A number of changes to the PGA Tour have been proposed ahead of the 2026 season, with field sizes and slow play seemingly at the centre of the discussion.
Slow play has been a hot topic in the game of golf for some time. Fans are clearly growing tired of watching some players take all the time in the world. So some may not be delighted with some of the changes which have been proposed.
The PGA Tour is considering lower fines for slow play – which would seemingly be counterproductive in the eyes of many. However, significant structural changes could be on their way in the 2026 season.
Field sizes are in line to be reduced at nearly every single event – should the proposals go through. Meanwhile, the numbers of players who keep their cards on the PGA Tour could be reduced from 125 to 100. And it will only be the top 20 players on the Korn Ferry Tour who are promoted, rather than 30.
Michael Kim reacts as PGA Tour proposals for 2026 are unveiled
It will certainly appear to fans to be a ruthless suggestion, particularly at a time of the year when many players are fighting to earn one of those places in the top 125.
Taking to X, Michael Kim suggested that he has mixed feelings about the proposals, having been one of those who has bounced between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour in recent years…
So much uncertainty, so little faith in the decision-makers to get it right
Of course, what makes it hard to read too much into the proposals is the fact that talks are continuing in the background over the game coming back together. And thus, there is a possibility that some of those on LIV Golf may have to be factored into the equation by the time 2026 comes around.
There are definitely positives and negatives to the proposals. As Kim suggests, addressing slow play is such an important issue – particularly in an era when more and more fans are turning to YouTube for their golf fix and can watch their favourites immediately. The PGA Tour cannot afford to put their viewers off with their product.
And it may be that golf at all levels benefits from a clear pyramid – which leads to a slightly smaller PGA Tour. Having big names occasionally relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour would surely attract more attention to that tier of the game, and suddenly, many more figures would become household names.
Some will not have faith in the PGA Tour to get this right given that a lot of their decision-making has been questionable. But there is no doubt that in the right hands – not those mostly focused on the superstars of the game – a restructuring has real potential.
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