During the 2025 RSM Classic press conference, Harris English revealed Brian Rolapp’s shocking plans for the future of the PGA Tour. Apparently, the new CEO is considering pushing back the start of the season to after the Super Bowl. And that didn’t sit well with the fans. Steve Sands, the NBC reporter famous for conducting Tiger Woods‘ interview after his comeback in 2018, also shares the same views as the netizens.

He joined The Smylie Show on YouTube recently to discuss the Golf Channel Games, among many things. During one of the segments, they discussed the possibility of Rolapp possibly cutting down the season’s events to 20 or 25 after pushing back the schedule.

On that note, Sands told Smylie Kaufman, “Here’s my opinion, before LIV came around, before COVID hit, all the way up to The PLAYERS of 2020, was the model broken? Were things bad? Fully sponsored Tour, everybody’s playing for a lot of money, everybody’s doing great. TV was happy, players were happy, sponsors were happy.”

He thinks that, following COVID and the emergence of LIV Golf, the PGA Tour was really shaken. And they didn’t handle the arrival of the Saudi-based promotions as well as they could have. Notably, Jay Monahan & Co. have been criticized for the numerous changes they made when LIV Golf came into existence.

Sands explained how the PGA Tour can’t afford to drop the schedule down to 20 events, as it needs both David and Goliath to stand tall. Based on this season alone, if Scottie Scheffler wins six titles and Rory McIlroy wins four titles, then the Goliaths of the Tour would have already taken half of the bank from the Tour. Then the Davids, i.e., the rising stars of the PGA Tour, will only have 10 events between them to prove themselves.

Unlike football, which allows players to gain fame through college, amateur golf doesn’t have that same level of fan following. So the Schefflers, Ludvig Abergs, or Jordan Spieths weren’t popular when they were rising through the ranks in college. Only Woods achieved that kind of fame before he turned pro, but then again, he was one of a kind.

Hence, as Sands said, these golfers need the platform on the PGA Tour to allow themselves to grow, gain confidence, momentum, and popularity to really establish their careers.

If Scheffler and McIlroy take up half the wins every season after the schedule is cut down, then the 118 remaining members will only have 10 more tournaments to make a name for themselves. Sands mentioned that many of the players he has spoken to at the Grant Thornton Invitational don’t agree to the changes as well. They want more opportunities, and this is not the ideal situation for them.

However, considering the current atmosphere in the sport, the PGA Tour might be forced to make those changes. And Jay Monahan had been slowly working towards them because of the increase in the level of competition since 2022.

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The arrival of LIV Golf changed the PGA Tour’s approach towards growth

The PGA Tour didn’t show signs of moving towards a shortened schedule at any time before 2022. However, the arrival of LIV Golf influenced a lot of the changes they have made. Especially because of how the Saudi-based promotion was able to poach some of the Tour’s biggest players over the last few years.

The concept of PGA Tour Signature events came into the picture after the first season of LIV Golf concluded. That received criticism because of the lack of opportunities it gave for being a limited field event. Monahan also announced that the Tour will shorten the field size for all FedEx Cup events in 2026. That will also reduce the number of PGA Tour memberships pros will receive every season.

All these changes received a lot of backlash. But that didn’t stop the outgoing commissioner from continuing to push for them. His strategies may have been flawed, but he was forced to make them to make the PGA Tour more competitive and appealing for the top talent.