Improvements to TOUR’s competitive structure including eligibility, field sizes and FedExCup points system approved by PGA TOUR Policy Board

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR Policy Board today approved competitive changes supported by the Player Advisory Council (PAC) that will deliver a stronger and more competitive and entertaining PGA TOUR to fans, players, tournaments and partners.

The initiative addresses key areas of feedback from the membership over the course of 2024, most notably the need to provide equitable playing opportunities and certainty of schedule for members who have earned a PGA TOUR card. Other changes include field size adjustments to account for events with limited daylight and minor changes to the FedExCup points structure.

Eligibility and field size changes will take effect for the 2026 season, while adjustments to the FedExCup points system will be implemented beginning in 2025.

“Today’s announced changes build on the competitive and schedule enhancements incorporated over the last six years in seeking the best version of the PGA TOUR for our fans, players, tournaments and partners,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “This was a true collaborative effort, and I’m extremely proud of the PAC for the time and effort they put into evaluating how we build a stronger PGA TOUR.”

“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 PGA TOUR Policy Board Player Director Adam Scott, a member of the PAC’s Competitions Subcommittee. “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.”

Eligibility and membership

• Exempt status to change from top 125 to top 100 in the FedExCup standings with conditional status for finishers 101-125. This change was incorporated for players who receive their cards via the Korn Ferry Tour/DP World Tour/Q-School to have a greater certainty of schedule and equitable playing opportunities for Full-Field Events.
• The number of PGA TOUR cards available to the top finishers on the Korn Ferry Tour to be decreased from 30 to 20 while maintaining 10 from the DP World Tour and capping PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry at five (rather than five and ties).
• Adjustments for Open qualifiers at Full-Field Events to include:
  • 144-player fields (4 – unchanged)
  • 132-player fields (2)
  • 120-player fields (0)
• Restricted sponsor exemptions currently used for players in the DP World Tour/Korn Ferry Tour/Q-School category as well as those restricted to PGA TOUR members to be removed and reallocated to the next eligible members on the Priority Ranking; Open events maintain unrestricted sponsor exemptions which are typically a standard of four.

“It was important to redefine PGA TOUR membership as we build on the aspirational nature of earning a PGA TOUR card,” said PGA TOUR Chief Competitions Officer Tyler Dennis. “Once on TOUR, members will have an equitable opportunity to retain their membership and qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. For our fans, this added competitive drama will in turn create stronger fields and leaderboards throughout the season.”

Field sizes

• Reducing maximum number of players in a starting field of an Open tournament played on one course from 156 to 144 players; a reduction to 120 or 132 as required by circumstances such as daylight.
• THE PLAYERS Championship will move to a field size of 120 players.
• The majority of tournaments played on multiple courses would maintain a field size of 156 players, the exception being the Farmers Insurance Open, which would play with a field size of 144.

“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," said Dennis. "For our fans, this certainty sets up weekend storylines much more effectively and will make the PGA TOUR easier and more enjoyable to follow."

FedExCup points system

The following adjustments were made to the FedExCup points distribution table and will go into effect in 2025:

• Majors and THE PLAYERS: slight increase to second-place points and a slight decrease to points for positions 11 and beyond.
• Signature Events: slight decrease to points for positions 7 and beyond.

“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,” said Dennis. “Input from the membership and the collaboration with the Player Advisory Council were instrumental in developing an equitable points system.”

Other approved items

• The top 10 finishers and ties, including amateurs, to be granted access to the next Open event, rather than the top-10 professionals. Additionally, to recognize elite performance in PGA TOUR events, an extra point for a top-five finish to be awarded in PGA TOUR Accelerated.
• Invitational eligibility adjustments for THE PLAYERS, Charles Schwab Challenge and Genesis Scottish Open to align with the revised standard eligibility structure.

Previous schedule and competitive changes (2019-2024)

• 2019: Return to March for the TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship and the PGA Championship’s move from August to May; a reduction of FedExCup Playoffs events from four to three with all three events being contested in August; introduction of FedExCup Starting Strokes at the TOUR Championship.
• 2023: Changes to FedExCup Playoffs field sizes at the FedEx St. Jude Championship (125 to 70) and BMW Championship (70 to 50): new FedExCup Fall portion to the schedule.
• 2024: Return to a calendar-year schedule (January-November) and the addition of Full-Field and Signature Events, the Signature Events being limited-field tournaments with increased prize money and FedExCup points.