​Is the PGA Tour on the verge of a national-open dilemma? That question lingers after the Tour unveiled its two-track framework for 2028, with the national opens currently on the docket—RBC Canadian Open, Genesis Scottish Open, and, to a lesser extent, Vidanta World Mexico Open—risking further erosion of their openness.
Under the plan, Track 1 events, which are part of the new Championship Series, would offer 120-player, all-exempt fields, meaning there would be no sponsor exemptions or open qualifiers. Track 1 members, estimated at around 130 players, would also be barred from competing in Track 2, or Challenger events, which are expected to include sponsor invites and qualifiers within fields of roughly 130 to 144 players. No events have been officially designated as Track 1 or Track 2 yet, but the national opens would be affected whichever path they take. For instance, if the Canadian Open becomes a Track 2 event, it would not feature the Tour’s top 130 players, including Canadian stars like Corey Conners and Nick Taylor. Conversely, if the Canadian is Track 1, a number of Canadian players—particularly rising talents who have earned opportunities to compete for their national championship—could be shut out.
The complication grows with the Scottish Open, which is currently co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour. This year’s Scottish field includes six Scots among a field populated by European Tour regulars, and a move to the Tour’s new model could radically alter the tournament’s makeup. “We’ve got to be careful with that,” Rory McIlroy said. “You can’t call yourself a national open anymore if it’s a closed-off tournament with a fixed number of spots. I think these events need to be treated differently than, you know, the Travelers Championship or RBC Heritage or whatever else that are going to be in the Championship Series. There’s a little bit more nuance with these tournaments for sure.”
So, what should that nuance look like? Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, the nation’s top-ranked player, suggests the Scottish Open should revert to being a full-time DP World Tour event and part of the Rolex Series. Yet he also acknowledged that if the Scottish is folded into the PGA Tour’s proposed international series—hinted to run from late August through year’s end—it cannot disrupt its current calendar position. “They have got to make exceptions at times,” MacIntyre said. “I think the Scottish Open has gotta be before The Open. I think it will be. There will be exceptions. I don’t know. I have not spoken to anybody about it.”
McIlroy, who has floated a national-open-centric international series that would include Canada, appears open to expanding the window for PGA Tour players to compete abroad. “That could be interesting, as well, trying to build out this series of national opens that have a bit more meaning,” he suggested, hinting at broader opportunities and potential SEO benefits for the circuit.
In short, the PGA Tour’s two-track plan raises a real question: can national opens retain their essence and accessibility, or will they be redefined in a way that narrows participation and alters their traditional role on the schedule? The answers will shape how these events function within the global landscape and whether their status as national championships can endure in a transformed Tour ecosystem.