The Shotgun Start Previewing The 2026 Players and Brian Rolapp’s State of the PGA Tour address
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Mar 10, 2026 PJ (Peach) Clark, on-site producer who brings color and ground-level notes. He shares quick takes from TPC Sawgrass, anecdotes about setup and media chaos, and on-the-ground reactions to Brian Rolapp’s looming address. Short, lively reports paint the scene, spotlight overlooked storylines, and set up the week’s picks and player scouting.
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Sawgrass Rewards Firmness With Strategic Shotmaking
- TPC Sawgrass plays far better and more interesting when the course is firm, amplifying diagonal fairways, approach angles, and shotmaking demands.
- Brendan Porath and Andy Johnson observed firmer fairways, deeper rough, and faster greens this week—conditions that expose Sawgrass’s design and increase variance in scores.
Set Firm Conditions To Unlock Sawgrass’ Major Traits
- If tournament organizers want Sawgrass to feel more like a major, set it firm and thicken rough to amplify Pete Dye's diagonal fairways and approach-angle design.
- Hosts argued firmness unlocks Sawgrass’s strategic nuance and increases scoring variance—key major-like characteristics.
Deeper Rough Turns Approaches Into Advance The Ball Plays
- Increasing rough depth and firmness shifts some approach play into an "advance the ball" contest, raising the premium on distance control and recovery.
- Players reported four-inch rough to start with talk of six inches by week's end, making missed approaches much more penal.