Proposal for Changes to the Player Committee Submitted to the Policy Committee
Reduction in Number of Participating Players, Adjustment of Tour Card Guarantee Ranking
It is expected to become more difficult to advance to the U.S. Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour starting in 2026.
On the 29th (local time), the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council prepared a proposal for system changes, including reducing the number of participants, abolishing Monday qualifiers, and adjusting the priority ranking for guaranteed tour cards, and submitted it to the PGA Tour's highest decision-making body, the Policy Board. The Policy Board is scheduled to review the Player Advisory Council's proposal on the 18th of next month. It is reported that they plan to implement the changes starting in 2026.
This move aims to prevent the outflow of top players since the launch of LIV Golf and to guarantee more rewards to outstanding players. The New York Times predicted, "It will become easier for top-ranked players to continue participating in major tournaments, but players with poor performance will find it more difficult to maintain their eligibility and secure tournament entries."
The core of this proposal is to reduce the number of players participating in tournaments compared to the current system, decrease the number of players holding PGA Tour cards, and narrow the gateway for new players entering the PGA Tour. The focus is on protecting the vested rights of top-performing players. The limit for players in full-field tournaments will be reduced from the current 156 to 144. Especially during seasons with shorter daylight hours, the player limit will be reduced from 132 to 120. The number of participants in The Players Championship, known as the "fifth major," will be cut from 144 to 120.
The Player Advisory Council also proposed reducing the guaranteed full-season PGA Tour cards from the current top 125 in FedEx Cup points to the top 100. Players ranked 101st to 125th will only receive conditional status. Monday qualifiers will be abolished for tournaments with 144 or fewer players. However, Monday qualifiers will remain for fall series events.
The number of players granted PGA Tour cards from the top 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour (the second-tier tour) will be reduced to 20. The path to the PGA Tour through Qualifying (Q) School will also be slightly narrowed. Currently, the top five finishers receive PGA Tour cards, but going forward, it will be strictly limited to five players.
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