HONOLULU — Adam Scott has no shortage of opinions on the state of the PGA Tour. Two decades into his career, he decided it was a good time to make sure they were heard.
Scott is one of 16 players appointed to the Player Advisory Council for 2023. The PAC is the first step in advising the PGA Tour board and commissioner on matters affecting the tour, and there are many.
This year is seen as a bridge to radical changes in store for the PGA Tour, which faces the biggest challenge in its history from the deep pockets of Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Scott, the first Masters champion from Australia, was considered a candidate to join LIV Golf when he first started because he played a limited schedule. He never expressed interest, however, although he has been even-handed in his views on what each league has to offer.
But the 42-year-old said joining PAC for the first time was more about future changes for the PGA Tour than anything to do with LIV. Scott said it’s best for each league to do its own thing.
“I’m more interested in how we fight charges, not what the tour plans to do with the tour, because I couldn’t worry too much about that,” Scott said Friday at the Sony Open. “I’m more interested in what the future of the tour looks like.
“And I think I convinced myself that it was worth diving into.”
Scott spoke about how Rory McIlroy has taken a leadership role in charting a new path, taking a bit of inspiration from his feedback and helping organize a players-only meeting during the BMW Championship last August.
“I feel like other great players — if I can call myself a great player — he can help move things in the right direction,” Scott said.
“Our tour is a very important time to figure out what the PGA Tour is going to be like and what it’s going to look like for the next decade and more,” he said.
The tour did not announce the rest of the PAC. After that, players elect a chairman who ultimately becomes the player director on the PGA Tour board.
“There are smart people running the tour. I don’t think I’m taking Jane’s job,” Scott said with a laugh, referring to Commissioner Jay Monahan. “But I don’t mind stirring the pot if there needs to be a stir in conversation in rooms like this to allow everyone to think more. Sometimes I feel like we overreact to things these days. It’s good to think down. A little line.”
