At Presidents Cup, PGA Tour’s major-market dilemma comes into focus

MEDINAH, IL — Wyndham Clark couldn't even tell if Collin Morikawa's shot landed on the green because nobody clapped. He rolled in putts and heard no noise.

The PGA Tour's best golfers returned to the Chicago area for an event for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic at the 2026 Presidents Cup, and the environment was "kind of dead," Clark declared as soon as the first day was over. U.S. team captain Brandt Snedeker, after spending the days leading into golf's biennial global team event expressing his excitement about playing in Chicago again, called it "a weird day."

"I know what Chicago is built of. I know what kind of fans we've got here," said Snedeker. "They'll come out tomorrow."

The scene at Medinah Country Club this week underscores some of the challenges the PGA Tour faces as it seeks to bring more of its events to major American markets when a revamped scheduling model debuts in 2028.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp initially announced the initiative in March and noted at the time the tour only currently competes in four of the top 10 media markets in the country. He specifically named New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/