The PGA Tour approved on Monday, in a meeting of its Policy Board, a series of changes advanced by Ten-Golf at the end of October that make it increasingly difficult to play on the American circuit. These changes affect both the number of golfers competing in tournaments and the available cards, and are based on a proposal made by the Player Advisory Council.
In a press release that does not indicate the result of the internal vote, it states: “The PGA Tour Policy Board has today approved competitive changes supported by the Player Advisory Council (PAC) that will offer a stronger, more competitive, and entertaining PGA Tour for fans, players, tournaments, and partners.”
Among the changes to be implemented for the 2026 season (they do not affect the 2025 season starting in January) are:
· Only 100 players will retain their PGA Tour cards with full exemption status at the end of the year, compared to the current 125.
· The circuit cards available for graduates of the Korn Ferry Tour will be reduced from 30 to 20.
· The field of many events will be reduced, and in some cases, such as the THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, it will be only 120 players. As stated in the proposal, most tournaments will have at least 12 fewer players in 2026.
· A series of small adjustments will be made to the FedEx Cup points allocation, and the available spots in the fields through Monday qualifiers will be reduced (when the total number of golfers in the tournament is 132 or less).
The changes do not affect the agreement between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, so 10 players from the European circuit will continue to obtain full playing rights for the American circuit through the Order of Merit after the Dubai final.
“This was a true collaborative effort, and I am very proud of the PAC for the time and effort they put into evaluating how to build a stronger PGA Tour,” said the PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, about the agreement. A series of changes that, according to Tyler Dennis, the circuit’s competition director, have as one of their main motivations to achieve changes in the pace of play.
“These adjustments in the number of players in each tournament, which also promote a better flow of play, improve the chances of rounds being completed each day with a greater ability to make the 36-hole cut on the scheduled date under normal weather conditions,” Dennis said in the statement. “For our fans, this certainty establishes the weekend storylines much more effectively and will make the PGA Tour easier and more enjoyable to follow,” he added.
Interestingly, one idea included among the October proposals that was not mentioned was to create more lenient policies for slow play among players in the smaller fields.
Along with the “aspirational nature of obtaining a PGA Tour card,” as the circuit said, external speculation about the changes has focused on the need to create more favourable conditions for the top players to prevent possible defections and, perhaps, to reduce costs. Some players have criticised the changes, including Lucas Glover, who described them as “the cool kids’ meetings” and said that “hiding behind the pace of play, I think, challenges our intelligence.”
These changes, interestingly, come after Rafael Campos won last Sunday in Bermuda as the 147th player in the FedEx Fall rankings. In other words, they show that this type of emotional triumph can be seriously affected by reducing the number of players who can compete week after week on the PGA Tour. A new policy that, like any modification of what existed before, has its pros and cons… and its supporters and detractors.
