So, the eggheads who run the PGA Tour Champions have done it again – they've peered into their crystal ball, probably after a few too many celebratory scotches, and spat out the 2027 schedule. And guess where we're starting? Yep, Hawaii. Because nothing says "welcome to the golden years of golf" like a piña colada and a potentially brutal jet lag. The Sony Championship, that tournament, is wisely scheduling a Saturday finish. Smart move. Nobody wants to be hungover on New Year's Day and slice into the Pacific Ocean. I'm sure the guys would rather escape the island temptations a day earlier and get back to what really matters: complaining about their backs.
After that tropical tease, the Champions caravan shuffles back to what I assume they call "the mainland." Now, I say "mainland" with a wink, because for guys who’ve been breathing in salty air for a week, the idea of, say, St. Louis might feel like arriving on Mars. Anyway, the Stifel Charity Classic in Missouri gets the dubious honor of hosting the opening skirmish of the Charles Schwab Playoffs. These playoffs, which sound way more intense than they probably are, will then meander through the golfing landscape before the grand finale in Phoenix. It’s a bit weird, isn’t it, thinking about November championships when I’m still picking candy corn out of my teeth from Halloween? Golf just operates on its own weird time warp, where the seasons blur into one another like a poorly mixed cocktail.
Honestly, seeing next year’s schedule when we’re still bundled up in our autumn best is enough to make you question reality. Blink once, and you're admiring azaleas; blink twice, and you're already picturing frost on the greens. The golf season, that relentless tick-tock of our lives, doesn't care about your deep-seated anxieties about the meaning of it all. It just keeps marching on, demanding we adjust our sweaters and our expectations.