One of Brian Rolapp’s biggest tasks as the new CEO of the PGA Tour is to improve the schedule.
Most golf fans would agree that there are too many events, and the top players do not compete against each other often enough.
So, the PGA Tour have recently been looking into a condensed schedule, which would start after the Super Bowl in February.
Golf expert Ryan Lavner has now urged Rolapp and the Tour decision-makers to choose one popular event as the season opener.
Ryan Lavner wants the PGA Tour season to start with the Phoenix Open
The PGA Tour season has recently started with two events in Hawaii: The Sentry and the Sony Open.
The Sentry, especially, has typically featured a strong field, but neither tournament has ever felt like a grand opening.
For this reason, Lavner would like the PGA Tour to make the fan-favorite WM Phoenix Open the first stop on the calendar.
The unique atmosphere at TPC Scottsdale gives fans and players the feeling that it is not just a regular Tour event.
“I love the idea of beginning the PGA Tour season in Phoenix because the Phoenix Open is everything that Kapaula and the Sentry have not been,” Lavner said on the Golf Channel Podcast.
What city would you like to see host a brand new PGA Tour event?
“There are massive crowds, hundreds of thousands of people. There is tons of energy throughout the week.
“I actually think TPC Scottsdale is one of the most underrated golf courses on the PGA Tour schedule. It’s got a dramatic closing stretch.
“I love the Plantation course, the course at Kapalua. I think that will be sorely missed on the PGA Tour schedule.
“But I do think that highlighting the Phoenix Open as the kick-off event makes a lot of sense. I’ve been talking [about this] on the podcast for the last couple of years.
“There has to be something else the PGA Tour can do for the kick-off event to make it feel bigger. Well, have the biggest regular season event you can possibly have as your kick-off event.”
WM Phoenix Open named the 2025 PGA Tour Event of the Year
The PGA Tour announced a series of “Best Of” awards for the 2025 season on Wednesday. The standout award was for the “Event of the Year,” won by the WM Phoenix Open.
The BMW Championship received the honor last season, but the Phoenix Open won it in each of the previous four.
Would you prefer to see a 20-event PGA Tour schedule which runs for six months rather than the current system?
This goes to show that it ticks all of the boxes, from fan and player experience to charitable impact.
It’s also another reason why Brian Rolapp should consider Lavner’s suggestion of making it the first event of the PGA Tour season.
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