Sir Nick Faldo has voiced his disappointment over the fact that men’s professional golf has yet to adopt a truly global schedule, remaining heavily US-centric.
The six-time major champion spoke this week, shortly after new PGA Tour chief Brian Rolapp promised “significant change” for the world’s most lucrative and high-profile golf circuit. Rolapp, recently appointed as CEO, revealed a new nine-member competition committee led by Tiger Woods, tasked with revamping tournament formats in the years ahead.
Rolapp emphasized that the aim was not minor tweaks but meaningful transformation: “The goal is not incremental change. The goal is significant change,” he said. Yet, the panel includes no European representatives, even though the PGA Tour maintains a strategic partnership with the DP World Tour, based at Wentworth. “It’s an important partnership that we want to grow,” Rolapp added, “and conversations with them about how they could fit into a new competitive model will definitely be part of the committee’s work.”
Faldo, however, sees little indication that the PGA Tour is ready to embrace a global calendar. “That’s really disappointing,” he told My Newspaper Sport. “I thought when the term ‘global’ first came into play, probably over 10 years ago, we would actually lean toward that approach.”
The Englishman shares Rory McIlroy’s vision for a circuit that takes the best golfers around the world, instead of concentrating almost entirely in the United States, which hosts three of golf’s four majors.
This week, the PGA Tour announced a new Signature Event at Donald Trump’s Doral course in Miami, bringing the total number of these high-profile, high-prize tournaments to nine—all staged on US soil. “America would never give up being number one and, yes, I think it’s a shame,” Faldo said.
McIlroy has long advocated for a genuine world tour to reunite men’s golf, particularly after the disruption caused by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series in 2022. Faldo echoed this view: “After the whole LIV situation, when they talked about creating a real global tour, we should have done something like that. It’s possible.”
He described his vision for a world tour: “I’d love to see the top 100, 120 players traveling the globe, without appearance fees, competing for huge prize money. You’d organize the schedule so players move from one region to another for three weeks, followed by a two-week break, and then on to the next leg. That could have been done.”
Faldo added that such a model would make the sport more competitive. “If you performed poorly for three weeks, maybe you’d be off the tour and have to qualify again. There’s too much security now; you don’t have to perform to earn massive amounts. We need more competitiveness.”
Currently hosting the Betfred British Masters at the Belfry, the final qualifying event for Europe’s Ryder Cup team, Faldo is also engaged in discussions with new backers to secure the tournament’s future. The event remains critical on the DP World Tour, where the top ten players earn opportunities to play in the US the following year—a dynamic some critics argue turns the European circuit into little more than a “feeder” tour.
Faldo believes Europe and other regions, including Australia, Asia, and Africa, should host some of the game’s biggest tournaments outside the majors. “Imagine if fans and broadcasters knew that the best 100 players were coming to your town or country. How incredible would that be?” he said.
Currently, the lack of a global system leaves sponsors uncertain about player participation. “Sponsors want to know exactly what they’re getting—a set number of top players ensuring a great event,” Faldo explained. “In the US, they’re investing $20-25 million per tournament. That’s a lot of money. We need to find a formula that guarantees quality and value for the sponsors. Otherwise, they’ll question the return on their investment.”
Faldo’s comments underline his frustration with the current structure, highlighting both the missed opportunity for a genuinely global tour and the need for a system that is fair, competitive, and appealing for players, fans, and sponsors alike.
rd a long time ago, probably at least 10 years ago, I thought we were going to lean towards that.”
Faldo shares Rory McIlroy’s vision for a circuit that would take the best players around the world rather than staying predominantly in the US, which stages three of the game’s four majors.
This week the PGA Tour announced that a new Signature Event will be staged at Donald Trump’s Doral course in Miami. It means there will now be nine of these big-money elevated tournaments, all staged in the US.
“America would never give up being number one and, yeah, I think it’s a shame,” Faldo said.
McIlroy called for a world tourto reunite the men’s game after the split that followed the arrival of the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV circuit in 2022.
“I thought after the ruckus, the disturbance with LIV coming on board, when they were talking about all that they’d create a real global tour,” Faldo added. “We should be doing something like that.
“I’d love them to be actually playing as a top, whatever, 100, 120 players, going around the world, no appearance fees. You’re playing for massive prize money, but that is the world tour.
“That’s the one to be on, and you travel around, you could organise the schedule.
“Like, we’re going this direction in the world for three weeks, guys, and then you’re going to have two weeks off, and then we all go another direction for three weeks.
“It could have been done. And if you made that the pinnacle, everybody would strive to be on that tour, and you could make it very volatile.
“It doesn’t matter what your name is. If you’re playing badly for those three weeks, well, maybe you get booted off and you can go to another tour and you can qualify to come back.
“It needs a bit more competitiveness, rather than the guarantees now of not having to perform for massive amounts.”
The 68-year-old Englishman is hosting this week’s Betfred British Masters at the Belfry, the last qualifying event for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. He says he’s involved in talks with new backers to secure the tournament’s future.
It is an important event on the DP World Tour, where the leading 10 players for the season secure cards to play in the US the following year. Critics suggest this is a talent drain that renders the European circuit as a “feeder” tour.
Faldo believes leading venues in the UK and on the continent should be used for the biggest tournaments outside the majors, as well as courses in America, Australia, Asia and Africa.
“If the public knew and television knew you had the best 100 players coming to your town or your country, my goodness, how good would that be,” he said.
“Rather that than saying, ‘well, I’m going to have a tournament and I don’t really know what I’m going to get’. It’s harsh on the sponsors. It really is.
“The sponsors want to know ‘I’m going to get X number of good players and I’m going to have a great event’.
“In America, they’re forking out 20, 25 million [dollars] to create a tournament. It’s a heck of a lot, isn’t it? We’ve got to find a formula to give to the sponsors.
“Otherwise, they’re going to say, what am I getting out of this?”
