PGA Tour players propose adjusted field sizes, fewer tour cards

The PGA Tour Participant Advisory Council is recommending sweeping adjustments to area sizes, exemption standing and the variety of PGA Tour playing cards that may be obtained every season by way of the Korn Ferry Tour and Q-school, in addition to a slight adjustment to the FedEx Cup factors allocations for main championships, the Gamers Championship and signature occasions.

The adjustments, which would not take impact till the 2026 season, have to be accredited by the PGA Tour coverage board at its subsequent assembly on Nov. 18.

The PGA Tour Participant Advisory Council unveiled the proposed adjustments to golfers in a 23-page govt abstract, a replica of which was obtained by ESPN on Tuesday.

Among the many proposed adjustments:

• The PGA Tour would alter the utmost variety of gamers in a beginning area of an open one-course, full-field event from 156 to 144, with an extra discount from 132 to 120 as required by circumstances similar to darkness.

Within the govt abstract, the PAC famous that 28% of tournaments in 2024 (12 of 43) had no less than one spherical that wasn’t accomplished on the scheduled day as a result of darkness.

“Discipline sizes which can be too giant make it tough to complete the competitors on schedule every day and trigger delays within the total tempo of play, rising the typical spherical occasions on tour,” the manager abstract mentioned.

Underneath the proposed plan, as an illustration, the sphere for the Gamers Championship could be diminished from 144 gamers to 120 and the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open would go from 156 to 144.

Tournaments performed on a number of programs, such because the American Categorical, would keep fields of 156 golfers.

The PAC mentioned it thought-about adjusting the smaller restricted fields of the tour’s profitable signature occasions, such because the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Match, however concluded that “any modification at this stage could be disruptive and will enhance fan confusion.”

• The PAC proposed lowering the variety of gamers who would keep their PGA Tour card and full standing from the highest 125 finishers in FedEx Cup factors to the highest 100, whereas including a brand new conditional class for these gamers who end wherever from 101 to 125.

• The Korn Ferry Tour, which generally awards 30 PGA Tour playing cards per season, would now award solely 20 playing cards below the proposed adjustments. The DP World Tour would proceed to award 10 PGA Tour playing cards, and Q-school playing cards could be capped at 5.

In exploring methods to “reduce the influence of area dimension adjustments on the present membership,” the PAC additionally proposed a plan that would cut back or get rid of open qualifying (or Monday qualifying) positions for occasions with a area dimension smaller than 144 gamers. This could not apply to the FedEx Cup Fall occasions.

In accordance with the manager abstract, a evaluation of open qualifying metrics revealed that 65% to 75% of gamers who make the sphere through a Monday qualifier don’t make the minimize. The tour mentioned it plans to work with the PGA of America — whose sections run the native Monday qualifiers — ought to the proposed adjustments be accredited.

• Restricted sponsor exemptions, which embody two reserved PGA Tour spots and two DP World Tour spots, will now be awarded to the following eligible members on the proposed precedence rating. Tournaments will nonetheless preserve unrestricted sponsor exemptions.

• The PAC can also be proposing slight changes to the FedEx Cup factors distribution system to account for elevated energy of area below the brand new schedule mannequin. Second-place finishes on the Gamers Championship and the majors would obtain a slight enhance (100 extra factors), whereas gamers who end eleventh and past would obtain a slight lower (10 factors for eleventh, 20 factors for twelfth and so forth) in factors gained. Throughout signature occasions, gamers who end seventh or worse would obtain a slight lower in factors.

Lower than two weeks in the past, PGA Tour Participant Advisory Council chairman Camilo Villegas despatched a letter to members alluding to the adjustments that might be proposed to the PGA Tour Coverage Board for approval.

“Lately, we now have needed to shortly implement substantial adjustments to the PGA Tour’s aggressive construction and schedule,” Villegas mentioned within the letter. “Now, we see a chance to shift our focus to deal with sure points which can be getting in the best way of a good and superb participant expertise, stopping us from attaining the best stage of competitors.”