PGA Tour schedule changes coming. Will it hurt Cognizant Classic?

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — Brian Rolapp made it clear, changes are coming to the PGA Tour.

What it will look like? The PGA Tour CEO offered an outline during his 45 minute update before about 1,100 people at PGA Tour Global Home the day before the start of The Players Championship.

But few specifics.

When will it happen? Likely over the next two years.

How will this impact events like the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches ? We got some clarity but still that is yet to be determined.

MORE ON COGNIZANT: Jack Nicklaus does not think PGA Tour will sacrifice Cognizant Classic

Rolapp confirmed what most expected:

• The season will start in late January, the schedule will include two tracks (tiers) with promotion and relegation.

• The schedule will include up to 26 events — 120-player fields and a cut — with at least 16 Signature Events, The Players Championship, the majors and the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.

• The playoffs will be enhanced, including the possibility of match play.

• Large markets such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Boston are being explored.

"The committee's focus has been on the competitive model built on meritocracy," Rolapp said. "This is not a closed shop. We are aiming to go create a more cohesive schedule with a simpler point system, one where the best players compete against one another more frequently."

But where will they compete?

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Where will Cognizant Classic fall in new PGA Tour schedule?

The Cognizant Classic his suffered greatly, mostly the fault of the PGA Tour for putting it in an unfavorable spot in the schedule. The Tour, though, now owns and operates Cognizant under its PGA Tour Events umbrella.

Cognizant likely will not be eliminated. The Tour's contract with PGA National runs through 2028 but, more importantly, the deal with Cognizant is through 2030.

"I think there will be a place for most of our events in our new model," Rolapp said.

Should that lessen the unease around the Cognizant? Perhaps. The Tour surely is not looking to eliminate an event it owns and is played in one of the top golf markets in the country where several PGA Tour members live, including 14 of the top 30 players in the current Official World Golf Rankings, and Hall of Famers such as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

But what will Cognizant look like in the final model?

Palm Beach County has proven it will support an event when it's placed in the right spot, which in turn attracts an elite field. The Honda Classic, which became Cognizant in 2023, was all that in the early to mid 2010s, a destination for players and fans.

And Rolapp insists the "charitable aspect of the PGA Tour is really special." Eliminating Cognizant would mean eliminating one with a significant charitable component that includes large donations to the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation founded by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus.

Turning Cognizant into one of those additional eight to 10 Signature (or "elevated") events could be on the table. With up to 26 elevated events, the schedule likely will include three in a row broken up by a second track event.

But with Rolapp's vision of adding larger markets — the Tour competes in four of the top 10 largest U.S. media markets — his comments about there being a place for most of the events currently on the schedule, not including opposite events or those in the fall, is a bit disingenuous.

Yes, there is a spot, but some will be relegated to second-track status or the fall. And either case would be another major setback for Cognizant.

Those second track tournaments will be filled with players outside the top 120, which means fields similar to what the Tour calls opposite events today. Those are events like the Puerto Rico Open, Corales Puntacana Championship, Myrtle Beach Classic and the Barracuda Championship.

Although Rolapp said he believes they will be held in the summer, in which case Florida events are out, there will have to be two or three in the first three months of the season.

As for the Tour looking at the biggest media markets … Palm Beach-Fort Pierce is 39th in the country.

Contracts, especially those with signature events, will play a part in where these events land. Whether it becomes an elevated or second track event, Cognizant will have a decision to make. An elevated event, with a $15 to $20 million purse, likely means the Tour would ask for $10 to $15 million more a year as a title sponsor. Conversely, being a track two or fall event means a much weaker field, something Cognizant did not sign up for when it replaced Honda.

A significant refund would be due.

"What I don't want people to think is that we are creating a good track and subordinating another track," Rolapp said. "That's not the goal, and that's not what we're doing. We're trying to create a cohesive competitive system that lifts the quality of our entire competition."

Try selling that to the fans.

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How PGA Tour schedule changes could impact Cognizant Classic