The 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions was an incredibly fun event to watch for many reasons. A new PGA TOUR tournament scoring record was set thanks to Cameron Smith’s 34-under par finish, Matt Jones and Jon Rahm tied the Kapalua Plantation Course record (61), and scoring throughout the leaderboard was staggeringly low.

So low, in fact, that Golf Twitter erupted with intrigue and insult as many pondered: could this be a new trend on TOUR in 2022?

Let’s Get Weird

There’s no secret that the PGA TOUR is facing perhaps its must tumultuous season in reason memory as whispers of competing tours have grown to shouts. As the No Laying Up crew suggested in a tweet during the TOC, could something be afoot regarding golf course setup?

The same account later (correctly) pointed out that if this group of players are handed a golf course that plays in soft, windless, pristine conditions, you’re going to get scores that boggle the mind.

But is it inconceivable that the TOUR would be best served to keep course setups more on the “easy” side to drive intrigue, lower scores, and the potential of higher finishes for all players on the roster?

For what it’s worth, I’m well aware that the TOUR can’t control the weather (yet). There is only so much Jay Monahan and Co. are able to protect in terms of par, but I’m not convinced they actually care about that standard. It would seem the majority of golf fans prefer low scores compared to over-par finishes, with apologies to my fellow sadists who don’t mind the occasional bloodbath.

The competition knows this and they are planning accordingly.

For example, the Premier Golf League (PGL) is planning a 17-week regular season of three-round tournaments with absurd payout potential, including $4 million to the winner. While the number of interested pros remains unclear, there’s little doubt a handful of top-tier names have mulled over the financial prospects of the other side of the fence.

Similarly, the budding pro tour in Saudi Arabia — and recently named commissioner Greg Norman — is on the prowl, making multi-million dollar offers to names like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. Additional names and offers are bound to happen if they haven’t already.

In response to his new competition, PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan issued a stern warning to any would-be defectors with a possible suspension or expulsion should they decide to jump ship.

Months later something funny happened: Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods place 1-2 in the TOUR’s shady Player Impact Program (PIP). Taking nothing away from Phil’s PGA Championship win and Tiger… well, just being Tiger… the final results announcement seemed awfully convenient. This sentiment was further highlighted by Tiger pledging allegiance to the TOUR in his return press conference, reminding us all that this is where he’s built his legacy.

How Does This Play Out?

While complete conjecture, should the PGA TOUR decide to make golf course setups more likely to yield the lowest scores possible, it would be a widespread attempt to keep other top players happy. All would remain relative to the average scoring of the entire roster, of course, but I’d wager telling Brooks Koepka or Bryson DeChambeau they’re likely to shoot 20-under every tournament would pique their interest.