New Year. New you. New…PGA Tour?
We’ll see about that — plus nine other things, in one sentence each and in no particular order — as we take stock of professional golf heading to 2026.
1. Is the blade putter actually dead?
A couple months after 2025 breakout star Ben Griffin called our attention to the dearth of blade putters among the PGA Tour’s putting elite (the entire top 10 in the OWGR were using mallets at one recent check), our antennae are up for signs of life going forward.
2. Will LIV get OWGR points?
World Ranking points would elevate LIV to a new level of acceptance from the golf establishment; given Brooks Koepka’s departure, the league’s format changes and continual questions about its future, that would be an important win.
3. What will Bryson DeChambeau do next?
The biggest winner of Brooks Koepka’s LIV departure may have been DeChambeau, whose leverage jumped from sky-high to intergalactic; as the prince of YouTube Golf, he could demand a mega-contract or take his future elsewhere.
4. How soon is the new PGA Tour schedule coming?
This may be the biggest question of all, as the Tour is still the center of pro golf’s universe; when will Brian Rolapp, Tiger Woods and the powers-that-be in Ponte Vedra release a schedule that (hopefully) clarifies and simplifies what it means to be a PGA Tour player, event and fan?
5. Where will the LPGA Tour find its star power?
After 2024 was the Year of Nelly and 2025 had a late turn from the Year of Everybody to Kinda the Year of Jeeno, the LPGA’s new leadership has doubled down on its product; will one of these two recent No. 1s take center stage, or will the LPGA’s next star come from elsewhere?
6. Are we about to get another Grand-Slam winner?
We’re talking about Scottie Scheffler, who’s just a Shinnecock U.S. Open win away from all four — although a Jordan Spieth PGA would be something special (as would a Phil Mickelson U.S. Open, not to mention a double-major season from the likes of Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka or Dustin Johnson, who each own two of ’em).
7. What’ll be Rory McIlroy’s follow-up act?
After a year in which he completed the career Grand Slam, won at iconic courses like Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass, led his team to an away Ryder Cup win, won his home Irish Open, went barnstorming to India and Australia and launched an investment fund, a production company and a golf league, what does McIlroy have in store for 2026 — and what story will his playing schedule tell us.
8. When — and how often — will we see Tiger Woods?
Will the now-50-year-old Woods appear as an administrator, tournament host, TGLer, Masters competitor, Champions Tour member, Golf Dad — or all of the above?
9. What’s up with the DP World Tour?
Everybody loves golf’s self-described “global tour,” which features some of golf’s great characters, some of golf’s great locales and some of golf’s stories tournaments — but it’s still not crystal-clear where the DPWT slots in alongside the PGA Tour and LIV, which compete for talent, attention, money and so much more.
10. Who’s next?
This was the year of Rory and Scottie but also of first-time-winners Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young plus late-bloomers Ben Griffin, J.J. Spaun, and Andrew Novak — so who’s next?
We can’t wait to find out.
