Organizers of the PGA Tour are excited about all the possibilities in 2025. When describing the high points of the upcoming tour, there’s plenty of dynamic language about the new format being more competitive and giving fans more opportunities to cheer on their favourite golfers – and maybe getting to know more up-and-coming players.
But there’s another significant reason why the tour has additional appeal to players – and ultimately their fans: more downtime.
It does feature 39 events, including eight Signature events. But it also allows for plenty of flexibility for those who need a mental or physical break, surgery, or time to recover from an injury.
These options were added at the request of many players who felt the previous schedule became gruelling and didn’t allow them optimal time to recover or accommodate any requests for a break. It was always possible to pause, but you would face the possibility of losing your standings or earnings. Some players may even feel pressured to stay in even if this aggravated existing injuries, their pain increased and their overall performance decreased.
Continue reading to learn about some of the advantages of the new format, and some prominent golfers who may be able to benefit.
Exhaustion and Injury
In the past, it wasn’t always easy to see who had an injury on the PGA Trail unless someone took notice of it or addressed it in an interview. There was also less understanding about the dangers of repetitive motion, which is something that can plague office workers as well as pro golfers.
Players could still receive disability exemptions or leave the tour altogether if they have a permanent or long-lasting injury, but there really wasn’t an option for dealing with a more minor injury that still might require time off to heal.
End of season fatigue
Players pointed out that the new schedule didn’t have much time between big events, and also was fairly inflexible. While a day of golf can be enjoyable, players sometimes felt that they were locked into a pretty firm schedule.
A grueling season
One of the more prominent participants looking forward to the change is Jordan Spieth, who began to have wrist pain in early 2023. He ended playing with the injury through much of 2024, until having surgery in August.
However, he is planning to be part of the tournament starting in January. During interviews, he talks about how he and his wrist likely would have benefitted from more time off, but felt pressured into continuing and fixing it just enough for a few more days of play. But the constant aggravation and frequent dislocation also likely factored into lower points and ultimately being cut.
Ludvig Aberg also waited until the later part of the season to have surgery on his knee. Though he obviously struggled at times and wore a brace, he also focused on his tournament duties.
Other players also tried to “play through the pain,” which any doctor will tell you is a bad idea all around.
Scottie Scheffler, who represented the U.S. well at the Olympics earlier this summer, was seen wincing a few months later at the BMW Championship from an ongoing back injury. Though he said he was fine and prepare to keep playing, the public was certainly concerned, especially since chronic back pain can be hard to recover from.
Finally, Xander Schauffele also experienced notable back pain and wrist pain. However, unlike some of the other players who kept on playing, he removed himself from the tour Tournament of Champions lineup in 2023 and the WM Phoenix Open earlier this year in order to rest up for the Riveria.
Why this Matters
A break is a good idea for players, whether they need time to heal, time to have surgery and recover, or simply time to catch their breath. While fans may miss seeing their favorites are a specific tournament, fans will likely understand and appreciate someone wanting to only play at their best, and also not wanting to have to deal with future pain by not addressing it now.
How the New PGA Tour Schedule Provides Flexibility
The new schedule presents a good deal of advantage for players. Yes, it is at least a two-year commitment, and there is no guarantee someone will always stay at the top. But for a player concerned about sustaining an injury or how to recover from a pre-existing condition, it has its merits.
Longer off-season recovery.
In some years, players seem to keep going until November. But for 2025, competition starts in January are staggered to give more time to rest up for the larger events, rather than something weekend after weekend. Significant events are at least two weeks apart, especially at the beginning of the season.
- The Importance of Rest and Surgery Windows. If surgery is needed, or even time to rest, players and their staff have the ability to look at the entire calendar to look for an optimal time to pause and anticipate how much time is needed to rest up. While a surgical procedure may only take a few hours, maybe even in an outpatient situation, they may still need days or weeks for their bodies to recover and start building up strength again. The last thing they want to do is disrupt their FedEx Cup standings.
- Comparing with Other Sports: Football, for instance, rarely gives players the opportunity to have surgery during the season, unless it’s an emergency situation. But it’s not uncommon for players to wait until the end, a strategy which will give them a decent head start to get themselves fixed and start any rehabilitation well before team training officially starts for the following season.
A Safer Return to Competition
Because of pressure to perform in tournament after tournament, odds are that more than one player has disregarded medical advice and didn’t “take it easy” and didn’t “stay off your feet,” as their doctors likely suggested. At that level of play, many love being out on the course and may even feel fine after surgery or rest periods. But it is tempting to disregard doctor’s orders or maybe cut them a little short to get as soon as you can.
No rushed recoveries.
With the longer time for time-off, players can legitimately spend the recommend time off, which means a better likelihood of recovery rather than rushing things, a strategy that could backfire in the long run. So in situations like Jordan Spieth, who waited more than a year for wrist surgery so he wouldn’t miss much of the tournament, or Ludvig Aberg, who also took longer than he should have to arrange his knee surgery, can take care of these earlier, heal well, not miss anything critical, and lower the risk of those injuries not healing properly.
Return on Their Terms:
Giving players the ability to choose when to pause, ideally with input from their doctors, can go a long way to making them satisfied and ready to give their all with optimal health. In comparison, making them follow the tournament’s previously rigid framework can lead to dissatisfaction and perhaps incomplete healing.
Implications for future seasons
The 2025 season is the second half of the two-year tournament format, so it’s natural to speculate about what’s in store for 2026-2027 or beyond. And though it really won’t start until the end of December with The Sentry, players are already looking forward to what’s ahead.
Of course, more attention will be paid to who is playing vs. who isn’t present on a particular day, especially with a slightly smaller and more competitive field. But the changes in health-based scheduling can help fans begin to get excited about who is coming back and how much better they could potentially perform.
Impact on Player Performance:
A player who is fully recovered and in good health will likely have a better game than someone who isn’t feeling as well. Even if, like Scottie Scheffler, a player is a little stiff on a certain day, play can be affected, as can using a knee or wrist brace. But a well-rested player throughout the season can be appealing.
Potential Long-Term Benefits:
Many of the schedule changes have been designed to accommodate player health, so it’s likely that they will be reversed in future years. But they will likely be great for players in the long run. Golfers in good health can play longer and have fewer injuries. This can be good for them, for their fans, and future PGA pros.
Conclusion
The updated PGA schedule for 2025 contains what’s sure to be memorable locations and dates. The event also narrowed the field of players, which can increase player performance overall. But one of the more significant changes makes it easy for players to take control of their health, either by scheduling surgeries or recovering for injuries. This flexibility works out well for players who are now able to take adequate and necessary time for healing, rather than coming back early, or worse, not taking time away at all but struggling through each hole.
This attention to the well-being of players is encouraging, especially since some sports focus more on a player’s current status rather than their future potential. Having pro golfers play for a longer period of time could lead to more interest in the game overall, even if it’s just for fun.
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