"Closed shop. Thx Rory, Tiger"- Fans react to drastic new changes on the PGA Tour for 2026 season

The PGA Tour is reportedly considering several proposed changes to some formatting and other policies. If approved, these changes would take place for the 2026 season. It's not approved yet, but some reports indicate that the voting is almost just a formality.

This would change field size, FedEx Cup point allocation, entry to the PGA Tour, and more. Golf fans aren't sure how to feel about the proposed changes should they be approved and take effect soon.

One fan noted:

"A lot of these make sense. Having the fields so large where they all can't finish in one day never made any sense. With LIV, the cutoff needed to be reduced from 125," one pointed out.

"This is why we can't have nice things. Male professional golf is such a cluster right now," another chimed in.

"They are going to push fans to LIV golf! Between this and the Ryder Cup prices. They are showing their true colors," one complained.

Another fan noted:

"Everything the Tour has done recently has been to make it harder for the guys currently on top to fall out, and harder for the guys on the bottom to make it to the top," one said.

"Seems like every move that's been made since Liv has been made to protect the top 50 players on the tour," another added.

"[Billy Horschel] explained how it may benefit the Tour. Do you not agree with that?" one asked.

There's not a unanimous opinion, but these changes, which are not absolute yet, are not popular right now.

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What changes is the PGA Tour proposing?

There are a few major changes that the Tour is reportedly considering right now. The PGA Tour board has to review and approve these changes, but there's certainly a chance everything will be implemented by 2026.

One of the main changes is to the field size. Most tournaments would be reduced from 156 to 144. Other tournaments may go as low as 132 or 120 depending on the daylight factors at play.

They are also mulling over changing the Tour's exempt status from the top 125 to the top 100 in the FedExCup, adding a conditional category for those between 100 and 125. They might also lower the number of membership cards given to those coming from the Korn Ferry Tour from 30 to 20, keeping 10 from the DP World Tour and five from Q-School.

The proposal would also mean a reduction to Open Qualifying positions for fields with fewer than 144 PGA Tour players. This is only applicable to the FedEx Cup season. They would reallocate spots in the field currently used for restricted sponsor exemptions to the next player via the Priority Ranking.

Finally, they would also adjust the FedExCup points distribution table. There would be a slight increase to second-place points for Major tournaments and The Players Championship as well as a slight decrease in points for those who finish 11th or worse. There would also be a slight decrease to Signature Event points for seventh or worse.