"It's super annoying" - PGA Tour pro slams system for poor pace of play, says new changes will not make a difference

The PGA Tour has proposed some changes to help the pace of play by limiting fields based on daylight. Slow play has been a problem for some golfers for a while, and this is the reported solution that is being considered for 2026. However, Tour pro Michael Kim doesn't believe this will do anything to help.

He emphasized that the slow play is not just about a few guys who slow things down. He agrees, however, that field size makes a difference in the pace. With fewer players, the game can run faster.

Kim wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter:

"Have you guys ever played in a big shotgun tournament with 3somes or 4somes on every hole? Or even a public muni where tee times are stacked? It’s a pace of play nightmare because there’s no flow. It’s not just because guys need to play a bit faster. Guys lose golf balls, 3 putt, need a ruling, all these things end up causing a big jam. Just because you tell certain drivers to go faster doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be traffic during rush hour."

But with all that said, the golfer is certain that the proposed changes aren't going to alleviate this problem:

"The recent changes aren’t going to be a big change but just telling slow guys to play faster won’t fix the problem. I’m the one that has to play with these slow guys and it’s super annoying but there’s no quick fix unfortunately."

These policies have been proposed and are not set in stone. However, many believe the Tour's impending vote on them is just a formality and they will make these changes.

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What changes is the PGA Tour mulling for 2026?

The PGA Tour is mulling quite a few changes for the sport moving forward. Chief among them is the field size as well as the overall size of the Tour itself. First and foremost, almost every non-Signature Event would see a field reduction.

The PGA Tour is mulling a few major changes to the format (Imagn)

Depending on a few factors, the fields would drop to 144, 132, or 120 players. Almost all tournaments would shrink, and only a few would stay the same. The overall number of qualifying members of the PGA Tour would drop from the top 125 on the FedEx Cup to the top 100.

They would also limit the number of Korn Ferry Tour players coming in from 30 to 20, with 10 coming from the DP World Tour and five from qualifying school. The size of the Tour as a whole would shrink significantly if these changes are accepted. The vote has not yet happened, but all signs point to an approval.