Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Tiger Woods’ first public comments in months, the potential for a new PGA Tour schedule, Rory McIlroy’s career major total and more.
Tiger Woods spoke to the media for the first time in several months when he held his annual press conference at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas (won by Hideki Matsuyama). Tiger touched on a variety of topics; which was most interesting to you?
Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): I was most intrigued by Woods’ involvement in the future vision for the PGA Tour; I wrote about that here but what’s fascinating to me is the pairing of Woods — the ultimate insider, and at this point one of the Tour’s longest-tenured figures in any position — and Rolapp — the ultimate outsider with admittedly very little golf-specific knowledge — as the shapers of the Tour’s future.
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): I don’t think anyone anticipated this particular presser getting so into the rumored schedule changes, but I thought Tiger speaking about it added some legitimacy to it. The health update was both unsurprising and disappointing. I don’t think Tiger can come back and contend regularly these days, but it would be fun to see him healthy and play a few times a year. The watch is on for the Masters.
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): I was most interested by Tiger’s comment about YouTube. He indicated he felt the infinite video library of swings on the internet was helping to turbocharge golf’s youth movement. Every so often, you’ll hear Woods say something that reflects he thinks about golf on a wholly different plane from most mere mortals. One example was when he started talking about the “cut” and “draw” spin necessary on chip shots at Augusta National. This was another.
As the chair of the Future Competitions Committee, Tiger also indicated the Tour is looking at creating a shortened schedule (and avoiding the NFL) that could begin in 2027, although he was light on details. There’s been much talk about the potential for a new Tour schedule in the future, but what’s the biggest hurdle from making it all happen?
Dethier: Ironically one of the things the Tour wants to change is the same thing preventing it from making that change. There are so many [buzzword alert] stakeholders, so many separate deals with so many different tournaments that it’s challenging to get everything just right for everyone without crossing a dozen can’t-cross lines. Put another way: the Tour is a big boat, and it’s tough to turn a big boat around.
Berhow: Wow, love the boat analogy, Dylan. Good work. But the answer is there’s a lot in the way of making something like this happen. I’d love a schedule that takes the best 70-some players and puts them in the same 20 or so events a year (including majors) and all of a sudden we have some simplicity, continuity, distinction and burgeoning rivalries. But what about the middle class? How many members are there? How does the Korn Ferry Tour factor in? What about the smaller events? It’s frustrating we still don’t have a great way to do this, but I am also happy I’m not the person in charge of this. Because it can’t be easy.
Colgan: Every so often, the history of a major professional sports league comes down to the brute force capacity of its leadership. For baseball, this happened with the pitch clock. For basketball, with the first and second “aprons.” For football, with the 2011 lockout. I think brute force is the biggest hurdle facing the PGA Tour, and we’ll know if Woods and PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp have the gumption for it soon enough.
Six-time major champ Nick Faldo said it will be “tough” for Rory McIlroy to win another major title, saying, in part, “it is like climbing Everest, you don’t turn around and say, ‘Let’s go up again next month.’ There was so much emotion at Augusta, and you cannot reproduce the emotion to win a major like that again.” Do you buy this? And what say you, how many more majors does Rory win in his career?
Dethier: Faldo’s right that you can’t reproduce that emotion. But you can certainly recharge and come back hungry for more. I’ll give Rory two more majors, seven in all, rarified air and one more than Faldo…
Berhow: It seemed like a bit of a cheap shot since technically you could say this about any recent major champ. But that’s what makes these guys great. They find ways to keep that drive and continue to push back the goal posts. Rory wins three more majors. He’ll have enough chances.
Colgan: The very centerpiece of Sir Nick’s argument here is wrong. The emotion was Rory’s greatest obstacle to breaking the major drought — not a superpower. A Rory McIlroy playing more freely, more aggressively, and more self-assuredly would have won eight majors over the last decade — and the freedom to live into that version of himself is what’s going to accelerate the last stage of his competitive life.
The PGA Tour released the finalists for its Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Award) with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Ben Griffin earning nominees. While it seems likely Scottie snags his fourth straight this year, let’s look ahead: which player not on this list will be a nominee at this time next year?
Dethier: Cameron Young. The second half of this season, with his victory and Ryder Cup star show, was a turning point. Cam’s time is coming.
Berhow: I think a healthier Xander bounces back and returns to something closer to that 2024 form.
Colgan: Lots of fun answers to this question, in part because of the number of players who seemed to take a half-step back (due to injury or form or some other reason) in 2025. I’ll go with Ludvig Aberg, who was the trendiest pick in golf to win at Augusta in April. We’ve seen golfers take a step back in their second pro season before, only to bounce back in a severe way in Year 3. Aberg still has all the talent, it’s just a matter of time.
The PGA Tour and LPGA merge for the Grant Thornton Invitational this week in Florida. Which two-person pairing is the most intriguing to you?
Dethier: Bud Cauley and Jessica Korda for one simple reason — we haven’t seen Jess Korda play competitive golf in two years! In the meantime her younger sister has had a career’s-worth of successes, with a few rollercoaster dips mixed in for good measure. Fun week ahead.
Berhow: The Jessica Korda pick is a good one. I’ll go with Luke Clanton and Lottie Woad, a pair of former Florida State standouts who have the potential to be stars on the big tours.
Colgan: I can’t explain why, but it feels to me like Wyndham Clark and Lexi Thompson have lived similar lives. I’m excited to see them in action.
