‘They've Taken A Big Swing’ – Rory McIlroy Reacts To Tour Championship Overhaul

Rory McIlroy has given his reaction to the new-look Tour Championship, which will begin in 2028.

Details of the revamp were announced ahead of this week’s event at East Lake, with the new-look event to take place in a match play format over two weeks and at different venues.

He said: "I think the PGA Tour and the Future Competition Committee and Brian and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is match play.

"Brian took me through the plan last week for the first time. I didn't really know anything about it.

“It's certainly different. Two weeks, two different venues. But it's cool. I think they've taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it.”

In total, 32 players will qualify for the Tour Championship via the season-long points list, with half progressing to week two.

McIlroy added: “The first week will be great trying to get into that top 16, and then the second week, I think for me, one thing I said to Brian [Rolapp] is you really want to win a few matches in that second week.

“It's going to be hard for some guys to be playing match play and playing for 14th position or whatever it is.”

Under a wider PGA Tour revamp, which will see tiers introduced with the top-level Championship Series and the Challenger Series, the season-long winner will be recognized at the event before the Tour Championship.

That will be at the PGA Tour Championship Series Finale, which McIlroy also likes the sound of.

He added: “I think all the incentives are there, and the regular season champion is going to be adequately rewarded after that final stroke-play event, and then the Tour Championship match play is going to be completely different.

“But I think it's sort of a departure from what we've had the last few years, but I do think it'll be a great thing.”

The new-look PGA Tour schedule is likely to have knock-on effects for other circuits, not least the DP World Tour, and McIlroy believes it offers an opportunity to help incentivize players to compete on the Europe-based circuit.

He explained: “I think if the PGA Tour are going to play from February through to August, the DP World Tour have five months where, with the help of the PGA Tour and maybe some others, can really shine and really shine a spotlight on international golf and put on some of the biggest sort of international events in golf.”

Later, he went into more detail, adding: “I think with what the PGA Tour has been through with changing its competitive model and its structure, I think if the DP World Tour could do something similar, where you host all of your best events in that five-month time frame.

“It would allow guys to take up membership, to then have something to play for at the end of the DP World Tour season, if they choose to do that.

“Because this Tour is not starting until February it looks like in 2028, that means you could put the final events of the DP World Tour season in January.

“So people could actually go over, whether it's to the Middle East or elsewhere, to play those final two events, if that was something that was interesting to them, and then also could be at their first couple of events of the season to make sure they're ready to go for the Championship Series in 2028.”

Of course, McIlroy has a foot in both camps, which has limited his PGA Tour involvement in 2026, something he doesn’t envisage changing.

He said: “I think the thing is I play at least 22 times around the world in a calendar year, which is as much if not more than some of the other top players in the world.

“It's just that I limit my schedule in the US because I have a heavy schedule in the fall internationally.

“I would like to keep that number around that same mark, like 20 to 22 events. That seems to be a good number for me.

“If I'm committed to playing that sort of heavier schedule in the fall to go over to the DP World Tour and support that, then yeah, my schedule on the PGA Tour is going to be quite light compared to some others.”

‘Leave Amateurs Alone. Bifurcate. I’m All For Bifurcation’

McIlroy also touched on a subject never top far from rearing its head: the golf ball rollback.

Initially, plans were in place to ensure elite-level golfers used conforming balls by January 2028. However, in June it was confirmed a rollback will not be introduced at any level of the game before January 2030.

Regardless, McIlroy believes regulation of the equipment is needed, in whatever form that may take.

He said: “Yes, it may take a couple extra years to figure out what the need is, but I think everyone agrees that the equipment needs to be regulated. It needs to be regulated. It just can't keep carrying on at the rate it's going. Not at the elite level.

“Leave amateurs alone. Bifurcate. I'm all for bifurcation.

"But I think at this level, to keep some of those golf courses relevant that we want to go to and we're talking about, I think equipment, whether that's ball, whether that's club, whatever that means, I think it has to be regulated to a higher degree than it is at the minute.”