Over the last few decades, the game of golf and the PGA Tour has done its best to grow the game, not only to the future stars in the game but to other parts of the world, outside of Europe and the United States.
In addition to the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, there are golf leagues in Mexico, Australia, Asia, Japan and South Africa.
Internationals stars, such as the likes of Rory McIlroy in the present day or Vijay Singh, who has the most PGA Tour wins by a players not born in the U.S., including nine victories alone in 2004, have done their best in keeping golf alive, both on and off the course.
The PGA Tour has done its best to expand its schedule beyond the United States, playing events in Japan (ZOZO Championship), the Caribbean, Mexico as well as its two-tournament schedule in July in Europe that combine the Scottish Open and the final major of the year, the Open Championship.
In years past, the PGA Tour has even had tournaments scheduled in mainland Asia, for example the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, held annually in China before COVID-19 pandemic.
Could there be more to grow the game of golf?
The short answer is yes, but it is complicated.
How Rory McIlroy envisions growing the PGA game
However, one of the game’s best players has an idea.
Former world No. 1 and current world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who is looking to defend his Dubai Desert Classic title this week on the DP World Tour, has a vision.
McIlroy envisioned the best men’s professional golf tour would entail a schedule that features events all over the world, not only in the U.S.
“I think the opportunity here is global,” McIlroy said to reporters at the Dubai Desert Classic on Wednesday. “There’s still massive events in America and I think they have huge history and tradition, and they need to be kept. There’s a lot of opportunity elsewhere.”
This follows McIlory resigning from the PGA Tour Policy Board as a Player Director in November after being an active voice the previous couple years favoring and supporting the PGA Tour as players were leaving to the LIV Golf Circuit.
The four-time major champion thought of a format like the Champions League, Europe’s top soccer competition, where you remain at the top level by successful performances while adding in a global schedule.
“The way I view it is a bit like [the] Champions League in football,” McIlroy said. “It’s like the best of the best in Europe, and then all of the other leagues feed up into it. There’s lots of different tours getting interest and a lot of great players, but if you want to create something that is real value for the game of golf, I think it’s this top-level tour and then all the other tours feed into it.”
The Champions League also rewards teams who are in lower leagues to work their way up and get into the top league.
This also comes a year after the PGA Tour heightened the competition to its playoff format, going from 125 players reaching the first of three playoff tournaments to 70.
McIlroy said having an idea like having a Champions League-style format is going to take a lot, from all parties, not only between players and the leaders not on the course.
“There’s a lot of different interests in the game and I think what we need to do first is align interests of the players, of the business and the fans and the media,” McIlroy said. “Once you can do that, then you can move forward. So, it’s the aligning of interests to get to that dream scenario.”
Having everyone come together is the challenging part, but the overall goal is present of having the best golfers on the planet come together.
That is why each the four majors – the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and the Open Championship – still hold their legacy of digging out the best competition on a difficult course after 72 holes of play.
It is also how the PGA Tour has evolved over the last couple of years adding in the designated and signature events for the top players on the Tour to compete, in addition to its changes to the playoff format.
However, the one thing that is changing constantly but is still trying to be figured out are the fans and the different generations by how they watch the game.
“We’re transitioning into a different world, and I think people consume their content differently than they once did,” McIlroy said. “They want things on their phones; they want things on their iPads. The consumer now versus the consumer 20 years ago, is different.”
As golf continues to change, both with the format on the course and the consumers off the course, McIlroy said it is important for the game to rebuild that unity it once had.
“I’ve said this for the last few months, but golf is at an inflection point,” he said. “If golf doesn’t do it now, I fear it will never do it and we’ll have this fractured landscape forever. I hope it all works all.”