The PGA Tour isn’t short on confidence, but a growing debate suggests it may be aiming at the wrong target. The 4x PGA Tour winner Charley Hoffman had a blunt take on that. His concerns center on a bold push led by CEO Brian Rolapp. Hoffman’s take is that while it may sound like growth on paper, it risks repeating a pattern that the tour has not exactly mastered.

“There’s nothing wrong with the PGA Tour. Our product’s awesome. The issue for the PGA Tour is thinking they can compete with the NFL. I think Rolapp’s trying to figure out how we break into the big market. Traditionally, we’ve failed in big markets,” Hoffman said in a conversation with Fore Play Podcast.

“Kiz and I played a President’s Cup in New York that had average fans at best. Literally, our showcase event for the PGA Tour is the President’s Cup, and we had average fans in the biggest city in our country. Trying to break into big markets is not where we’ve always succeeded; we’ve succeeded in small markets. We’re the only show in town, the Memorials, the Charles Schwab, and the smaller markets; we’ve done really, really well in them. And the big market we’ve failed in because there are other things to do.”

Besides Charley Hoffman and Kevin Kisner, many other elites, including Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, and Rickie Fowler, represented the USA. The international team also featured big names like Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, Si Woo Kim, and Adam Scott. But despite being a big flagship event held in New York and featuring many elites, it drew average fans at best.

Besides Charley Hoffman and Kevin Kisner, many other elites, including Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, and Rickie Fowler, represented the USA. The international team also featured big names like Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, Si Woo Kim, and Adam Scott. But despite being a big flagship event held in New York and featuring many elites, it drew average fans at best.

Ahead of the 2026 Players Championship in March, Rolapp outlined six key themes shaping the PGA Tour’s competitive landscape for the future. Led by Tiger Woods, the Future Competitive Committee has not yet confirmed anything. However, one of the six themes the CEO revealed was targeting bigger markets.

Currently, the PGA Tour plays only in four of the country’s top 10 media markets. He is eyeing major markets such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Boston, among others.

It’s not an isolated incident. The BMW Championship at Cog Hill was formerly held in the Chicago metro area. However, it had to be relocated because of design issues and sponsor hesitancy. Even big corporations are reluctant to fund it because of low perceived value.

Even the Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational at Riviera lags in numbers. It drives a crowd of only 60,000 to 80,000, which is way below the hype. In contrast to this, Charley Hoffman says that smaller markets have performed exceptionally well for the PGA Tour. He cited examples of the Memorial and Charles Schwab Challenge.

The same goes for the John Deere Classic, too. Held in Quad Cities, Illinois, it is a regular stop on the PGA Tour. It raised a record $16M for 476 charities in 2024 and pumps $70M into the economy annually.

The Travelers Championship in Hartford, CT, brings around 125k-150k attendees. And these are not the only ones. Many other non-major metropolitan areas in the US have hosted PGA Tour events for decades.

Notably, it’s not the only change Hoffman is worried about.

Charley Hoffman wants the Farmers Insurance Open to continue at Torrey Pines

The 4x PGA Tour winner is a regular at the Farmers Insurance Open. Torrey Pines in San Diego, his birthplace, hosts the event early every season. Since it was hosted at his birthplace, the event holds a special place in Hoffman’s heart. The 49-year-old made his 28th appearance at the Farmers Insurance Open this year.

The San Diego-native was not able to make the cut. He carded rounds of 71-75 to finish 2-over 146 and missed the cut, as Justin Rose went on to win after 23-under 265.

While Charley Hoffman likes to play this event, the problem is that the contract with Farmers Insurance is over after the 2026 edition. This means that there could be some changes to the event, which could even extend to the location. However, the 4x PGA Tour winner wants it to stay at Torrey Pines.

“It’s an iconic golf course,” he said after his first round at the Farmers Insurance Open 2026. “But really, I’d be shocked to see this golf tournament go away.”

According to Hoffman, the PGA Tour event may see some date changes. However, he is certain that there will be at least one event played at Torrey Pines.

Hoffman’s stance on keeping the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course reflects his broader belief in preserving what already works for the PGA Tour. However, Brian Rolapp is aiming to deviate from that. But according to Hoffman, those expansion plans might not work.