It was a mostly quiet start to the week at the PGA Championship near Philadelphia, but three themes emerged from the ground at Aronimink Golf Club, reports SBJ’s Josh Carpenter:
- PGA’s new leadership: A lot of eyes were on new PGA of America CEO Terry Clark, who faced the media for the first time since taking the position in early March. Overall, Clark played it pretty close to the vest and didn’t make much news, a stark departure from last year’s PGA Championship press conference. He indicated the tournament wouldn’t be moved from its May date and also commented on the proposed rollback of the golf ball, saying the organization would refrain from supporting anything that would negatively impact the recreational player. Clark laid out three main goals: Strengthening the org’s PGA professionals; growing the game across all levels; and continuing to find a way to elevate the PGA’s championships.
- The golf ball rollback: Much has been made about the USGA and R&A’s proposed plan to roll back the ball in 2030 in an effort to curb the distance gains by the world’s top players. But Golfweek reported on Wednesday that Cameron Young — the No. 3 ranked player in the world — has been playing a Titleist ball since late last year that would conform with the new rules. Young has won twice this year — including the Players Championship, when he bombed a 375-yard drive on the 18th hole en route to victory, the longest in the history of the hole. Young’s new golf ball was the talk of Aronimink on Thursday. His prolific distance even with a conforming golf ball made several executives ask the same question: Would a rollback even be worth it?
- Schedule, schedule, schedule: The PGA Tour’s changing schedule remains a hot-button issue. As of Friday, 13 dates have been confirmed for the 2027 schedule through next year’s PGA Championship. But there are still some holes in early 2027. None of the tour’s Florida Swing tournaments have had dates posted outside the Players Championship, leading sources to believe a date shift could be coming for events like the Cognizant Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Valspar Championship or Cadillac Championship. Also, the tour is expected to make significant changes to its 2028 schedule, and one new region has been gaining steam as a possible addition. The Pacific Northwest is one that sources pointed to as a likely addition to the 2028 schedule, with several executives mentioning Sahalee Country Club near Seattle as an option. It’s a region starved for pro golf, and a move there by the tour would likely be a popular one among both fans and players.
