Sports
PGA Tour targets marquee courses, big markets and meritocracy
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolopp addresses a the media, tournament sponsors and Tour employees during a news conference on March 11 at the PGA Tour Global Home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – While no final decisions have been made, plans are being laid out to “build the best version of the PGA Tour” possible with an emphasis on meritocracy, a 26-event season and the possible introduction of matchplay at the end of the year, says CEO Brian Rolapp.
During a massively attended press conference Wednesday at the PGA Tour’s ‘Global Home,’ Rolapp outlined six pivotal themes shaping the Tour’s future.
“This remains a work in progress, and it is by no means a baked cake,” said Rolapp, who was speaking ahead of the Players Championship. “These are simply areas where we are starting to see a meaningful consensus….this is a complex process with many constituencies impacted. We will continue to move with urgency, but we are focused on getting it right.
“We went into this project with a very clear objective: to build the best version of the PGA Tour, one that better serves our fans, players, and partners. Throughout the process we are keeping today’s fans and the fans of tomorrow at the center of our work, making sure that everything we do and every decision we consider is evaluated through that lens.”
Rolapp continues to work closely with Tiger Woods and the Future Competitions Committee with their collective focus placed on a competitive model built on meritocracy.
“This is not a closed shop,” Rolapp said. “We are aiming to create a more cohesive schedule with a simpler point system, one where the best players compete against one another more frequently.
“Fans know who the best players are. They are the players who perform best on the course. Our competitive model will be built around elevating those who prove themselves to be the top performers inside the ropes.”
Rolapp unveiled plans to double the number of signature events to 16, add in the four existing majors and the Players Championship and then designate a secondary wave of Tier II events.
“As we look at the calendar, there is an emphasis on playing our season from late January to early September … we are looking at roughly 21 to 26 tournaments on a first track of elevated events with the best players competing for higher purses,” he said. “We will then have a second track of PGA Tour tournaments which will ladder up to those elevated events.”
As a second theme, Rolapp said that more consistent fields would be established, with a move away from small fields and no-cut events.
“Ideally, we are targeting something closer to 120-player fields with a cut,” he added. “That consistently matters. It helps fans know who they will see and showcases who they want to see, the most competitive players. It helps partners know what they’re investing in, and it helps players better understand the competitive landscape in their schedules, all while embracing meritocracy.”
Opening the season with a marquee event at an iconic venue on the West Coast was another piece of the expanded vision for the PGA Tour, according to Rolapp.
“That will then allow us to finish on network television in primetime on the East Coast,” he said.
A fourth theme would focus on where the PGA Tour played its tournaments, and plans were afoot to include bigger markets such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington DC and Boston.
“Today the PGA Tour competes in only four of the top 10 largest U.S. media markets,” said Rolapp. “That is an opportunity. We are evaluating other markets … places where there is a strong fan demand for our sport, and a chance to reach new fans.”
Rolapp dispelled any idea that his definition of “scarcity” in scheduling meant a reduction in the number of events each year.
“Ultimately, scarcity is not about the number of events we have, but rather scarcity is about making every event we have matter,” he explained. “This is why we are evaluating the role of promotion and relegation between these two tracks within our competitive model… what we envision is a merit-based system that leans into what makes professional golf so compelling, players earning their way to the top, with every event having greater meaning.”
The sixth and final theme hinged on adding more drama to the PGA Tour schedule, including the possible addition of match play.
“We are exploring ways to enhance the post-season,” said Rolapp. “We have heard from our fans and our partners, they want more drama. We are considering the potential integration of match play, either at the Tour Championship or across the post-season as a whole, bringing win-or-go-home moments to the conclusion of our season.”
While everything outlined by Rolapp on Wednesday remains a work in progress with nothing yet decided, he planned to have further updates in late June.
“Nothing has been finalized,” he said. “We are still doing our work and gathering input from our players, our partners, and other key stakeholders. No recommendations have gone to our player-led boards. Looking ahead, we expect to make more meaningful progress by this
summer, and following our June 22nd board meeting, I plan to host another press conference at the Travelers Championship.”
-Mark Lamport-Stokes, Field Level Media
-Mark Lamport-Stokes, Field Level Media
Sports
Manchester City look to extend win streak, take on Everton
[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 30, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (9) celebrates scoring their second goal with midfielder Rodri (16) during a round of 16 match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images Manchester City will try to keep pace with Premier League front-runner Arsenal on Monday night when they pay a visit to an Everton side still on the fringes of the European picture.
City (21-5-7, 70 points) will begin the day six points back of Arsenal with two matches in hand after the Gunners dispatched Fulham 3-0 on Saturday. The Cityzens won’t be even on games played until May 13, when they make up a postponed match against Crystal Palace that was delayed because of City’s triumphant League Cup run.
As a result, there continues to be the appearance of a chase, although the teams would finish level on points if they win out.
Manager Pep Guardiola insists it shouldn’t matter.
“It’s normal, so it’s the calendar,” Guardiola said on Friday. “Sometimes you play first. Sometimes behind. It is what it is. So, nothing changes in these stages, and you know exactly what you have to do.”
City have won six in a row in all competitions, the last three by a single goal: A 2-1 home league win over the Gunners on April 19, a 1-0 league victory at Burnley three days later, and a 2-1 FA Cup semifinal triumph over Southampton on April 25.
Erling Haaland scored once in both league fixtures to bring his EPL-leading total to 24. In the FA Cup semifinal, Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez scored inside the final 10 minutes to complete a late rally.
Everton (13-13-8, 47 points) finished Saturday in 11th place, but only four points out of seventh, which currently would earn a berth in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Should City win the FA Cup, it could be the top eight English league finishers who earn a spot in Europe.
And if Everton could return to continental competition for the first time since 2017-18, it would conclude a much-improved first season at their new Hill Dickson Stadium, after bringing the curtain down on historic Goodison Park last May.
“We still believe there could be something out there for us. And we’ll keep pushing,” manager David Moyes said. “Building Everton back up is a process which I think is going to take quite a bit of time, but I think the first year or so here, we’ve certainly put decent foundations down. And hopefully we can continue to build on it.”
The Toffees are looking to avoid a third consecutive league defeat for the first time this season after a 2-1 home loss to derby rivals Liverpool on April 19 and a 2-1 away defeat at West Ham last weekend.
Beto, one of two Everton players with eight goals, departed the former contest late with a head injury and missed the latter fixture working through the league’s concussion protocol. He should be available Monday night, Moyes said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees tee off on Orioles to win third straight in 4-game series
May 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two run home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Jasson Dominguez scored the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning before hitting a two-run homer and an RBI double during a seven-run eighth as the New York Yankees pulled away for an 11-3 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
The Yankees won for the 13th time in 15 games and beat the Orioles for the 11th time in the past 12 meetings.
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer off Baltimore rookie Trey Gibson. Ben Rice hit his 12th home run of the season in the first and doubled ahead of Judge’s 13th homer in the third.
Rice exited after the Yankees batted in the third because of a bruised left hand. The Yankees announced X-rays were negative and the first baseman is day-to-day. Rice appeared to get injured fielding a low pickoff throw from Max Fried and was replaced by Paul Goldschmidt.
Dominguez started the tiebreaking rally with a double to left field against Grant Wolfram (1-1) and advanced to third on a groundout by Austin Wells. Ryan McMahon, facing a drawn-in infield, followed with a single that first baseman Coby Mayo couldn’t handle after diving to stop it.
Dominguez started New York’s big inning with a two-run drive into the right field seats off Andrew Kittredge for a 6-3 lead. After an RBI sacrifice fly by Trent Grisham, Goldschmidt ripped a two-run single after the Yankees executed a double steal.
Following a sacrifice fly by Jazz Chisholm Jr., Dominguez added a double to left field for an 11-3 lead.
The Orioles tied it twice before losing their fourth straight and for the 12th time in 18 games.
Blaze Alexander had an RBI single in the third before getting thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. After Judge’s 413-foot drive bounced into Baltimore’s bullpen in left field, Leody Taveras hit an RBI infield single and Tyler O’Neill scored on a double play grounder by Jeremiah Jackson in the fourth.
Fried allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out six and walked three.
Fernando Cruz (3-0) got the final two outs of the sixth and the first out of the seventh. Brent Headrick ended the eighth by getting a double play grounder against Mayo.
Gibson allowed three runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings during his major league debut.
The four-game series concludes Monday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cam Smith drives in 2 in 10th, Astros edge Red Sox
May 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) hits a two run RBI against the Boston Red Sox during the tenth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Cam Smith had three hits, including a two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, to help the visiting Houston Astros earn a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Smith’s two-out single came against Zack Kelly (0-2) and drove in Braden Shewmake and Jose Altuve.
Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but Bryan Abreu got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into a double play to end the game.
Jarren Duran hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, who stranded 13 runners and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Duran’s home run was his third of the season and his second of the series. He hit a three-run homer in Boston’s 3-1 victory Friday night.
Abreu (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one.
Willson Contreras collected three of Boston’s nine hits in the loss.
Christian Walker and Christian Vazquez each had two-hit games for the Astros, who won two games in the three-game set.
Boston starting pitcher Ranger Suarez was pulled after four scoreless innings because of hamstring tightness. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Suarez threw 70 pitches.
Duran’s home run off Houston reliever AJ Blubaugh opened the scoring in the fifth. Houston tied the game in the sixth, when Walker reached on an infield single, took third on Altuve’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brice Matthews.
The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. An error on Abreu allowed Contreras to reach second with two outs in the inning, but Roman Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.
Houston had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th, but Altuve grounded into a 6-2-5 double play. Following a walk to Matthews, Smith delivered his two-run single.
–Field Level Media
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Manchester City look to extend win streak, take on Everton
