If you’ve ever had the misfortune of sitting around a men’s grill listening to pontificators and wanting to channel Smails—“don’t you have homes?”—then you understand the current machinations of the PGA Tour. Recent drips and drabs suggest the Tour’s private equity investors appear to be the primary audience to appease. Gary McCord has a proposal before one of the main investors that’s essentially LIV on steroids with a fifth major thrown in. Two things no one is asking for. And the primary purpose of his concept seems built around helping the not-so-poor Strategic Sports Group souls get their expected return on investment by creating 36 franchises. Again, stuff no one is asking for or needs.
Based on a recent appearance at CNBC CEO Council Forum, the new Commissioner CEO Brian Rolapp at least seems up to the task of dealing with so many gargantuan egos and has strong views on what drives interest in a sport. Whether this scarcity, simplicity, and parity theme works with the weirdness of pro golf’s traditional structure, is another story. But in the meantime, everyone from Tiger on down to an untold number of sous chefs are whiteboarding, Zooming, group texting, and, in recent days, gauging public reactions to the bold schedule contraction that started filtering out after Harris English shared the broad strokes. The good news? All involved seem to understand that majors still drive the schedule and are even admitting they do not have definitive answers.
At some point soon, reality will set in when golf’s real financiers at Comcast, Paramount Skydance, and Disney point out that they are paying good money while still profiting (we think) by having a certain amount of “inventory” locked in through 2030. While any self-respecting mega corporation will be open to an idea that makes them more money, they’re not about to let bottom lines take a hit just to help a few billionaires get their 11% return.
All of the grill room bantering should be mildly entertaining and maybe even thought-provoking. Things like scheduled weeks off after majors—despite those being some of the highest-rated events of 2025, thanks to the post-major buzz—will come and go. Perhaps the various cooks in the Global Home kitchen will hatch some good ideas that take fans and the greater good into account. Even better, they aren’t listening to Phil Mickelson, as the grandchild of immigrants is too busy advocating for a return of caning and forced labor. Either way, it all should never be a distraction from the entertaining golf taking place this week.
The Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne is the undisputed headliner, and it’s already off to a spectacular start. There’s also the Hero World Challenge that always entertains, even if it’s just 20 players on a quest to grab a few year-end points to maintain Executive Platinum status. And a nice field has even turned up to play for $6 million at South Africa’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Still, it’s the historic Australian Open at majestic Royal Melbourne, offering the best reminder of what pro golf at its best looks like. Lawrence Donegan and I discussed all of this and more in a new McKellar pod—with advance apologies for any confusion on the Composite Course holes. It’s not our fault they keep changing!
Rory McIlroy approaches the 6th green in round one of the Australian Open
In case the players were unclear about what’s on the line, the Claret Jug and Masters trophies were on display at the first tee of this year’s Crown Australian Open. The revitalized championship will send the three leading players not already exempt to The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and, for the first time, produce a Masters invitation to the winner.
McIlroy brought his Green Jacket for an early week gala dinner and has been everything the event organizers hoped for. The members at Royal Melbourne might not be quite as thrilled with his answer suggesting that next year’s venue, Kingston Heath, is the best course in Melbourne. But we’ll see if, after four rounds and the masterful course playing so spectacularly, he still thinks that way.
This fourth stop in The Open Qualifying Series has just seven players exempt to Birkdale: Ryan Fox, Daniel Hillier, Fifa Laopakdee (a), McIlroy, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Cameron Smith and Elvis Smylie.
After round one, it’s clear that the appearance fee paid to McIlroy has paid off. Huge crowds turned out to watch the Masters champion fight off sleep deprivation and hay fever to post a 72, seven back of leader Smylie. Gusting northerly winds gave the green-mowing team a day off and are expected to flip toward prevailing breezes. That should provide the players with a totally different look going forward.
For U.S. viewers, Golf Channel offered full coverage of McIlroy’s rounds without random Golfballs.com commercials showing up on someone’s backswing. The production values, drone shots, and Aussie voices made for idyllic viewing. We even got a day one glimpse of the best parking lot in golf. Don’t worry, that turf is tough.
Round one highlights:
Speaking at the Hero World Challenge, the presumed frontrunner to captain the United States’ 2027 Ryder Cup squad was asked by Golfweek’s Adam Schupak about the job.
Q. Tiger, is the Ryder Cup captaincy for 2027 a job that you would like to pursue?
TIGER WOODS: No one’s asked me about it.
Q. I’m asking you about it.
TIGER WOODS: No one’s asked me about it.
Q. Did you watch any of the Ryder Cup?
TIGER WOODS: I watched pretty much all of it and was talking to the players and the captains involved in it, everyone involved on the U.S. side.
The PGA of America generally announces a Captain in the first quarter of the year prior to the matches. A spokesperson confirmed that timing remains the same for 2027’s match at Adare Manor.
Keegan Bradley was announced in the summer of 2024 after Woods was given an open-ended opportunity to consider the job by then-PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. While Woods has been busy with his PGA Tour board duties, it’s still surprising that no one has reached out yet to gauge his interest.
The field for a 12-player, last-chance path into The Open will consist mainly of the alternates list. The event debuting in 2026 features a few noteworthy exceptions for the Monday of championship week’s inaugural edition at Royal Birkdale.
The leading two non-exempt players in the Official World Golf Ranking as published on Monday, July 6th.
The runner-up in The Amateur Championship, provided they are still an amateur on Monday, July 13th.
Players who missed out having been in a playoff at Final Qualifying.
Players who finished one position behind those who secured a place at Final Qualifying.
Players who were tied for a qualifying place in various events included as part of The Open Qualifying Series (excluding Scotland) but did not qualify due to a lower position in the Official World Golf Ranking.
A cynic might suggest this is just a way to move some Monday practice round tickets by giving fans something to watch. I, of course, would never stoop to that assumption. Given that most of the players would be on the alternates list and came close to qualifying, it figures to be competitive and a lively way to kick off the week.
Justin Thomas came on the No Laying Up podcast to discuss the Ryder Cup and spoke candidly on many topics, with his remarks on green speeds and a disagreement with those setting up the course made headlines. Unfortunately, many publications took his remarks to suggest that Bethpage’s greenkeeping staff was not complying with the wishes of the home squad.
“It’s like, ‘guys, we play golf every week, like, look on TV at how many guys are leaving putts short,” he said. “You can’t have a putt, roll, three feet, four feet past the hole. Like these greens are slow, speed them up.’ It was just bizarre because that’s not something you would expect at a home Ryder Cup. A fun advantage you generally have is being able to do that a little bit, and it was just so frustrating that we were being fought with and argued with on the speed of the greens that we asked for. So that was bizarre.”
The course setup is handled by the PGA of America, working with the Captain’s wishes in the months ahead of the event.
A more remarkable revelation from Thomas’s remarks to No Laying Up: that the USA squad still thinks super fast greens would somehow pose a problem for a European team that consists largely of American-based golfers, including the current Masters champion.
They used to call these things a promotion. Now we’re “elevating” to super towers The Super Tower. Translation: Colt Knost will be replacing the retiring-but-still-sounding-great Ian Baker Finch in the CBS booth, sitting alongside host Jim Nantz, lead analyst Trevor Immelman, and Frank Nobilo. CBS did not announce a replacement for Knost walking the fairways where Dottie Pepper and Mark Immelman remain.
Knost has been with CBS since 2019 as an on-course reporter. He has worked all but The Masters for the primary CBS Sports announce team. With his “elevation,” Knost will now join the Masters crew as well as the PGA Championship booth Super Tower team. Knost infamously passed up a chance to play the Masters after winning the 2007 U.S. Amateur to turn pro.
Since retiring as a professional, he’s carved out a nice niche blending humor and insight, evolving into a strong on-course voice willing to question player decision-making in big moments while also trimming down his comments, ably getting in and out as only the best on-the-ground voices do.
Besides The Masters and PGA Championship, CBS will have a robust 23-event schedule in 2026, concluding with the always spellbinding PGA Tour Playoffs.
Tiger Woods on watching Scottie Scheffler’s game. “I truly love watching him hit irons, the shaped shots that he hits, the trajectory, the window changes that he has, the distance control, the miss in the proper spot, the proper spin in certain pin locations. These are all subtle things that mean a lot over the course of 72 holes. That to me is impressive.”
Woods on his future. “I’d like to just come back to playing golf again. I haven’t played in a long time. It’s just been a tough year. A lot of things on and off the course. My passion is just to play, and I haven’t done that in a long time.”
Keegan Bradley on how he’s viewing the Ryder Cup two months removed from the USA’s 15-13 loss. “The darkest time of my life, probably. I mean, I don’t know how else to describe it. Certainly, definitely of my career. I have this gaping hole in my career now that I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to fill. This isn’t something that [where] you lose the Masters, you lose a tournament, [and say] ‘I’m going to work extra hard to get back and win.’ Being the captain of the Ryder Cup team is not something you can work hard for, it’s just something that’s sort of elected on you.”
Nick Faldo on the difficulty of winning another major for Rory McIlroy after clinching the career Grand Slam. “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, so I think it will be tough for Rory to win another one.”
Bryson DeChambeau on golf growing internationally by retracting. “I do think the game of golf will grow internationally. Scarcity will become more prevalent, which I think is good for players’ health and longevity. Honestly, for the professional sport, scarcity is very important.” 🧐
Former Captain Steve Stricker on the 2025 Ryder Cup outcome. “We want to win just as much as they do. Maybe more. And maybe that’s what’s getting in our way. They play that underdog role. They come in with a chip on their shoulder and I think we need to embrace that chippiness. I’m just wondering if something got lost in all that.”
🤒 Jack Snape on Rory McIlroy fever hitting Melbourne during day one of the Crown Australian Open.
🇦🇺 Joseph LaMagna talks to Mike Clayton about the state of Australian golf.
😍 Clayton on how the Australian Open feels like the good old days thanks to McIlroy’s visit.
🏌🏼♂️ Doug Stutsman with Fuzzy Zoeller recollections from friends and former competitors.
😎 Michael Bamberger reflects on Zoeller’s effortlessness and that one dreadful moment.
🇺🇸 Bob Harig talks to the last winning USA Ryder Cup Captain about what Steve Stricker thinks went wrong at Bethpage.
🧐 Joel Beall sorts through what might stay and what might go in a scarcity-driven PGA Tour schedule.
🤔 Iain Carter on the curious case of American Johnny Keefer closing in on a Masters invite thanks to two Korn Ferry Tour wins and the increasingly suspect OWGR.
🇸🇦 Money in Sport on PIF’s latest $113.3 million infusion into LIV that puts them over the $5 billion “invested” mark.
⛳️ Craig Dolch profiles incoming USGA President Kevin Hammer, whose golf life started by working in the cart barn.
🤮 Brian Phillips with an entertaining breakdown of Nuzzi vs. Lizzo.
😡 Jennifer Schuessler on why rage bait is the Oxford word of the year (even though it’s two words?).
🤦🏻 Tim McManus on Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo getting his house egged by fans unhappy after a home loss to the Bears. Yet another reminder that some Philadelphia fans were probably part of the Ryder Cup embarrassment.
On that cheery note, go Rams and enjoy the incredible golf coming out of Royal Melbourne this weekend,
Geoff
