The PGA Tour changed this week. Here’s how it looks

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — If there’s a metropolis worthy of stress-testing skilled golf’s unique, star-focused, image-obsessed, high-priced, overtly capitalist new enterprise mannequin, it’s, for apparent causes, Los Angeles.

In some methods, the PGA Tour’s Signature Events series was constructed precisely for Hollywood’s professional golf event, the Genesis Invitational. There’s an enormous, high-profile sponsor (Genesis); a residing legend event host (Tiger Woods); a traditionally unique and highly-regarded golf course (Riviera Nation Membership) and the most effective fields in all {of professional} golf. If the Tour’s new format for Signature Occasions — starry fields, restricted (or no) cuts, heaps of cash — can’t work right here, it’s exhausting to think about the place it may possibly.

That pondering is what received numerous the golf world to coach its consideration on Riviera in the beginning of the week. Tiger’s return to the game mattered deeply, in fact, however his presence was emblematic of a much bigger shift on the PGA Tour — a world the place one of the best compete in opposition to one another extra typically and, in concept, extra curiously.

We’ve got seen glimmers of this transition during the last 12 months, however by no means fairly just like the Genesis, which is the primary bold-faced limited-field occasion of the yr, and as such the primary bold-faced limited-field occasion because the Tour adopted its radical new construction of existence in early 2023. (Pebble Seaside was additionally a limited-field occasion, however by no means fairly felt that means given the event’s pro-am construction and dreadful climate.) Might the Tour survive its first large take a look at? And extra importantly, would LA’s entertainment-desensitized viewers care?

The primary solutions arrived on Wednesday, when Riv welcomed an invite-only pro-am on the eve of the event. Those that paid the purported $10,000 entry payment received their cash’s value: the sector was crammed with superstars of golf and past, together with celebrities like Al Michaels, Will Arnett and Josh Allen. A smaller group of VIPs and VUJs (Very Unimportant Journalists) have been permitted to wander the fairways with these teams, watching Woods’ ultimate apply spherical and Allen’s missile-launcher-adjacent driver and Arnett’s annoyingly charming scally cap in an viewers of lower than 200.

The vibe was subdued and inarguably clubby, and the dearth of followers left the entire thing feeling like the alternative of no matter the professionals imply of their weekly calls to “develop the sport.” However there was a particular vitality among the many smaller group who had been admitted on property — the identical variety the Tour is hoping the occasion will engender extra broadly. Because the teams lapped the par-4 tenth, a volunteer named Rick might hardly stifle a giggle.

“I used to play within the Professional-Am, however now I’m being ‘financially accountable’ [finger quotes] on a set revenue,” he cracked. “I’d like at this time much more than these days.”

Rick was there once more as soon as the followers arrived on Thursday morning, although his pleasure appeared blunted. In comparison with final week’s riot management, volunteering on the Genesis doesn’t provide a lot by means of drunken pleasure or concern about overcrowding. Moderately, the job is pretty commonplace people-moving, which is admittedly much less glitzy than watching celeb tee pictures, even for an occasion with fewer gamers a ton of stars.

Did the smaller subject or higher starpower have any impact on the week’s crowd sizes? It appears unlikely. Even for these watching the principle occasion (Tiger Woods), good vantage factors may very well be had on all however probably the most claustrophobic holes. Sunday grounds tickets may very well be had on the eve of the event’s ultimate day for $110, face worth, and clubhouse tickets for $175. That isn’t a red-alarm subject, however contemplating the Tour’s efforts at taking the Signature Occasions big-time will sooner or later require engaging the curiosity of ticket-buying golf followers, it qualifies as notable.

We gained’t know for just a few days how the event did with these watching from elsewhere, although expectations are excessive. The West Coast hours imply primetime viewing in a lot of the U.S., and the quiet sports activities schedule means restricted competitors. Yearly, the event’s scores are among the better of the yr.

However scores are just one measure of success with the Tour’s Signature Occasions mannequin; one other is leisure worth. This week’s broadcast has been a serious win to that finish, the place the brisk tempo of play and shorter tee time window supplied an uncommon sense of propulsion to the motion.

“The stream of all the pieces is very nice,” Jason Day agreec. “There’s not a large backup on 10 like there normally is. So it’s sort of good to have the ability to have that. I’m fairly pleased with it.”

CBS, this week’s broadcaster, has seized on the shift. The community invested further in its Genesis manufacturing, tweaking digital camera setups and tracer areas to maximise the viewing expertise and shot-watching capabilities. Producer Sellers Shy rigged a remote-operated digital camera inside one of many palm bushes on the tenth gap, arguably probably the most well-known on the course, to present viewers a brand-new vantage level of the motion.

“On the finish of the day, the Tour is elevating its product with the Signature Occasions,” Shy advised GOLF. “We really feel it’s essential that we increase ours. We would like viewers to really feel the distinction.”

After all, no quantity of cameras could make up for a dry story — and to that finish, the Tour has additionally been blessed. Friday’s “minimize” day — the place solely 19 gamers have been faraway from a subject of 70 — featured sufficient Tour drama to fill a complete month, with an ambulance-chasing Tiger Woods WD and an totally stupefying Jordan Spieth DQ. The draw back of these occasions is that the Tour enters Sunday with out two of the 5 greatest stars within the subject by any goal measure, and it misplaced each of them by way of no cutline of its personal. The upside is that Woods and Spieth’s exits fueled a day’s value of breathless protection from throughout the sports activities world, giving the Genesis a short sort of golf monoculture sometimes reserved just for the majors.

As for the massive focus of the Tour’s Signature Occasions mannequin — the efficiency of the celebrities who remained by way of to the weekend — the jury remains to be out. Patrick Cantlay (-14) leads after 54 unglamorously sensible holes, whereas a bunch of different stars stay inside putting distance (Xander Schauffele, -12; Will Zalatoris, -12; Jason Day, -10; Hideki Matsuyama, -8). Will these names be sufficient to raise the Genesis into must-watch TV on a Sunday in late February? The Tour hopes, however as is the case with all however just a few gamers and occasions, a heart-thumping end would assist.

And isn’t that why we’re right here? This week is the primary take a look at of the Tour’s skill to coax extra drama out of the identical pile of superstars, a take a look at that has severe implications for the long-term worth of its enterprise mannequin. In concept the Signature Occasions are an incredible concept, nevertheless it’s essential to keep in mind that till we’ve witnessed a considerable shift, the Siggies are nonetheless very a lot in concept.

“I imply, that is — I don’t know the way lengthy these Signature Occasions are going to run for,” Rory McIlroy stated ominously. “If it’s going to be a yr, after which they’re going to take a look at them once more and see what labored and what didn’t work.”

And goodness, what a aid. It was a long time of aggressive stagnation and contentment that resulted within the upheaval of the final two years. The answer to golf’s future certainly isn’t to discover a totally different variety of stagnation and contentment.

In spite of everything, the purpose is just not that the PGA Tour has modified; it’s that the Tour is the change. What it’s at this time and what it’s tomorrow are two sides of the identical shapeshifting coin. The one constants are the gamers … and the paydays.

McIlroy punctuated it nicely from the rostrum on Saturday afternoon, the identical day he and virtually the entire PGA Tour’s different stars moved one spherical nearer to a different big-money Sunday on the Genesis.

“I feel for these actually large occasions and those that carry numerous that means and historical past — Riviera, Memorial, Bay Hill, these form of occasions — I feel this week’s labored fairly nicely,” he stated. “It will be nice to have a pair further guys nonetheless enjoying over the weekend, however general I feel it’s labored fairly nicely up to now.”

Fairly nicely, certainly. However nicely sufficient?

We’ll discover out on Sunday in LA.

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is a information and options editor at GOLF, writing tales for the web site and journal. He manages the Scorching Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and makes use of his on-camera expertise throughout the model’s platforms. Previous to becoming a member of GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse College, throughout which period he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Lengthy Island, the place he’s from. He could be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.