The PGA Tour has gone through a whole host of changes in recent years, and members have been given a chance to vote on another following a Player Advisory Council meeting.
Members of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council (PAC) met ahead of this week’s BMW Championship to discuss potential changes to eligibility and field sizes of events on the American-based circuit.
Eligibility status on the PGA Tour has become a hot talking point over the past year. The circuit has taken strides to see its best players competing alongside each other more frequently this campaign following the roll out of the ‘Signature Event’ programme in 2024.
This saw a number of the PGA Tour’s most recognised events handed elevated status, with a £15.2 million ($20m) prize pot on offer at each, with just 70 players competing for the eye-watering sum – often without a cut.
At regular Tour events, fields currently sit between 144 and 156 players, but concerns over playing times due to the large entry lists have been shared. So much so that, according to Golfweek, some of the Tour’s leading playing figures a part of the PAC met at Castle Pines to discuss a potential vote on making changes.
While members have expressed a desire to reduce field size due to events often running out of daylight ahead of the 36-hole cut, players at the other end of the spectrum appear to be concerned about having their playing rights limited. “We want every single player who earns a full Tour card to have a fair opportunity to compete on the PGA Tour,” an unnamed player claimed.
As things stand, performance in the FedEx Cup standings are imperative in securing playing rights for the following season. This campaign, any player inside the top-50 following the end of the regular season earns full exemption into all mega-money Signature Events for 2025.
Further along the list, players on the Tour who finish the year ranked within the top-125 of the FedEx Cup standings retain their full Tour card. According to the report, an anonymous player suggested that any necessary changes should be made promptly, stating: “It is essential to finalize this for 2026 – 2025 is already determined – but it must be initiated so that players are aware of what they are competing for in the upcoming season.”
Rory McIlroy has expressed support for reducing field sizes and the number of Tour cards available. Acknowledging the potential backlash from some of his peers lower on the PGA Tour hierarchy, he remarked in March: “I am in favor of making the competition more intense and competitive. This may not be a popular opinion, but I advocate for fewer players and fewer Tour cards, focusing on the best of the best.”
In relation to the ongoing debate about the cut lines for the Tour’s Signature Events, he elaborated: “When the concept of these signature events was developed, the idea was to have no cut. However, if it holds significant importance to figures like Tiger and Jack, and if Arnold were still with us, then it is ultimately their tournament, and they have the authority to make whatever decisions they deem necessary.”