"I want to play against the best": World No. 5 Russell Henley opens up on his drive to compete at the highest level
May 14, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Russell Henley plays his shot from the seventh tee during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Aronimink Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
May 14, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Russell Henley plays his shot from the seventh tee during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Aronimink Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The PGA Tour is all set to change its structure starting in the 2028 season, and the only goal world No. 5 Russell Henley has is to compete at the highest level. Since joining the PGA Tour in 2013, Henley has established himself as one of the Tour's consistent contenders.
Russell Henley sat down with Joseph LaMagna and PJ Clark on the Lunch with The Boys podcast on Sunday.
“I would say my reaction at this point and my career is I want to play against the best players as much as I can, and I want to see how good I can get it,” said Henley on the Lunch with The Boys podcast.
Henley believes the revamped structure could give players more opportunities to test themselves against elite competition. The new PGA Tour schedule is set to feature a new series of events, including the Championship series and the Challenger series.
“I feel like the schedule has been an ongoing question mark in terms of with the signature events and then where they should be on the schedule and sometimes we've had them bunched around majors,” Henley said, in a collaborative YouTube video of @TheShotgunStart and @FriedEggGolf.
Henley has been on the rise on the PGA Tour. He has six Tour wins to his name, but only one of them has been a signature event, the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The 37-year-old also does not have a major win to his name but has come close in recent years. He put up his best major performance earlier this year when he finished tied for 3rd at Augusta.
In 2024, he secured a 5th and a T7 finish at the Open and the U.S. Open, respectively.
Henley's most recent win came in May at the Charles Schwab Challenge after he edged Eric Cole in an intense playoff.
The new PGA Tour schedule is being brought around for the fans.
Why the PGA Tour structural shift
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp revealed why the Tour’s structure is being changed at the Connecticut conference.
“We are just organized now in a more simple understanding competitively so our fans can understand it, our partners know what they’re getting as far as value. So we think we’ve just organized the same tour into a much more interesting and competitive system,” Rolapp said in a @PGATour YouTube video.
The new format promises even more engaging battles. The Challenger Series will also be highly competitive as its players will have direct tickets to the tier-1 series.
“Well, this is fan-based. We’re trying to give the fans the best product we possibly can,” Tiger Woods said at the Hero World Challenge last year, as per Golf.com.
With the PGA Tour preparing to introduce its new structure in 2028, Henley will get the opportunity he wants most: more chances to measure himself against the game's best players.
What are your thoughts on the new PGA Tour schedule? Let us know in the comments.
Written by
Avishek Sarkar
Edited by
Rudra Dubey