PGA Tour Champions could face a very big problem and it all depends on Tiger Woods after Phil Mickelson’s decision

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PGA Tour Champions could be in real trouble with some big decisions lying on the horizon.

Tiger Woods has been the most successful golfer on the PGA Tour over the past three decades, and Phil Mickelson enjoyed a truly incredible career as well.

While Mickelson dabbled in some PGA Tour Champions events after he turned 50, and actually won four times, he joined LIV Golf two years later and the rest is history.

Meanwhile, Woods is not yet eligible to play on the senior circuit, although that will all change when he turns 50 later this year in December.

The 15-time major winner’s dominance on the PGA Tour was unmatched.

However, Scottie Scheffler is now drawing comparisons with Woods, although the 29-year-old still has a very long way to go if he is to match the great man.

The question being asked now is: will Woods set his sights on dominating on PGA Tour Champions just like he did on the regular Tour, if he’s fit and healthy, of course?

PGA Tour Champions’ future could depend on Tiger Woods after Phil Mickelson’s decision

Former PGA Tour player Johnson Wagner was speaking on The Wagyu Filet Show on The 5 Clubs Podcast about what the future holds for PGA Tour Champions, and he made a great point about Woods and Mickelson.

Wagner explained: “I’m struggling with the Champions Tour because I don’t know if Tiger, I mean Phil’s not playing obviously. If Tiger doesn’t play, can it sustain itself on the names that are out there right now?

“I mean it was built for Arnold Palmer, it was built for Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, these legends of the game.

“I also worry about these young players coming up now who have made so much money that they’re like, ‘right, I don’t want to play golf after I’m 50, my body hurts, I’m beat up’.

“I worry about the Champions Tour a little bit, if it’s going to hang around, like with all the shake-ups on the PGA Tour.“

Wagner is 100 per cent correct here. PGA Tour Champions have big names amongst its ranks, including the likes of Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, but do they need a commitment from Woods in order to not only survive, but to actually thrive?

The answer to that question is almost certainly yes.

Mickelson decided to join LIV Golf back in 2022, and there will be no route back to PGA Tour Champions for him now, not that he’ll be too bothered by that.

PGA Tour Champions in danger of becoming redundant

For the generation of golfers who played at the highest level before the professional game boomed after Woods’ emergence on the scene in the mid-1990s, the PGA Tour Champions provided a much-needed revenue stream after they turned 50.

However, it’s quite clear that this is actually no longer the case.

The average on-course earnings on the PGA Tour in 2025 was just over $2.1 million.

The two real noticeable jumps on the list are from 1995 to 2000, when Tiger Woods came along, and from 2020 to 2025, when the Signature Events came into play.

There is a real concern that Woods deciding not to play on PGA Tour Champions could be the death knell for the senior circuit.

That’s not to say that the tour would not fold completely, but it’s fair to suggest that it could lose a lot of its appeal without the draw of Woods playing regularly on the circuit.