The PGA Tour plans to implement a few new changes for the 2026 season. One change that has brought about hints of doubt in the golf world is cutting down on the Monday qualifiers. According to the new rule, in 2026 the Monday qualifiers will be reduced from four to two. There have also been hints to restrict the qualifiers only to current PGA Tour members. However, this particular part has not been confirmed yet.

The official X account of the Monday Qualifier Info took to their wall a few hours ago and wrote an open letter to the PGA Tour. “As you look to cut the Monday Qs just a reminder,” they began. JT Poston, who after the Saturday’s play co-leads the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open earned his Korn Ferry Tour status in 2016. In the Monday qualifiers, he earned a spot at the United Leasing Championship and finished with a T23. This earned him a spot in the Rex Hospital Open, and a T3 finish at the event gave him a Special Temporary Member status on the Tour for the season. 

While, Norman Xiong, who entered the final round of the Knoxville Open with the solo lead, also managed to revive his career with a Monday Qualifier round. Taking to this, the page even added, “Co-leader JT Poston got status on KFT through a Monday Q. Norman Xiong, who is one back, resurrected his career, with a win at a KFT event after getting through a Monday. And 3 of the 4 Mon Qs made the cut this week.”

Well, it was not just them who did not deem it right to cut down the Monday qualifying rounds. The golf community also agreed. 

The decision makes no sense to the golf world

Some of the other proposed changes for the 2026 season are reduction in the field sizes of regular season PGA Tour events from 156 and 144 (for most), to as low as 120, the elimination of 10 Korn Ferry Tour graduate cards, a reduction in full PGA Tour cards from 125 to 100, and the elimination of the two sponsor exemption spots. This will only make less scope for the rising stars to come into the limelight.

Taking to this, the golf fans left comments like, “It makes no sense”. One of them even accused the decisions of the council to be bringing the future of the PGA Tour at risk. They wrote, “PGAT sacrificing the future for the now.”

The Monday qualifiers are the one chance for the golfers to fulfill their dreams of playing on the PGA Tour with some of the best golfers in the world. It determines the final spots in a tournament’s field, giving golfers outside the exempt categories a chance to earn a spot in any of the official Tournaments. If this opportunity is reduced, so will the bridge to play on the Tour. Taking to this, one of them questioned, “Why aren’t the PGA of America and PGA sections that benefit from the Mondays speaking out?”

While another fan suggested putting more emphasis on the Monday qualifiers instead of making the cut. According to them, it should be an automatic way to make it through the week. “Lean into the Monday qualifiers more make it the top 75 get automatic qualification and the rest have to qualify that week”, they advised.

While another simply wrote, “Not sure ANYONE has ever said “we could do without Mondays”. No one wants this. Weird.”

What are your thoughts about the change in the rule? Let us know in the comments section!