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 the PGA Tour’s Championship Series, the Tour’s playoffs, the Women’s Open and more.
1. The 2028 schedule dominoes are starting to fall, and in the past week we learned the first batch of Championship Series events will be the Travelers Championship, the newly minted Sompo Championship — which takes over the current Napa stop with a 2028 location TBD — the Sentry and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Any learnings from this?
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): We expected the Travelers, the Sentry and the Arnold Palmer to be among the top tier. It’s the newly announced Sompo Championship that’s intriguing here, though. Securing a new sponsor following a format shakeup should be considered a big win for the PGA Tour. Where the event will be played in two years will also be of interest. Stay tuned.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@Schrock_and_awe): The Tour’s ability to get a new sponsor to buy in for a Championship Series event with a $20 million purse is noteworthy. We’ve heard the demand from sponsors is higher than initially thought and this might prove that case. The rumored move of the Sompo to Seattle in 2028 would be a big win if it comes to pass.
Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): We’ve heard that the demand from sponsors is higher than expected, but who’s been telling us that? The Tour. Time will tell if that’s really the case. Meantime, it is an interesting change in status for what used to be the Procore, an event with such a low-wattage field that it had morphed into a kind of wine country version of the Waste Management, with live bands and food and other non-golf attractions aimed at ramping up interest. The rumored move to Seattle makes sense. A major market that doesn’t see a lot of pro golf. I’ve heard Sahalee tossed around as a potential site, but why not Chambers Bay? More interesting course. And public access, too.
2. Does a surprise Championship Series event (the Sompo) mean there could be more unpredictability than we anticipated?
Piastowski: Maybe. Let’s try to figure this out. We’re gonna get 23 to 24 events in the Championship Series, the Tour says — and that includes the Players, the four majors, the Tour Championship, an international team event (Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup) and, once every four years, the Olympics. So that’s seven or eight events. Let’s add two playoff events. That’s nine to 10 events. We know of the four above. That’s 13 to 14. The final 10? Likely candidates are the WM Phoenix Open, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Genesis Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, the Truist Championship and the Memorial. So … the final three could be interesting.
Schrock: I don’t know how unpredictable it could get. With the Heritage, Pebble, Cadillac, Memorial, Genesis, WMPO and Truist presumably filling Championship slots, we don’t have a lot of room for shock. I feel like the winds are blowing toward the 3M getting a spot, which would be a surprise of sorts.
Sens: There’s not a lot of room left for wild surprises. What’s less obvious is which sponsors will step up. In that sense, it seems likely to be a tail-wagging-the-dog type scenario. Which event becomes part of the Championship Series will depend more on the interests of the sponsor than on the merits of the tournament itself.
3. The FedEx Cup Playoffs are just around the corner, and this week’s Wyndham Championship is the last chance for pros to play their way into the top 70. Rocket Classic winner Michael Thorbjornsen made a massive jump Sunday (69th to 38th) and others will look to do the same in North Carolina. Which bubble-boy player is most intriguing to you? [click on “projected” here to see updated standings]
Piastowski: I’m going right to Mr. 70 at the moment — Jackson Koivun. Don’t you get the feeling he’ll make a run in the playoffs? Then get a call to the Presidents Cup team? Then get one to next year’s Ryder Cup team? Just having some fun here.
Schrock: It’s Brooks Koepka. Withdrew from the Rocket with an injury so his playoffs are in doubt. Needs a big week, if he plays, to not see his season end next week. Honorable mention to Tony Finau, who has been fighting it this year and needs something special to keep his playoff streak alive.
Sens: I’d add Keegan Bradley to that list. Currently at 72, just outside the bubble. He may never get over the Ryder Cup, but nabbing a spot in the playoffs wouldn’t hurt his mood.
4. The PGA Tour debuted a new announcer-free stream for all four rounds of the Rocket Classic in which the focus was on player-caddie interaction, crowd reactions and natural course audio. What did you think? And what do you think could be done differently or better next time?
Piastowski: Hand raised, I didn’t tune in to this, but I think it’s extremely dependent on the PGA Tour’s “talkers.” Otherwise, it’s a bit stale. But what I very much want to see is pro golf’s version of the Manningcast. Two former pros as hosts. Fun guests. Some analysis. Action in the background.
Schrock: It seems like an interesting idea that needs more work. I could do with a lot of caddie-player convo with a walking on-course reporter and no play-by-play and desk commentator. This was fun and interesting at times but needs work.
Sens: I think it works well in small doses, but, as Nick suggests, it depends on the players and the caddies, and which announcer voices are being silenced. Not all network commentators are created equal. Some add so little to the broadcast that I’d almost rather hear chatbots discussing the action, which, come to think of it, is probably where we’re headed anyway.
5. Shiho Kuwaki beat Esther Henseleit on the second playoff hole to win the AIG Women’s Open on Sunday in England, officially putting a bow on the women’s major season. What was your 2026 major-season takeaway for the LPGA? And which pro is most upset wondering what could have been with the major season now in the rearview?
Piastowski: Nelly Korda is great, Haeran Ryu is great, playing majors at great venues is great. I really thought Jeeno Thitikul would win a major this year, though. She did post three top 10s. A one-under on Sunday would have gotten her in the playoff. She’ll break through eventually.
Schrock: The LPGA got the major start that it wanted with Nelly ripping off the first two. They did their best to parlay that into more interest but needed more from Charley Hull, Lydia Ko, Jeeno Thitikul and other star names. Haeran Ryu went on an epic heater and looked like she was poised to win three in a row before Lytham punched her on Saturday. Hull should be kicking herself after another major season without a win. She did her best to push Korda at the USWO but came up short. I thought she had a chance on Sunday at Lytham (as did 10 others) but couldn’t hit the shots down the stretch. She’s now 0-for-65 in majors, and while she still has a lot of runway in front of her, sometimes you’re just always a bridesmaid.
Sens: Hull is a great personality and a compelling player. But I sense a bit of a Rickie Fowler phenomenon to her stardom, where her popularity outstrips her actual performance. She has three career wins on the LPGA Tour. That’s a fine accomplishment. But the sky-high expectations around her in the majors are a tad unrealistic. As for what might have been … Haeran Ryu can’t possibly be disappointed with her major campaign. But I’d understand her feeling wistful after this past weekend, when a chance for what would have been a historic three straight eluded her.
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