Under new CEO Brian Rolapp’s leadership, sweeping changes are being made to the PGA Tour.

Brian Rolapp said he wouldn’t be bound by traditions when he first took the role in the summer of 2025, and that’s become blatantly obvious in recent months.

Harris English revealed planned changes to the 2027 schedule, which will cut down the West Coast Swing and start the season after the Super Bowl. This will remove a series of iconic courses from the PGA Tour schedule.

Then, Rolapp welcomed Brooks Koepka straight back onto the tour after he jumped ship from LIV Golf, proving his flexibility and boldness when making the biggest of decisions.

And now that the 2026 PGA Tour season is finally underway, Michael Kim explained how a change to the tour this year is already helping to address one of golf’s glaring issues. 

Michael Kim said something happened for the first time in his PGA Tour career at the Sony Open

The pace of play on the PGA Tour is one of the most significant points of frustration for fans. It’s something they have tried to tackle for years, and rule changes in 2019 went some way to fixing the issue, but slow play still plagues the tour.

However, the PGA Tour implemented a new rule this season that Kim says has dramatically improved the pace of play. The maximum field size for standard one-course events has dropped from 156 players to 144, starting at the Sony Open, which is taking place this week.

These changes, approved by the PGA Tour Policy Board in late 2024, are primarily designed to improve the pace of play. And so far, it’s worked.