Unsurprisingly, there has been plenty of talk surrounding the proposals the PGA Tour are set to consider ahead of the 2026 season, with field sizes and pace of play a key point looking to be addressed.
The PGA Tour is looking to continue to evolve and improve as it tries to keep staving off the threat of LIV Golf. And it seems that a number of contentious changes could be on the way.
The PGA Tour plan to address pace of play issues by lowering field sizes rather than increasing fines for players who are deemed to be too slow by officials. And of course, that decision will have a knock-on effect on those lower down the food chain.
It has been proposed that the top 100 players on the PGA Tour will retain their cards, while only the top 20 players will be promoted from the Korn Ferry Tour rather than the 30 who have gone up this year. Obviously, that would appear to put a block in the pathway that leads to the PGA Tour.
Why proposals may actually be a boost for Korn Ferry Tour players
However, speaking on Golf Channel, Ryan Lavner has suggested that the decision could actually benefit those who do end up earning their cards on the feeder tour.
“When you first look at the Korn Ferry Tour, the first thing that came to mind because that’s where a lot of players on the PGA Tour University rankings are going to be funnelled, and dropping that number of exempt spots from 30 to 20 each and every year from the Korn Ferry Tour looks eye-opening on the surface,” he said.
“However, I actually think that those players now have a better shot at keeping their cards because there are going to be fewer exempt members, there are going to be smaller field sizes, they are going to have more starts as opposed to getting in that condensed crunch in late winter, early spring when so many players are eager to start their FedEx Cup seasons off on a strong note. I think the players who are funnelled through the Korn Ferry Tour now have more chance of staying power, which I think is a net positive.”
A stronger feeder tour may develop
It remains to be seen if the proposed changes have a positive impact on the number of Korn Ferry Tour graduates keeping their cards each year. But given how difficult the step up can be, it does appear to make a lot of sense to take the best of the best and hand them better opportunities once they are on the PGA Tour.
And it may well be that the Korn Ferry Tour grows stronger because of the changes. If some top players are struggling to break into that top 20, while potentially a big name or two is dropping down from the PGA Tour, that could perhaps lead to the second tier improving considerably.
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