PGA Tour Pros Criticize Course Setup
PGA Tour players are openly criticizing the setup at PGA National, arguing that overly easy course conditions are detracting from the competitive challenge the event is known for. Multiple pros voiced concern that the traditionally tough layout has been made too forgiving, with scoring conditions out of their hands due to recent changes.
The primary complaint from players like Billy Horschel and Shane Lowry centers on the decision to overseed the Bermuda grass with rye grass. While this creates a more visually appealing green course for television, it significantly reduces the challenge, particularly out of the rough, making it easier for players to recover from errant shots. Veteran player Billy Horschel clarified that the decision to overseed doesn't lie with the PGA Tour, but with the ownership of PGA National. Horschel has advocated for the Tour to have "complete control" over the setup of all tournament courses to avoid such situations where the competitive integrity is compromised for aesthetic reasons. The impact on scoring has been statistically significant. Before 2024, the average winning score at the event was -10, but since the changes, it has jumped to an average of -18. In the past, from 2006 to 2023, only 11 golfers in total had finished with a score of 10-under or better. This shift marks a departure from the course's historical identity. PGA National's Champion Course, redesigned by Jack Nicklaus, was long regarded as one of the most challenging layouts on the PGA Tour. Its reputation was largely built on "The Bear Trap," a formidable three-hole stretch (15, 16, and 17) known for its difficulty. In 2024, the course was reconfigured from a par 70 to a par 71, with the 10th hole being converted into a more scoreable par 5, further contributing to the easier playing conditions. These alterations, combined with the overseeding, have led players like Joel Dahmen to lament, "I miss the old PGA National."
