to him when he was still a kid and went to Riviera with his father to watch the tournament. “I went down, I was on the green of the 8th hole, the old 8th green, water to the left, and a golf ball comes in like a missile. I run towards it and it’s a Ram ball. I hadn’t heard of Ram. What’s Ram? I’m eight years old. So I run and I’m looking at it and a caddie moves me aside: ‘Kid, get out of the way.’ I look up and at that moment I don’t know who it is, but later I find out it was Bruce Edwards, the caddie of Tom Watson. Later, as a professional, I would tease him a lot about it. And he would say, ‘Yeah, you were in the way.’ (Laughs.) For me, that’s part of the beauty of being here at Riviera: being able to go back in time to when I was a kid.”
