<\/p>\n While rare, this isn\u2019t completely unheard of \u2013 sometimes you\u2019re away with the fairies, on a different train of thought or simply engaged in whatever else you happen to be doing. What was unusual, however, was the fact I didn\u2019t have any desire to stream the action once I\u2019d looked at the scores, despite several players being within three shots of the lead.<\/p>\n Latest Videos FromGolf Monthly<\/p>\n This was the PGA Tour<\/a>\u2019s season-ending tournament and I was prepared to give all my attention to the Real Housewives of Beverley Hills, Selling Sunsets or whatever inane program I was obliged to endure as collateral for my earlier football watching. But why?<\/p>\n It\u2019s a simple question without a simple answer, but the bottom line is I\u2019m as apathetic towards non-Major and Ryder Cup<\/a> golf as I\u2019ve ever been. That\u2019s a surprising reality for someone who\u2019s historically been an avid watcher of the PGA Tour and works for a golf media brand. Here, I\u2019m going to attempt to work out why that is.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n You could certainly argue I\u2019ve been overexposed to golf given what I do for a living, but I\u2019d counter that by saying the fact I work where I work shows just how much I love the game.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also not someone who loses interest in things I\u2019m passionate about. I\u2019ve been a staunch follower of Aston Villa, NFL and cricket for most of my life and I\u2019m as engaged with those entities as I\u2019ve ever been.<\/p>\n Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter<\/p>\n So, that points to the landscape, the players and the product, and that\u2019s where I think the issues lie. Cultural factors \u2013 both within golf and wider society \u2013 have also played a role, too.<\/p>\n \n Scottie Scheffler took home the FedExCup at East Lake<\/p>\n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n Let\u2019s deal with the Tour Championship and the FedExCup<\/a> play-offs first. I don\u2019t want to be critical of a man who\u2019s an absolute phenomenon and, in my eyes at least, enjoying a stretch of golf to rival peak Tiger<\/a> Woods, but Scottie Scheffler<\/a> does not set my pulse racing one bit.<\/p>\n Is he a nice man? I\u2019ve never met him, but he seems to be. Golf Monthly columnist Wayne Riley speaks glowingly about him and he\u2019s always come across well in interviews and interactions I\u2019ve seen. Is he a great of the game? Absolutely and unequivocally. Does that mean I want to watch him? Not always. In fact, I\u2019d probably revise that to \u2018not often\u2019.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n That\u2019s not his fault, of course, and I suspect he couldn\u2019t care less. In his eyes, his job is doing everything he can to put himself in the best possible position to win.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a wider point here about the role of professional sportsmen in an entertainment industry, which is a nuanced discussion. How do we even define entertainment – is it solely based on on-course skill or is there more to the story?<\/p>\n Clearly, it\u2019s impossible to force someone to show personality \u2013 either on or off the course \u2013 or wear their heart on their sleeve. But variety is the spice of life, and from my vantage point, the PGA Tour is underseasoned.<\/p>\n It certainly doesn\u2019t help that collegiate programs have become so professionally run, and that players are media trained to within an inch of their lives. When I first started in the industry and was given time to interview players, I could take things in whatever direction I wanted and discussions were often more open, honest, free-flowing and tangential.<\/p>\n Now, it\u2019s harder than ever to get time with players \u2013 social media is the main culprit there \u2013 and questions often have to be submitted in advance. It\u2019s become overmanaged and inorganic, as things tend to when people see the potential to make money off something.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t help players that mobile phones are constantly thrust into their faces and everything they do is being recorded \u2013 something Scheffler has spoken about.<\/p>\n In the cancellation-culture era and an age where negativity can spread across social media like wildfire, it\u2019s no surprise most professionals don\u2019t do anything out of the ordinary or stick their head above the parapet.<\/p>\n And those who do, like Rory McIlroy<\/a>, often face plenty of scorn for speaking their mind. It\u2019s not an environment conducive to producing the next Seve Ballesteros.<\/p>\n \n Seve Ballesteros was a true golfing maverick<\/p>\n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n Similar and familiar <\/p>\n Overexposure is a factor, too. Open any social media platform and you\u2019ll see endless clips of the top players playing, practising, speaking and even just walking, a great number being recorded by fans at golf tournaments who would seemingly rather record the action than be a genuine part of it.<\/p>\n Watching a shot being played on TV with hundreds of people behind on their phones is genuinely off-putting to me.<\/p>\n I wish the PGA Tour would follow Augusta National<\/a>\u2019s example and ban mobile phones, but I don\u2019t see tournament organisers signing up to something that would reduce reach on social media \u2013 sadly the name of the game these days.<\/p>\n This distasteful phenomenon was again apparent at East Lake<\/a>, a golf course I struggle to get excited about. It\u2019s clearly a good layout, but I\u2019ve seen it all before.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also succumbed to the modern trend of making some two-shotters 540 yards because of an obsession with having a par of 70. I know it\u2019s arbitrary as it\u2019s the total score that matters, but I still don\u2019t like it; it feeds into the perception that courses are becoming too similar.<\/p>\n Part of the problem \u2013 and we saw it with the other play-off tournaments \u2013 is courses need be of a certain type to stage top-tier professional events. More specifically, they need to have enough space, so all too often we\u2019re presented with layouts that boast similar characteristics.<\/p>\n This season, I even found myself struggling to get excited about places like Bay Hill, Riviera and Torrey Pines. At this point, you\u2019d be forgiven for calling me a miserable curmudgeon, but I can’t shake the feeling the PGA Tour has become a bit stale.<\/p>\n In 2026, events were played at the following familiar venues: Wailae Country Club, Pete Dye\u2019s Stadium course at La Quinta, Torrey Pines, TPC Scottsdale, Riviera, PGA National, Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass, Innisbrook, TPC San Antonio, Augusta National, Harbour Town, TPC Louisiana, Doral, Quail Hollow, Colonial, Muirfield Village\u2026 you get the idea.<\/p>\n Last month, I was transfixed by the Danish Golf Championship, which had a field far weaker than any PGA Tour event in 2026. But the course was exciting, novel and captivating, and it really drilled home the relationship between originality and interest. Many of the PGA Tour\u2019s host venues have been the same for decades.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if the PGA Tour sees this familiarity as a good thing, if it\u2019s commercially driven or if it\u2019s a case of \u2018if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u2019, but some things are broken and do need fixing.<\/p>\n \n Some courses, like Riviera, are on our screens every year<\/p>\n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n Change… but not for the better<\/p>\n There has been a lot of change since the introduction of LIV Golf<\/a>, but, in my opinion, none of it has improved the experience for the golf fan. The PGA Tour\u2019s reaction to the Saudi-backed circuit\u2019s emergence revolved almost entirely around keeping its players happy. Somewhere along the way, they forgot to put the devoted viewer first.<\/p>\n They convinced themselves Designated and then Signature Events were a step forward for the tour and its followers, but I\u2019m yet to find a single person who thinks their inauguration was a good thing.<\/p>\n In reality, the introduction of these enhanced tournaments only further lined the pockets of those who felt they should be rewarded for eschewing the advances of a nation state repeatedly accused of sportswashing.<\/p>\n Around the same time, in among the squabbling, bickering and lawsuits, players, administrators and broadcasters decided fans wanted to hear relentlessly about prize funds and professional wealth in a cost of living crisis.<\/p>\n Almost overnight, it was collectively decided money would become the new barometer for deciding if a tournament was prestigious. History, tradition and legacy started playing second fiddle and receiving less airtime than funding, the Player Impact Programme and the Aon Risk Reward Challenge.<\/p>\n Money is certainly linked to perceived excitement, too. Only Scheffler and Cameron Young<\/a> \u2013 two of the biggest culprits in the ‘unenthused celebrations’ realm \u2013 know how they feel when they win a golf tournament, but it\u2019s hard for me to get pumped up about their victories when they barely show any emotion themselves.<\/p>\n In Scheffler\u2019s case, maybe it had something to do with the fact he\u2019d already banked $33m in bonus money ahead of the Tour Championship \u2013 $10m for leading the regular season rankings and $23m for occupying top spot in the PGA Tour rankings after the BMW Championship. That\u2019s in addition to his on-course earnings.<\/p>\n So, before East Lake, he\u2019d already made more than $50 million dollars. Then, he earned an extra $10m for his victory. Previously, that was life-changing money. Now, it\u2019s just a drop in the ocean. No wonder he doesn\u2019t get particularly animated.<\/p>\n The PGA Tour really misses Bryson DeChambeau<\/a> for many reasons, but I\u2019d argue his maverick personality and heart-on-his-sleeve nature are top of the list. It\u2019s a stark contrast to the current status quo on America\u2019s biggest circuit.<\/p>\n His golfing prowess is clearly hard to replace, too. There\u2019s no denying LIV Golf has taken away some quality players from the PGA Tour and weakened the latter in the process. Bryson, Jon Rahm<\/a>, Dustin Johnson<\/a>, Joaquin Niemann<\/a>, Tyrrell Hatton<\/a>, Cameron Smith<\/a> and others are all world-class golfers with interesting and unique personalities.<\/p>\n The schedule makers also decided that having a \u2018massive\u2019 event seemingly every week between February and August was sensible. Every year, the NFL is a constant reminder that scarcity is a good thing.<\/p>\n Ironically, American Football is to blame for the schedule being far too congested. But the PGA Tour couldn\u2019t possibly space things out a bit more and risk clashing with the NFL, could it? Well, it could, but its choices have been all about money for some time now.<\/p>\n \n Bryson DeChambeau has been a big miss for the PGA Tour<\/p>\n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n Reasons for positivity <\/p>\n That said, I do think there\u2019s hope for the future. I\u2019ve been impressed with Brian Rolapp<\/a> since he became the PGA Tour\u2019s CEO \u2013 he seems prepared to mix things up, take risks, improve the fan experience and do what\u2019s necessary to get the circuit back on track. I think he\u2019s the shot in the arm the PGA Tour badly needed.<\/p>\n As an example, he\u2019s been a key driver in the decision to end the season with a two-week match-play event from 2028<\/a>, even though it\u2019s no secret TV networks much prefer stroke play. He\u2019s also talked about taking the tour to some iconic courses that might previously have been seen as unsuitable given modern requirements.<\/p>\n![\"Scottie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/caWCXaPyf4ibQdYUhPabVC.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Seve](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/HpF5PZQ5Ua8m9KzLxsDVd7.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/XxkSmt7i6WubMePBYY4oSU.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Bryson](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/LxV6AZhBtW44QH3LAZRDaN.jpg\")
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