When Tiger Woods–chaired Future Competition Committee proposed changes to the PGA Tour schedule, Brian Rolapp deemed it important to visit Augusta National Golf Club and speak with the club’s chairman, Fred Ridley. Provided the Committee succeeds in making the change, will the new schedule affect the Masters Tournament at all? And that’s exactly what the chairman has addressed.

“There was nothing that we talked about that would trigger any immediate thoughts on changing criteria. We’ll just have to wait and see what his plans are, how they unfold, and what that means for the schedule and for who’s playing in what tournament and how those tournaments sort of stack up in importance. Then we’ll react accordingly,” Fred Ridley said at the press conference at Augusta National on April 8, 2026.

As per the reports, Woods and Rolapp are planning to target elite markets and smaller fields, while shortening the golf calendar for the PGA Tour. And the officials are planning to bring the changes as early as 2027. 

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The reason for the proposal is to avoid any conflict with the NFL. Since most Americans watch football in January, the FCC suggested that the PGA Tour should begin its official calendar in February. That would greatly avoid competition for viewership between the two sports. On top of that, they plan to bring the number of tournaments from 38 to 25. And each of them will have the elite players swinging on the fairways. But nothing has been decided yet. 

“The Committee’s focus has been on a competitive model built on meritocracy–this is not a closed shop… Scarcity is not about the number of events we have. But rather, scarcity is about making every event we have matter. For our members, the message is simple. Play well, and you earn the opportunity to compete in our biggest events–and for more money,” Rolapp previously said, weighing in on the possible changes.

Established last August, the Future Competition Committee has held one simple goal, and that is to build the best version of the PGA TOUR, one that better caters to its fans, players, and partners. The Tour has held more than 30 meetings across the Future Competition Committee, various working groups, player meetings, Player Advisory Council discussions, and Board sessions to work toward that goal.

The Tour is also in constant touch with its corporate partners and both current and prospective media partners to chart out competitive models and long-term economics, all while maintaining significant player input and involvement. Rolapp called it a “rigorous and highly collaborative process.”

Nevertheless, the 53-year-old was pretty transparent with Ridley, and they have spoken on multiple occasions since the PGA Tour CEO’s last visit to Augusta. While things are still uncertain, Fred Ridley revealed one of his plans surrounding the future scheduling of the PGA Tour. 

Fred Ridley opens up on adding international opens to the Masters qualifiers portfolio

Last August, the R&A and Augusta National Golf Club announced that champions of several international opens (Open de España presented by Madrid, ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Genesis Scottish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, and Investec South African Open Championship) had earned their way into the 2026 Masters Tournament. The list includes Chris Gotterup and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.

However, the PGA Tour co-sanctions the Scottish Open. That raises questions about whether the Masters Tournament field could change in response to the evolving PGA Tour schedule. Will Augusta National Golf Club send invites to other international Open winners?

“First, we looked at that decision we made this year, independent of other schedules, but we also realize that those schedules and those criteria can change over time. So we really wanted to take our own step by identifying those six national Opens,” Ridley told the media. “The purpose, as I mentioned, is really to honor the history and the significance of those championships.

“I do think there might be other national Opens that should be considered. Because we say over and over again that we review our criteria every year, we’ll be looking at that next year and the coming years, and possibly we would do that.”

Until the Tour’s new schedule proves it can consistently identify the best in the world, the Masters criteria will remain an ironclad tradition. Then again, change is an inevitable aspect of growth.