The PGA Tour Player Advisory Council is recommending major changes to field sizes, exemption status and the number of PGA Tour cards that can be earned each season through the Korn Ferry Tour and Q-school, as well as minor adjustments to FedEx Cup points. allocations for major tournaments, the Players Championship and signing events.
The changes, which would not take effect until the 2026 season, must be approved by the PGA Tour’s policy board at its next meeting on Nov. 18.
The PGA Tour Player Advisory Council revealed the proposed changes to golfers in a 23-page summary, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN on Tuesday.
Among the proposed changes:
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The PGA Tour will adjust the maximum number of players in the first field of a single open tournament, from 156 to 144, and further reduce it from 132 to 120 as conditions such as darkness require.
In the top summary, PAC noted that 28% of tournaments in 2024 (12 of 43) had at least one round not completed on the scheduled day due to darkness.
“Excessive field sizes make it difficult to finish the competition on time each day and cause delays in the overall speed of play, increasing the average round times of the tour,” the executive summary said.
Under the proposed system, for example, the Players Championship field would be reduced from 144 to 120 players and the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open would be reduced from 156 to 144.
Tournaments played on many courses, such as the American Express, will house fields for 156 golfers.
The PAC said it considered adjusting smaller fields for the tour’s more lucrative signature events, such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament, but concluded that “any change at this stage would be disruptive and could increase fan confusion.”
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The PAC proposed lowering the number of players who would retain their PGA Tour card and full ranking from the top 125 in FedEx Cup points to the top 100, while adding a new conditional category for those players who finish anywhere from 101 to at 125.
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The Korn Ferry Tour, which normally awards 30 PGA Tour cards each season, will now award only 20 cards under the proposed changes. The DP World Tour will continue to award 10 PGA Tour cards, while Q-school cards will be included in five.
In exploring ways to “minimize the impact of field changes on current membership,” the PAC also proposed a plan that would reduce or eliminate open qualifying positions (or Monday qualifying) for events with a field size of less than 144 players. This will not apply to Fall FedEx Cup events.
According to the top summary, a review of open screening metrics revealed that 65% to 75% of players who enter the field for a Monday game do not make it. The tour said it plans to work with the PGA of America — whose divisions run home qualifiers on Monday — if the proposed changes are approved.
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Limited sponsor exemptions, including two reserved PGA Tour spots and two DP World Tour spots, will now be awarded to the next eligible members on a proposed priority list. Tournaments will continue with unlimited sponsor exemptions.
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The PAC is also proposing minor adjustments to the FedEx Cup points distribution system to accommodate the increased capacity of the field under the new schedule model. Finishing second in the Players Championship and the majors will receive a slight promotion (100 points more), while players finishing 11th and above will receive a slight demotion (10 points for 11th, 20 points for 12th and so on ) in points. it won. During signature events, players who finish in seventh place or higher will receive a slight reduction in points.
Less than two weeks ago, the chairman of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council, Camilo Villegas, sent a letter to members about the changes that will be proposed to the PGA Tour Policy Board for approval.
“In recent years, we have had to quickly make major changes to the PGA Tour’s competitive structure,” Villegas said in the letter. “Now, we see an opportunity to shift our focus to address some issues that interfere with a fair and reasonable player experience, preventing us from achieving a high level of competition.”
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