The Korn Ferry Tour is already beginning to really feel the trickle-down results of sweeping adjustments up on the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour late final yr introduced reductions in discipline sizes for 2026 and eligibility adjustments for 2025, most notably taking away 10 playing cards from the KFT and lowering the variety of gamers who keep absolutely exempt standing through the FedExCup from 125 to 100 gamers. These adjustments are anticipated to trigger PGA Tour members to play extra this yr, whereas these gamers who completed Nos. 126-200 in final yr’s FedExCup are anticipating entering into fewer PGA Tour fields.
And thus, the newest opening of pandora’s field:
A number of gamers who earned assured KFT begins this yr through final December’s PGA Tour Q-College discovered themselves on alternate lists for the primary two occasions of the 2025 KFT season – each within the Bahamas, and the primary of which begins per week from Sunday – after these fields have been finalized on Friday.
The information was first reported by Monday Q Information and confirmed with the PGA Tour by GolfChannel.com.
This, in fact, is because of a larger variety of FedExCup Nos. 126-200 gamers, who’re prioritized above gamers who earned eight assured KFT begins, committing to a KFT schedule, at the very least early within the yr. Gamers with eight assured begins embrace those that completed among the many subsequent 40 finishers and ties (and outdoors the subsequent 25 finishers and ties) at closing stage of Q-College, plus medalists from 5 second-stage websites.
To repair the issue, the PGA Tour on Friday introduced that it’s increasing each fields to 144 gamers to accommodate the alternates who ought to’ve been exempt – 9 for the season-opening Bahamas Golf Basic at Atlantis and 11 for the next week’s Bahamas Nice Abaco Basic.
“We carefully monitored the fields for the primary two occasions of the season and, as we approached the dedication deadline, it grew to become evident quite a lot of components have been impacting the sphere record, which noticed 20-plus further commitments attributable to much less withdrawals in comparison with final yr’s fields,” KFT president Alex Baldwin stated in a message to gamers on Friday. “We felt components comparable to a brand new, championship-caliber golf course in an easier-to-access location in Nassau, an earlier and mixed dedication deadline alongside altering dynamics of each the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour schedules, contributed to this alteration.”
Not like when the PGA Tour expanded fields for final yr’s Valspar Championship, Texas Youngsters’s Houston Open and Valero Texas Open, the KFT will hold each fields at 144 gamers, pulling from the alternate record for future withdrawals.
The KFT holds 4 tournaments in South and Central America following the Bahamas fortnight, although all however Panama (144 gamers) are 156-player fields.
Friday’s information additionally may probably assist Shad Tuten.
Tuten completed No. 78 in KFT factors final season, spectacular contemplating he made simply 13 begins after lacking the primary few months of the yr whereas recovering from a coronary heart concern, which popped up after Tuten missed incomes his PGA Tour card on the 2023 KFT Championship following a two-shot penalty on the fifteenth gap of his closing spherical. Tuten couldn’t enhance his conditional standing at closing stage, although in earlier years, ending simply three spots – and 11.5 factors – exterior of sustaining full KFT standing would’ve doubtless gotten him into each Bahamas occasions. As a substitute, previous to Friday’s discipline expansions, he was buried on the alternate lists. And making issues worse, his request for a medical extension was denied due to a miscommunication.
Tuten stated he and his agent have been advised that he may play as much as 12 occasions final season and nonetheless be eligible for a medical, and he was additionally beneath the idea, he says, that postseason begins didn’t rely towards that complete, which ended up not being true.
“I had spoken to an immense quantity of individuals about the way it all labored, and I imagine that is what precipitated my confusion,” stated Tuten, who included “some workers members and longstanding Korn Ferry/PGA Tour members” in that group.
“Actually, it doesn’t really feel actual after what occurred to me only a couple years again,” Tuten added. “This upcoming yr would be the hardest but with standing that isn’t nice. This gained’t break me, and I’ll come again; I at all times have.”
