PGA Tour coverage board approves modifications to lower area sizes and alter eligibility

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – As anticipated, the PGA Tour’s coverage board authorised sweeping modifications to the circuit’s eligibility standards, area sizes and the whole variety of fully-exempt members.

Monday’s assembly of the board was dominated by the plan that had been proposed by the Participant Advisory Council to cut back area sizes at almost each Tour occasion and lower the variety of absolutely exempt gamers from the highest 125 from the earlier season’s FedExCup factors record to the highest 100 beginning in 2026.

“At this time’s introduced modifications construct on the aggressive and schedule enhancements included during the last six years in looking for the very best model of the PGA Tour for our followers, gamers, tournaments and companions,” Tour commissioner Jay Monahan mentioned in a press release. “This was a real collaborative effort, and I’m extraordinarily happy with the PAC for the trouble they put into evaluating how we construct a stronger PGA Tour.”

The Tour despatched a top level view of the proposed plan to the membership final month and there was loads of pushback from gamers.

“I believed [the proposed plan] was asinine, like most of our current modifications,” Lucas Glover mentioned. “Limiting gamers doesn’t assist competitors. We’re the one sport that decreased the variety of groups or gamers; each different sport has expanded their playoffs or expanded their fields. We’re doing the alternative. The Tour’s job description is to do what’s proper for the membership, not a couple of members.”

The Sony Open, WM Phoenix Open and Cognizant Basic, that are all 144-player fields, could be lowered to 120 gamers and occasions through the summer time months – just like the RBC Canadian Open, Rocket Mortgage Basic and Genesis Scottish Open – could be lowered from 156- to 144-player fields (with one exception: the American Specific, which is performed on three programs and stays at 156).

The sphere dimension for The Gamers Championship, the Tour’s flagship occasion, would even be lowered from 144 to 120 gamers (event-by-event breakdown at backside of article).

Because of these modifications, which had been pushed partly to enhance tempo of play and preserve occasions on schedule, the variety of absolutely exempt Tour playing cards may even be adjusted for the primary time because the Eighties. Together with a discount of fully-exempt members from the earlier season’s FedExCup factors record, the variety of Korn Ferry Tour graduates shall be lowered to the highest 20, down from the highest 30 from the earlier season’s factors record. The variety of playing cards given by way of Q-Faculty will go from the highest 5 and ties to the highest 5.

“It was essential to redefine PGA Tour membership as we construct on the aspirational nature of incomes a PGA Tour card,” the Tour’s chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis mentioned in a press release. “As soon as on Tour, members could have an equitable alternative to retain their membership and qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs.”

The variety of spots out there by way of Monday qualifying may even be lowered to 2 spots for 132-player fields and 4 for 144-player fields. The highest 10 from the earlier season’s DP World Tour factors will proceed to earn PGA Tour membership below the brand new standards.

The Tour additionally made slight modifications to FedExCup-point distributions for 2025, reducing allocations exterior the highest 10 in majors and The Gamers in addition to exterior the highest 6 in signature occasions.