Austin is getting PGA Tour golf back this fall, but the road to the first tee has been anything but smooth.
Three years after the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play left Austin Country Club, the PGA Tour is returning to the Texas capital with a new FedEx Cup Fall event at the Fazio Canyons course at Barton Creek Resort.
The tournament, however, has undergone a significant makeover before its debut. Good Good Golf was originally expected to sponsor the event before an Aug. 21 advertisement promoting its driver collaboration with Callaway sparked widespread backlash. The video depicted Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving a woman to the ground, and PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp later announced the sponsors were moving away from the tournament.
Golfweek
caught up with tournament director Ian Helm before we broke the news that Compliance Solutions is expected to be announced as a presenting sponsor of the event, scheduled for Nov. 12-15. An official announcement from the PGA Tour is expected soon, potentially as early as Monday.
Here's what Helm had to say:
Golfweek: With everything that’s happened, bringing a PGA Tour event back to Austin seems like such a home run. I know you’ve had to roll with the punches for the last nine months and figure out how this would work. Now that it’s so close, does it feel like the whole thing has worked itself out and it was worth it?
Ian Helm: It does. I think a big piece of it is our partners have been great throughout this entire process. We saw a really, really positive response, even post-Good Good transition, every time we engaged with those partners.
I think it’s just a testament that Austin was the right market, no matter the title sponsor. It’s a community that loves PGA Tour golf, and I think it’s going to continue to support it no matter the title. They’re really rallying around this thing.
Q: I remember being at the announcement at the Dell Match Play when they said this was the last one, and I thought the ticket prices were high on the secondary market, the crowds were incredible and players seemed to like coming here. It just feels natural, right? Austin should be a Tour stop in some capacity.
A: No doubt. Obviously, the community is a big piece of it, but there’s so much amazing golf here in this town. It’s a beautiful time of year.
Obviously, a lot is going to change with this event compared to Match Play. It’s a different golf course, a different time of year and part of the Fall Series. But I think Austin is the one thing that’s remained consistent, and that’s the strong community support.
Q: You announced the exemptions with the Texas guys (former University of Texas standouts Christiaan Maas and Tommy Morrison, Austin native Cole Sherwood). I’m assuming you want to bring some local interest into this.
A: Absolutely. Obviously, running without a lead sponsor and moving forward with the Austin Championship name, it only makes sense to try to engage as much of this community as we possibly can.
There’s no stronger tie to Austin than the University of Texas. We’re excited to see a lot of Longhorn professionals already in the field based on their own merit. But the opportunity to add two young, promising players with Tommy and Christiaan was an easy decision on our side.
It’s always a hard decision when you’re evaluating all the different exemption requests, but having the UT tie-in is going to resonate well with Austin. And Cole Sherwood, obviously not UT but being a local, we’re really excited about putting him in the field as well.
Q: Miles Russell being a name that really pops right now, that helps too, right?
A: Exactly. At the end of the day, it’s a new event and we’re going through a new name, so anytime we have an opportunity to add a player to the field who is going to draw more attention to this event and allow it to grow in popularity, it’s always helpful.
Q: Realistically, with all the challenges you guys have had, what constitutes a successful first year?
A: I think a successful first year for this tournament, frankly, is getting as many people as possible to come out and experience it, but ultimately having them leave with a positive experience. We want them to want to come back and already be looking for those 2027 dates. That’s what’s going to mark this as a successful year.
Ultimately, we’re being careful. We don’t want to bite off more than we can chew. We want to lean in and make it feel like an event that’s unique to Austin and, again, make sure people want to come back next year and have a positive experience.
Q: Is there an advantage to starting in the fall? I’m not saying it ever works its way back into the full schedule, but there is a little bit of a buffer here. The lights aren’t quite as bright as they would be if this were a Signature Event right out of the gate.
A: No doubt. I think the golf course suits that well, too. Ultimately, we’re still having conversations with potential lead sponsors that are moving positively, trying to find the right partner.
Is there absolutely an opportunity where we could potentially move back into the springtime? I think those conversations are all happening at a good time, as we’re all following what’s happening with the PGA Tour schedule and format in 2028. Time will tell, but I think we’re extremely optimistic about where we’re sitting right now.
Q: Is there any chance for a late title sponsor for this year, or will this be the Austin Championship?
A: I think we’re prepared to move forward either way. The PGA Tour has made it clear this event is happening, and they’re supporting this event this year and supporting us and the Austin community. The focus is right now on 2026.
Conversations are ongoing with lead sponsors and all those different scenarios. There are so many different hypotheticals going into it. Obviously, the closer we get, the more challenging it is operationally and logistically to accomplish those deliverables from a marketing perspective, but you can’t rule anything out.
Q: With the Tour changing, potentially moving events around and changing formats, does that give you more flexibility when you’re talking to sponsors?
A: I think, ultimately, where we are in the process with the PGA Tour is frankly helpful with all that’s going on with the format changes.
As the PGA Tour goes forward with conversations with all these potential prospects, every prospect is going to have a different budget, a different vision and a different goal for the event. So ultimately, given where we are and going through the format changes, I think it’s playing in our favor. It just opens up more possibilities.
Q: I’m assuming the winner of Big Break did not get one of the exemptions after the show was canceled?
A: That is correct. Ultimately, with Big Break being canceled and not airing, that is correct.
Q: The original concept for this tournament was pretty revolutionary, with influencers and Big Break involved. Now you’ve had to pivot away from some of that. How have you handled those changes while replacing the past commitments and making decisions about what this event should be?
A: I would say certainly the vision and the identity of this event has changed. I think that’s typical for any PGA Tour event. The lead sponsor obviously has a lot to play with that, along with the venue.
Certainly, the identity of this event has changed. But again, at the end of the day, I think the PGA Tour product is extremely strong. Regardless, people here are interested in seeing professional golf played at an extremely high level, which we’re going to be able to produce and deliver.
Q: For people who haven’t been out here, this feels different from Austin. We’re in the Hill Country. Once you get west of the city, the landscape changes pretty quickly. Yet when we put a drone up, you could see the city in the background.
A: No doubt. The visuals out here on this golf course in certain areas are unbelievable, especially as you look out west of town. Then there are also parts where you can see the skyline. We’re only 15 minutes from downtown Austin, which is pretty awesome.
I think the venue is going to serve us great. Obviously, the players have a great setup, with the resort being right here on site, a place they’re familiar with from the Dell Technologies Match Play years.
It’s all coming together. When you go into a year-one event and have to build a site plan, every site is different. You have to consider all sorts of things: How are people coming? How are people going? Where are you setting up your fan destinations? Where do you want to funnel fans?
Even with everything that’s happened with the lead sponsor change and transition, that core site plan has remained intact. We feel very strongly that it’s going to be a great experience.
Q: Last one. If I’m coming on site for the first time, give me two or three things I can’t miss. Most people haven’t been out to this golf course before.
A: From a viewing perspective, the par 3s on this golf course stand out. I think they’re all iconic, and they’d be fantastic holes anywhere.
Also, as we go through this year, a big emphasis for us, especially now being the Austin Championship, is finding the right partners who are going to help deliver a positive fan experience. A big piece of that is you don’t necessarily need a high-end hospitality ticket to come out and enjoy everything this event has to offer.
Thanks to partnerships we’ve secured with Tito’s Vodka and Delta Air Lines, we’ve got some open-to-the-public venues on the back nine where folks can come in with a general-admission ticket, have a tent and shaded space to hang out all day, grab a refreshment, grab some food and take in the action.
Those two venues are going to stand out. Then also The Rock House, which we were at during the announcement, is a super-cool space. We’ll be opening that up again as a public area.
We’re not oblivious to the fact that it is football season. We want to make sure folks can come in and check the score of the Longhorns game or the Aggies game or whatever else is going on. It’s going to be a fun, lively environment down there right off the 18th green as well.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek and the golf coordinator of the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Q&A: Austin Championship tournament director on Good Good fallout, PGA Tour’s return
