{"id":15552986,"date":"2024-11-10T22:41:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T03:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?post_type=article&p=15552986"},"modified":"2024-11-10T22:41:14","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T03:41:14","slug":"tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Check in <\/em><\/strong>every week<\/em><\/strong><\/a> 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 <\/em><\/strong>@golf_com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. This week, we discuss and more.  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Last week, the PGA Tour notified members of <\/strong>several proposed changes<\/strong><\/a> that could take place in the 2026 season, a couple of which would be handing out fewer Tour cards and reducing field sizes for some events. \u201cI hate all the changes they\u2019re making,\u201d Justin Lower said last week. \u201cSeems like anytime I do something good they make a change.” Lower, due to his ranking, would be one of the players most likely affected if these changes go through, but with all the Signature Event tweaks, field-size adjustments and constant change in the men’s game lately, does he have a point about the Tour changing too much and even running the risk of confusing the average fan? Is the Tour’s constant change good, bad, or inevitable?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n\n
\n
\n \n News <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \"Tiger <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n
Massive PGA Tour changes might be better than you think \u2014\u00a0here’s why<\/a><\/blockquote>\n By:<\/span>\n \n \n Dylan Dethier <\/a>\n \n , \n Sean Zak <\/a>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (<\/strong>@nickpia<\/strong><\/a>):<\/strong> From the fan\u2019s perspective, I think it depends on what you like about the pro game. Do you enjoy watching the stars and mostly familiar names week in and week out? Or do you prefer the occasional underdog? In a sentence, then, the dark horses might get squeezed out \u2014 but there\u2019s the strong possibility that the quality of play will improve, as it\u2019ll be harder to keep a Tour card. As for me, I\u2019m a fan of stories \u2014 and telling them! \u2014 and I think we\u2019ll lose some here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sean Zak, senior writer (<\/strong>@sean_zak<\/strong><\/a>): <\/strong>Lower definitely has a point, <\/em>but he\u2019s gonna have to work pretty hard to earn a ton of sympathy. He\u2019s just not one of the 40 or 60 or even top 100 golfers in the world. The truth these days is you need to be a top player to have the system always working in your favor. That is earned by really good golf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (<\/strong>@dylan_dethier<\/strong><\/a>): <\/strong>He definitely has a point. And there\u2019s definitely a cost to these changes. But the PGA Tour \u2014 and its big-time new consultants \u2014 have made this decision with fans and with simplicity in mind. I think this adds clarity to a confusing system, which is a good thing. Still work to do, of course \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Another one of the proposed changes was tweaking the pathway to the Tour, and 20 Korn Ferry Tour grads will now receive PGA Tour cards instead of 30. The DP World Tour will once again award 10 cards. <\/strong>In an interview<\/strong><\/a> last week following the Tour’s proposed changes, DP World Tour chief Guy Kinnings said it wouldn\u2019t surprise him if more Americans started to consider joining the DP World Tour. Do you agree? And are there advantages and disadvantages to this scenario?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n\n
\n
\n \n News <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \"The <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n
‘We really are the global tour’: Inside the DP World Tour’s fascinating limbo<\/a><\/blockquote>\n By:<\/span>\n \n \n Dylan Dethier <\/a>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

Piastowski:<\/strong> Yeah, I could potentially see that. On the DP World Tour, the purses are bigger, and the locations are more exotic. You can make a good living and travel the globe. But if your goal is the PGA Tour, 20 cards is still greater than 10. I\u2019m questioning how much things change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zak:<\/strong> Totally agree, but it\u2019ll be in reverse. As in those who finish outside the top 125 on the Tour first, then head to Europe, rather than those coming from college to Europe on their way to the Tour ranks. But as long as the purses on the KFT are somewhat comparable, the proximity to home is going to be a better fit for most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dethier: <\/strong>This week\u2019s DP World Tour field was a reminder that it\u2019s tough to put this circuit in a box \u2014 it\u2019s an epic global tour that\u2019s also a feeder tour, an outlet for LIV guys and a part-time stop for some of the biggest stars in the world. I\u2019m all for incorporating it more fully in the PGA Tour system \u2026 but there are still big-picture identity questions it has to confront. But as Rory McIlroy said this week, it\u2019s a tour with its options open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Austin Eckroat won the World Wide Technology Championship, besting Justin Lower and Carson Young by one and <\/strong>Max Greyserman<\/strong><\/a> by two in Mexico. Greyserman talked earlier in the week about his close calls, and with his third-place finish here, he’s now placed in the top five five times in his 27 career starts (including three 2nds) and still hasn’t won on Tour. Is he the best current PGA Tour player without a victory? Or does someone else hold that title?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n\n
\n
\n \n News <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \"Austin <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n
Behind a ridiculous 11 birdies, Austin Eckroat wins World Wide Technology<\/a><\/blockquote>\n By:<\/span>\n \n \n Nick Piastowski <\/a>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

Piastowski:<\/strong> I\u2019ll cheat here a bit and go with Tommy Fleetwood \u2014 the seven-time DP World Tour winner and multiple-time Ryder Cupper has stunningly never won on the PGA Tour. But if we\u2019re playing things straight up, gimme Denny McCarthy, maybe the Tour\u2019s best putter. Golf is a hard game. This all being said, Greyserman\u2019s too talented not to win, and I\u2019m thinking he jumps off this list quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zak: <\/strong>I think Greyserman needs to do it more than just one season to earn that title. It\u2019s definitely Tommy lad, as Nick points out. And it might not be close? Cameron Young comes to mind, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dethier: <\/strong>Let\u2019s get more specific: He\u2019s on the hottest current run of anyone without a Tour win. There\u2019s no guarantee one will ever come, but Greyserman seems to be the total package. He\u2019s high on every watch list for 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Ageless wonder <\/strong>Bernhard Langer<\/strong><\/a> won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday in Phoenix, extending his senior-circuit winning streak to 18 years and giving the 67-year-old pro his record-extending 47th win on PGA Tour Champions. Given Langer’s talent and longevity and the mass sums being made on the PGA Tour these days, is his PGA Tour Champions win record (which could still be added to) something that will ever be broken?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piastowski:<\/strong> No. Unless that dude who wears red on Sunday \u2014 who turns 49 next month! \u2014 commits to a full Champions schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zak: <\/strong>It will not be broken. It\u2019s ridiculous. I see that level of pro golf only developing more parity moving forward, too. Langer\u2019s records are safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dethier: <\/strong>The PGA Tour Champions is funny because your age works against you from the moment you make your debut. For everyone else, that is. Remarkable stuff and a testament to his discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. On Tuesday, <\/strong>GOLF<\/strong><\/a> will release its latest Top 100 Courses in the U.S. ranking, a list that dates back decades. Why do you believe this ranking continues to be important for the sport?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piastowski: <\/strong>All kinds of reasons! But maybe the biggest is you, the golfer, wins. Courses typically want to be on these kinds of lists \u2014 so, in turn, you get better golf, better experiences, better everything. That said, here\u2019s hoping we get better prices, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zak: <\/strong>I think it\u2019s because we love lists, and there\u2019s a ton of good stuff about this list. It allows for change when new courses come into play. It gives us all something to shoot for and talk about. It gives us a reason to travel! It\u2019s a lot of things in one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dethier: <\/strong>It\u2019s important because we love talking about golf courses, and comparing them, and making lists of our favorites. Our Top 100 doesn\u2019t have to be yours. It won\u2019t be! But it\u2019s a great jumping-off point for conversations, for debates, for dreams \u2026 and maybe even for making plans. It\u2019s impossible to make a perfect list just like it\u2019s impossible to compare pieces of art. But it\u2019s worth giving it the ol\u2019 college try anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GOLF\u2019s editors and writers discuss potential PGA Tour changes, the great Bernhard Langer and more in the latest Tour Confidential. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15552987,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-11-11T03:41:11Z","apple_news_api_id":"d3dbb065-fbd6-4cd1-8184-e4c9698ee24a","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-11-11T03:41:19Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A09uwZfvWTNGBhOTJaY7iSg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[37],"tags":[62072,61878,63445,61874,61362,61912],"class_list":["post-15552986","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bernhardlanger","tag-dpworldtour","tag-maxgreyserman","tag-pgatour","tag-top100courses","tag-tourconfidential"],"acf":{"enable_chirp_widget_integration":false,"tee_time_button_status":false,"wsum-gated-content":false,"allow_instaread_integration":false,"wsotp_enable_one_time_payment":false,"ad_meta":false,"article_template":"standard","featured_image_caption":"Bernhard Langer on Sunday after winning the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. ","featured_image_credits":"Getty Images","art_author":[{"ID":14071055,"post_author":"38","post_date":"2018-07-13 20:47:50","post_date_gmt":"2018-07-13 20:47:50","post_content":"","post_title":"GOLF Editors","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"golf-editors","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2019-07-19 13:59:44","post_modified_gmt":"2019-07-19 13:59:44","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.golf.com\/?post_type=golf_person&p=14071055","menu_order":0,"post_type":"contributor","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"art_source":"None"},"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nTour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"GOLF\u2019s editors and writers discuss potential PGA Tour changes, the great Bernhard Langer and more in the latest Tour Confidential.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GOLF\u2019s editors and writers discuss potential PGA Tour changes, the great Bernhard Langer and more in the latest Tour Confidential.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Golf\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/golf\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-11T03:41:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/BernhardLanger-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1856\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1044\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@golf_com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer\u00a0","description":"GOLF\u2019s editors and writers discuss potential PGA Tour changes, the great Bernhard Langer and more in the latest Tour Confidential.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer\u00a0","og_description":"GOLF\u2019s editors and writers discuss potential PGA Tour changes, the great Bernhard Langer and more in the latest Tour Confidential.","og_url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/","og_site_name":"Golf","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/golf\/","article_modified_time":"2024-11-11T03:41:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1856,"height":1044,"url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/BernhardLanger-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@golf_com","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/","url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/","name":"Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer\u00a0","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/BernhardLanger-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-11T03:41:07+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-11T03:41:14+00:00","description":"GOLF\u2019s editors and writers discuss potential PGA Tour changes, the great Bernhard Langer and more in the latest Tour Confidential.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/BernhardLanger-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/BernhardLanger-1.jpg","width":1856,"height":1044,"caption":"Bernhard Langer on Sunday after winning the Charles Schwab Cup Championship."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/tour-confidential-pga-tour-changes-bernhard-langer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/golf.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/","name":"Golf","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/#organization","name":"golf.com","url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/GOLF_logoGREEN.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/GOLF_logoGREEN.png","width":2130,"height":628,"caption":"golf.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/golf.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/golf\/","https:\/\/x.com\/golf_com","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/golf_com","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/golf-magazine\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/golfdotcom\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCzdMqRWzdF0JUJRIVa-dgDw"]}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"is_gated":false,"authors":[{"name":"GOLF Editors","url":"https:\/\/golf.com\/writers\/golf-editors\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/15552986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15552987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15552986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15552986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15552986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}