The PGA Tour warned they are making plans which could stop them finding their next star player

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New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp is already making big changes ahead of the 2026 season, which could have unintended consequences.

The bold new leader of the PGA Tour, Rolapp, who isn’t bound by golfing traditions having come from a role in the NFL, announced big changes to turn the sport into an “aggressive meritocracy”.

Rolapp’s new changes mean that players who finish outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup points list will retain their playing privileges. Players from 101-150 will fall subject to a new tiered system, which determines the events a player can play in 2026. 

But with that change comes fewer opportunities for young players looking to make a name on the Tour. The number of Korn Ferry Tour players who earn a PGA Tour card has been reduced from 30 to 20, and they also have fewer opportunities to earn points, and a tighter threshold to meet in order to retain their playing privileges. 

That could be bad news for the future of the PGA Tour, as they could potentially miss out on their next big star.

Rex Hoggard expresses his concern about the PGA Tour’s future after rule change

While generational talents, such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, are naturally gifted enough from a young age to make the PGA Tour no matter the conditions the CEO sets for them, that’s not the case for every big-name player. 

Some are slower to develop and take longer to find their footing on the PGA Tour, before going on to win major championships and have long, successful careers.

Rex Hoggard, speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav, said Rolapp’s changes could prevent the PGA Tour from finding its next big name. 

He explained, “I think one of the arguments is always going to be if you’re good enough, you’re going to make it to the PGA Tour. If you’re a Tiger Woods or a Phil Mickelson or any of these other stars who have come up onto the PGA tour without going through Q School, you do find a way.

Hoggard continued, “If the PGA Tour continues to narrow the window, eventually you’re gonna narrow it to the point where all these stars don’t make it through.

“Some of them aren’t going to make it through. It’s just a numbers game at this point. It’s not as though they’re not talented enough. It’s not as though they’re not good enough.

“It’s just that the numbers don’t add up to allow them to get starts on the PGA Tour. That’s the other side of the coin. When I give the PGA Tour its kudos, it’s because they have created a system so all of the top stars have an opportunity to play their way on.

“I think that system needs to be made sure that it’s fleshed out enough that you don’t have this narrowing effect that’s going to cost you a star down the line.”

That becomes especially problematic when players like Jordan Spieth are granted exemptions for major events despite poor performances in recent seasons. 

That’s not to say that the biggest stars shouldn’t be given more opportunities, but there are only so many spots available, and some young players will fall victim to that.

J.J. Spaun could have suffered under new PGA Tour rules 

There are a number of examples of late bloomers who have had success later in their careers, and J.J. Spaun is a fairytale story that epitomizes Hoggard’s point. Spaun won the US Open in 2025, but he almost lost his PGA Tour card as recently as 2024. 

Spaun was 99th in the FedEx Cup points list in his first season on the Tour in 2017. He had two top-10 finishes on the year to sneak into the top 100, which would likely have been impossible for him in 2026 with fewer starts available. 

And again in 2024, a poor season saw Spaun saw him in danger of losing his card, but three top 10s on the back end of the season earned him a 96th-placed finish. Again, if he had fewer opportunities, that may not have been possible. 

Spaun later admitted he was considering giving up on professional golf if he lost his card, but in a miraculous turn of events, he became one of the sport’s biggest stars a year later. He won the US Open, and Spaun impressed at the Ryder Cup as one of Team USA’s best players. 

He’s a clear example that stars can emerge from where you least expect them, and it’s therefore a real possibility that some of the sport’s great talents could be lost to these new rules.