5/18/26
In an item from Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, the golf and sports media reporter shed some light on conversations around the 2028 PGA Tour schedule. Carpenter brought up points on the PGA of America’s new CEO, Terry Clark, golf ball rollback, and the future schedule of the PGA Tour.
He reported that “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.”
New CEO, Brian Rolapp, has mentioned the possibility of a “Track One” and “Track Two” tour, which “Track One” would feature the top players on the PGA Tour, and “Track Two” would serve as a tour between the Korn Ferry Tour and players on the PGA Tour trying to keep their card. Carpenter’s report doesn’t mention whether this would bring the top players on the PGA Tour to the region. Still, a PGA Tour event in the PNW is a pleasant surprise and shows a change in thought process. Under the previous Commissioner, Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour wasn’t willing to bring an event to the region because of The Boeing Classic of the PGA Tour Champions, and in their minds, that was good enough for the region.
Sahalee hosted the 1998 PGA Championship, and was scheduled to host the 2010 PGA Championship before the PGA of America fatuously moved the event from Sahalee to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. Sahalee also hosted the 2016 and 2024 Women’s PGA Championships. The famed course also hosted a WGC-NEC Invitational in 2002 for just one year.
Whether this comes to fruition or not is at least a step in the right direction, as the PGA Tour is finally starting to show some interest in bringing the Tour to the PNW. As for majors, don’t count on it. The USGA has said that due to logistical issues, Chambers Bay won’t host a U.S. Open, which is reasonable due to where Chambers Bay is located. Chambers Bay could be in the running for a PGA Championship, but the issue of logistics is still present. Attempting to move roughly 30,000 to 50,000 people around University Place is, at best, a nightmare. With the ball going as far as it is, and manufacturers who have no interest in making the game better by refusing to significantly roll back the ball and equipment, that also limits course options for these major championship sites, which causes even more logistical concerns.
There’s still more to come, as in June, Rolapp has said he will have more information about the future of the PGA Tour. With LIV Golf in flux and that tour not coming back to the region since 2022, when they hosted their inaugural event in the United States in Portland, Oregon, this provides a viable option for a large region of golf fans who have been left in the dust. Rolapp has talked about bringing the PGA Tour to larger regions of the country, and this would certainly check that box.
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