The PGA Tour announced Monday that it will be implementing sweeping changes to its field sizes, membership structure, priority ranking and FedEx Cup points system. Approved by the PGA Tour Policy Board ahead of this week's RSM Classic, the alterations will be put into effect at the start of the 2026 season.
"The PAC discussions were based on a number of guiding principles, including our belief that PGA Tour membership is the pinnacle of achievement in men's professional golf," said board member and 14-time PGA Tour winner Adam Scott. "The player representatives of the PGA Tour recognize the need to be continually improving its offerings to enhance the golf fan experience. The changes approved today will provide equitable playing opportunities for new young talent to be showcased, and positively refine the playing experience for our members."
Chief among the modifications is reducing exempt status from the top 125 players to the top 100 in the FedEx Cup. Those ranked Nos. 101-125 will now only hold conditional status with some caveats in lieu of full-time status.
Nos. 101-110 through the FedEx Cup Fall will find themselves in their own exemption category, including major medical extensions, above a category for Nos. 111-125 and another for Nos. 126-150. The change is to help those who earned PGA Tour cards via DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour as those individuals had struggled just to get into full-field events under the current exemption categories.
The top 125 exempt system has been in place since 1983.
This decision will trickle down and create smaller field sizes and fewer membership opportunities. The maximum field size for a one-course tournament will be cut from 156 players to 144 players for most events, 120 players for tournaments played before daylight savings (WM Phoenix Open, Players Championship among them). Three tournaments played after daylight savings but before the Masters will have fields of 132 players.
"These field size adjustments, which also promote a better flow of play, improve the chances of rounds being completed each day with a greater ability to make the 36-hole cut on schedule under normal weather conditions," PGA Tour chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis said. "For our fans, this certainty sets up weekend storylines much more effectively and will make the PGA Tour easier and more enjoyable to follow."
PGA Tour cards given to Korn Ferry Tour graduates will decrease from 30 to 20 annually. A maximum of five PGA Tour cards will be rewarded through Q-School, while the DP World Tour avenue will remain unchanged with the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai (who are not otherwise exempt) receiving PGA Tour cards. Open qualifying at events with 144 players remains unchanged but will be reduced to two spots for 132-player fields and eliminated entirely for 120-player fields.
The FedEx Cup points system will undergo a slight change as well. Heeding to the advice of Maverick McNealy, the PGA Tour has adjusted the FedEx Cup points distribution table so that runner-up finishers in major championships and the Players Championship will receive more while those who finish in 11th-place and beyond will receive less. A similar adjustment will occur in signature events where those who finish in 7th-place and beyond will receive less points. These changes will go into effect in 2025, unlike the others.
"While the FedExCup points system operated as projected and met key objectives that were modeled for the season, player feedback indicated we needed to study specific areas of the points system," Dennis said. "Input from the membership and the collaboration with the Player Advisory Council were instrumental in developing an equitable points system."