PGA Tour gamers suggest adjusted discipline sizes, fewer tour playing cards

The PGA Tour Participant Advisory Council is recommending sweeping adjustments to discipline sizes, exemption standing and the variety of PGA Tour playing cards that may be obtained every season by means 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 authorized 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 government abstract, a replica of which was obtained by ESPN on Tuesday.

Among the many proposed adjustments:

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

Within the government abstract, the PAC famous that 28% of tournaments in 2024 (12 of 43) had not less than one spherical that wasn’t accomplished on the scheduled day resulting from 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 common spherical occasions on tour,” the chief abstract stated.

Below the proposed plan, as an example, the sector for the Gamers Championship can 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 preserve fields of 156 golfers.

The PAC stated it thought of 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 can be disruptive and will enhance fan confusion.”

• The PAC proposed decreasing the variety of gamers who would preserve 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 underneath the proposed adjustments. The DP World Tour would proceed to award 10 PGA Tour playing cards, and Q-school playing cards can be capped at 5.

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

Based on the chief abstract, a evaluate of open qualifying metrics revealed that 65% to 75% of gamers who make the sector by way of a Monday qualifier don’t make the lower. The tour stated it plans to work with the PGA of America — whose sections run the native Monday qualifiers — ought to the proposed adjustments be authorized.

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

• The PAC can be proposing slight changes to the FedEx Cup factors distribution system to account for elevated power of discipline underneath 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 received. 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 may be proposed to the PGA Tour Coverage Board for approval.

“Lately, we have now needed to rapidly implement substantial adjustments to the PGA Tour’s aggressive construction and schedule,” Villegas stated 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 splendid participant expertise, stopping us from attaining the best degree of competitors.”