'Having Three Majors In The USA Seems Arrogant'... Golf Fans On How The PGA Championship Must Change

With the 2025 PGA Championship disappearing in our rear-view mirror, I can't say that I am that sad to see it go.

After writing a scathing evaluation yesterday, stating the 2025 PGA Championship was the worst Major I can remember, I asked the Golf Monthly readers for their thoughts on the subject.

After receiving an overwhelming number of responses, it became even more apparent that this is a divisive topic which many golf fans have an opinion on, so I decided to break down the responses into four categories that could help to improve the PGA Championship.

In this article, I share the opinions and solutions shared by those who deserve a greater voice in the game... the avid golf fan.

Golf Fans Suggest 4 Ways The PGA Championship Must Change

Let me kick this off by saying, your voice and opinion matters.

If you haven't had your say on this debate yet, or you want to weigh in with another contribution, drop me a comment at the bottom of this article.

I will send you a reply as soon as possible, and we can really get to the bottom of how to move in the right direction after Scottie Scheffler dominated the field at the PGA Championship.

1. Move It Back To August

In 2017, the PGA of America decided to move the PGA Championship from its traditional August berth to a new May billing - starting in 2019.

The reasons for this revolved around the potential clash with golf in the Summer Olympics and an attempt to prevent the FedEx Cup clashing with the start of the football season.

Despite understanding the logic behind their decision, I can't get on board with it... and it appears that sentiment is also felt by many golf fans.

When responding to my evaluation of the PGA Championship, one Golf Monthly reader replied "Absolutely boring – it was better when it was the 'fourth major' played in August instead of May".

Another reader emailed me their thoughts, suggesting:

"I believe that the it (the PGA Championship) will always be bad if it’s played in May. One of the things I love most about the PGA is the occasional run to the leaderboard of a club professional.

"It is such a unique and exciting feature that is generally lacking from the other Majors, but I believe that we have seen the last of this given the May time slot.

"For virtually all club pros north of the Mason-Dixon Line, there isn’t enough time for them to hone their game. Moreover, they are busy with their duties, preparing their courses for member’s play."

Some of the best PGA Championships I can recall, like the 2018 edition where Brooks held off Tiger to win Bellerive Country Club, where held in August... and I would love to see it return to it's traditional home in the calendar and the 'fourth Major' spot.

2. Take The PGA Championship Global

I think this move would be an absolute no-brainer, and would inject life back into what I believe is a slowly dying Major.

The PGA Championship could be huge if it were taken on the road and around the globe, rather than being just like every other event on the PGA Tour, replacing it with a non-US based world PGA event.

I would wake up in the middle of the night to watch coverage of the tournament in Australia or book tickets to fly out to watch the action unfold at some of the most iconic European venues.

Imagine a PGA Championship at Valderrama, Crans-sur-Sierre or Royal Melbourne (which is due to host the 2025 and 2026 Australian Open) - the scenes would be electric.

Interestingly, I'm not alone in my ambition for a global Major, with one reader in particular sending me an email that aligns to my vision.

"The problem will never be solved until the 'fourth' Major is moved offshore. It needs to move between a variety of countries, like Japan, Sweden, Chile etc.

"Each carefully chosen and planned. Having three in the USA seems arrogant to the rest of us. Yes, money is a factor but frankly money has become the curse of the game."

Where would you like to see the PGA Championship played? Let me know in the comments box below.

3. Avoid Regular Tour Venues

I think one of the biggest issues I had with the 2025 PGA Championship was that it felt like any other PGA Tour event, specifically like the Wells Fargo Championship in fact.

We see Quail Hollow every year on the PGA Tour and I am rarely excited by it, but this year I felt it was not a proper Major Championship test.

A Major should be held on a course that is separate from the main circuit, an iconic venue that drives mass attention from golf fans across the world.

I love seeing the best players in the world tackle the likes of Bethpage Black and Whistling Straits, but perhaps that's because we don't see them every single year.

This point is one that has been raised by a number of our readers when commenting on my previous article, so there is plenty of support for a move away from tour venues in the PGA Championship.

One reader said, "The Masters is Augusta! That said, both Opens are played at iconic courses that aren’t on the regular tour schedule, so it’s often 'can’t miss TV'.

"I enjoy those venues as much as the event itself. The PGA Tour visits Quail Hollow yearly, to the point that this PGA Championship seemed like just another tour stop.

"Also, playing in May removes both the Northeast and Northwest from contention, further reducing any more iconic courses."

Another reader commented on Quail Hollow by saying, "Bad course, no character" – so I probed for their opinion on where they feel the PGA Championship should head to instead.

"Since it's now in May, we have to avoid the north east, unfortunately, due to possible bad weather.

"Bring the PGA Tour back to Doral via the PGA Championship. It's a great venue and great area. Courses don't have to pass the extreme difficulty test to have great tournaments".

We even created a 10-course PGA Championship rota that we feel would take the event to the next level, but do you agree? Join the conversation. You know what to do...

4. Improve The Quality Of TV Coverage

While watching the first Major of the season, I wrote a piece on becoming fed up with The Masters TV coverage, and I can't say things improved at the PGA Championship.

Viewers expressed frustration at the lack of Bryson DeChambeau coverage in the first two rounds of The Masters last month, so what is going wrong with their offer?

The amount of play that we miss due to a lack of full coverage throughout the day is ridiculous, especially during one of the sport's flagship events.

Imagine the first twenty minutes of the World Cup Final or The Super Bowl not being shown, or only showing the performance of certain cars at the Monaco Grand Prix... the idea is ludicrous.

When coverage is underway, our engagement is regularly interrupted by incessant ad breaks or unnecessary filler in the studio - detracting from a fully immersive experience.

This was also a position held by many of the Golf Monthly readers, with some being particularly critical of the coverage.

One comment read, "The broadcast was awful. Presumably it was down to relentless advertising in the US, but at some points after every other shot we were looking at the leaderboard. That nearly drove me to turn it off."

I went back to this reader with a follow-up question, asking what needs to change? Their response was measured and very interesting...

"I didn't have as much of an issue with The Masters or any other previous major. I watch in Australia and it may be different here. They tend to fill those gaps with interviews and chat rather than the leaderboard, and it wasn't as frequent or irritating.

"What I'd like to see change is for them to show more actual golf! Stating the obvious really, I know. Something more like the LIV broadcasts would be a vast improvement. They seem to show a hell of a lot more action, but unfortunately LIV doesn't have the same appeal as the majors.

"I realise that the networks need advertising to make money, but they do need to strike a better balance or people will start to turn off and their income will drop".

Another wrote, "It was the major topic last night with our group text. This PGA Championship had truly poor production value. It could have been the Travelers or Rocket Mortgage - the same tired coverage. This is a Major and needs some high level new ideas."

Think you have the new, high level ideas? I'd love to hear them. Comment below and get involved...