PGA Tour players are proposing big changes for '26

The PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council is recommending minor adjustments to field size, concession status, the number of PGA Tour cards available each season through the Corn Ferry Tour and Q-School, and the allocation of FedEx Cup points. Major Championships, Players Championships and Signature Events.

The changes, which will not take effect until the 2026 season, must be approved by the PGA Tour policy board at its next meeting on Nov. 18.

The PGA Tour Player Advisory Council unveiled the proposed changes to golfers in a 23-page executive summary, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN on Tuesday.

Among the proposed changes:

• The PGA Tour will adjust the maximum number of players at the start of an open one-course, full-field tournament from 156 to 144, further reducing it from 132 to 120 as needed in conditions such as darkness.

In the executive summary, the PAC noted that 28% of tournaments in 2024 (12 of 43) had at least one round that was not completed on the scheduled day due to darkness.

“Field sizes that are too large make it difficult to finish tournaments on time each day and delay the overall pace of play, increasing the average round time on tour,” the executive summary said.

Under the proposed plan, for example, the Players Championship field would be reduced from 144 players to 120, and the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open would be reduced from 156 to 144.

Played on multiple courses like The American Express, the tournament will maintain a field of 156 golfers.

The PAC said it considered adjusting small limited areas of the tour's lucrative signature events, such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament, but concluded “any changes at this stage would be disruptive and could increase fan confusion.”

• The PAC proposed dropping the FedEx Cup from the top 125 finishers to the top 100 to retain their PGA Tour card and full status, as well as adding a new conditional category for players who finish anywhere between 101-125. .

• The Corn Ferry Tour, which normally awards 30 PGA Tour cards per season, will now award only 20 cards under the proposed changes. The DP World Tour will continue to offer 10 PGA Tour cards, and Q-School cards will be limited to five.

To explore ways to “minimize the impact of field size changes on current membership,” the PAC also proposed a plan that would reduce or eliminate open qualifying (or Monday qualifying) positions for events with field sizes smaller than 144. This does not apply to FedEx Cup Fall events.

According to the executive summary, a review of the Open qualifying metrics showed that 65% to 75% of players who make it through Monday's qualifiers don't make the cut. The tour said it plans to work with the PGA of America — whose divisions run local Monday qualifiers — if the proposed changes are approved.

• Limited sponsor concessions, including two reserved PGA Tour spots and two DP World Tour spots, will now be offered to next-eligible members in the proposed priority ranking. Tournaments will still have unrestricted sponsor exemptions.

• The PAC is also proposing minor adjustments to the FedEx Cup points distribution system to increase field strength under the new schedule model. Runners-up in the Players Championship and Majors will receive a slight increase (100 more points), while players who finish 11th and later will see a slight decrease in points (10 points for 11th, 20 points for 12th, and so on) won during Signature Events, Players who finish 7th or worse will receive a slight reduction in points.

Less than two weeks ago, Camilo Villegas, chairman of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council, sent a letter to members asking for the changes to be proposed to the PGA Tour Policy Board for approval.

“In recent years, we have had to quickly implement significant changes to the PGA Tour's competitive structure and schedule,” Villegas said in the letter. “Now, we see an opportunity to shift our focus to those barriers that are standing in the way of a fair and ideal player experience, preventing us from achieving the highest level of competition.”