The West Coast Swing Reveals Golf’s New Pecking Order — And It’s Not What We Expected

I’m writing this from seat 23C, somewhere over the Rockies, and I’ve got to tell you: the 2026 PGA Tour West Coast Swing just handed us a masterclass in how quickly the professional golf landscape can shift. And not always in the ways the tour brass anticipated.

After 35 years covering this game — including a stint carrying Tom Lehman’s bag through some lean years — I’ve learned to trust my gut on what matters and what’s just noise. What I’m seeing right now? That’s not noise.

The 26-Year-Old Takeover Is Real

Let’s start with the obvious: Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman just announced themselves as legitimate forces on the PGA Tour. Gotterup winning two events already, including a chaotic masterclass at the WM Phoenix Open, while Bridgeman seized Riviera in dramatic fashion — these aren’t outliers. These are young men who have figured out something most players their age haven’t: how to win when it matters.

What strikes me about this moment is the contrast it creates. We’ve got 26-year-olds establishing themselves as the clear best of their age cohort, yet the 25-and-under crowd still feels like an unsolved mystery. Akshay Bhatia, the Hojgaard twins, the Michaels — all talented, all on the cusp. But none have broken through yet. In my experience, that gap matters more than casual observers realize. It suggests we’re looking at a generational wave that’s arriving in staggered batches, not all at once.

“The 26-year-olds may be having a moment, but we’re still waiting for the emergence of the next young wave.”

That’s the reality, and it’s worth monitoring closely heading into the spring majors.

The Scotties and the Roses Remind Us Age Is Just a Number

On the flip side, Justin Rose’s demolition job at Torrey Pines and Adam Scott’s Sunday 63 at Riviera serve as a reminder that I really do wish we’d talk less about how old these guys are. These are craftsmen at the peak of their powers, and the fact that they’re over 40 should be noted, not obsessed over.

I’ve followed both men’s careers closely enough to know: Rose and Scott are playing with a clarity that comes only from decades of knowing exactly who you are as a player. They’re not trying to be anyone else. That’s worth something in a tour full of young guys still figuring out their swings.

Scheffler’s Thursday Problem Isn’t a Problem (Yet)

Now, here’s where my three decades of tour watching collides with the data: Scottie Scheffler opening with a 116th-ranked round-one scoring average is strange. Objectively. But it’s also statistically meaningless right now, and here’s why — look at his scoring by round:

• Round 1: 70.50 (116th on tour)
• Round 2: 65.75 (2nd on tour)
• Round 3: 67.00 (7th on tour)
• Round 4: 64.50 (2nd on tour)

That’s not a red flag. That’s a guy who led the tour in first-round scoring last year taking a couple of funky draws in strange conditions. What matters is that he finished T12 after being in dead last on Friday morning — a finish he climbed into with a seven-foot curler on 18. That’s not the mark of a player in decline; that’s the mark of a player whose talent is so overwhelming that nothing matters until Sunday.

“If you play enough rounds of golf, eventually Scheffler will rise to the top.”

I’m not worried about Scottie on Thursdays. The rest of the tour probably should be.

The Scandinavian Stumble and What It Means

Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg struggling? That’s notable. These are two of the tour’s most talented players, and neither had his best West Coast showing. Aberg’s illness — a second consecutive West Coast Swing affliction — is particularly concerning from a health standpoint, though his uptick in results (WD-MC-T37-T20) suggests he’s trending the right direction.

Hovland’s results (T10, T58, T41) paint a different picture. T10 at Phoenix is respectable, but T58 at Pebble and T41 at Riviera? That’s not the standard we’ve set for a player of his caliber. The talk about training aids instead of scores is the kind of thing that sticks in a narrative, whether it matters or not.

Hawaii, California, and the Real Issue

Here’s what nobody’s saying directly but everybody’s thinking: the West Coast Swing is about to look very different, and not in a good way. Hawaii’s off the schedule under controversial circumstances. The Sony sponsorship ran out. And suddenly we’re having serious conversations about whether Pebble Beach and Riviera become August playoff events.

Let me be blunt: that would be a mistake. Not because August is a bad month for golf — it’s not — but because these iconic courses are already fighting against wet, soggy conditions in February. Moving them to summer doesn’t solve the fundamental question of what makes a winter West Coast Swing special. It’s the escape. It’s the sunshine after New Year’s slog. It’s tradition.

“I leave California more confused than I arrived.”

That’s an honest line, and I feel it. The tour has legitimate reasons to tinker with its schedule. But Hawaii matters. Tradition matters. And sometimes the best version of something isn’t the most “optimal” on a spreadsheet.

Looking Forward

What I’m taking away from four weeks on the West Coast is this: the tour is deeper than it’s been in years, with meaningful winners across all age ranges. The young guys are arriving in waves. The old guard isn’t going anywhere. And the schedule — well, the schedule is about to change in ways we’re still trying to understand.

That’s actually pretty healthy for golf. Even if it does mean I’m writing airline editorials instead of sleeping.

See you in Florida.