The PGA Tour might have some of the best sportspeople in the world involved in 2025 but there remains a continuous backdrop of criticism about certain PGA events simply not having the star power required.
Amid a week where 18 players have withdrawn from the Farmers Insurance Open, the PGA Tour is once again under the spotlight.
Matters weren’t helped either as the PGA had to suspend play for high winds in round two, something which golf fans hammered the PGA Tour for at the time.
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Furthermore, with big names like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele all missing the opening weeks of the season, it’s been tough to bring eyeballs to the events.
However, while some believe a solution might be for the LIV tour and the PGA to do a deal, experienced TOUR player Jason Day believes the solution lies within.
Jason Day says what the PGA Tour would need to do to attract the best players
Speaking at the Farmers Insurance Open this week, Day got onto the subject of the current division in golf but suggested that the reality is that the PGA Tour is already creating a tour within a tour itself.
“Well, there are two tours within a tour now if you could understand that,” Day said. “I think you have the top guys playing the Signature Events and you have the other side of it, too. I think that just happened purely because of the way that when LIV came about, and it’s unfortunate but that’s what — ultimately that’s what we’re dealing with now.
“Yeah, it is tough. The two tours are difficult. I mean, ultimately I think at the end of the day you would probably, you know, if you wanted everyone to play in a tournament, you have to shrink the schedule down dramatically It used to be 48 events on the schedule and you knew that it wasn’t – you weren’t going to have the best players in the world.”
Adding further comment, Day suggested that the only way to get the best players at every event is to shrink down the schedule even further.
“The only way you’re going to get the best players in the world is to shrink the schedule down dramatically, and I think essentially that’s kind of what they’re doing now within the Tour is that you have the Signature Events and you have the major championship.
“Then you have — you throw in your Memorials, your Bay Hills, your Tiger events, all that stuff, those bigger events within that offer three-year exemptions instead of the typical two-year exemptions. Then you might sprinkle in some golf tournaments that you actually like and play well in.”
When Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele will be back playing
Like most big sports, they rely on the big names being available and unfortunately for the PGA Tour, it’s not been the case in 2025 so far.
Scottie Scheffler has been injured but will be back for the AT&T at Pebble Beach, while Rory McIlroy will also make his PGA Tour season debut in the same event.
However, world number two Xander Schauffele is still out with injury and it remains to be seen if he will return any time soon.
With the Masters soon to be upon us, the big guns will want to get into form ASAP and for someone like Schauffele, each passing week he misses becomes more of a worry.
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