Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour Commissioner, has had a lot on his plate lately. He’s been working on big changes for the 2026 season, searching for a new CEO, launching PGA Tour Studios, and dealing with the LIV Golf merger. The issue of slow play, which has long plagued the tour, was on full display at the recent American Express tournament, where rounds took nearly six hours to complete, leaving fans frustrated and annoyed.

In an effort to address this issue, the PGA Tour recently announced changes for the 2026 season, and as many of you might have expected a lot of players have been vocal about their dissatisfaction. In fact, players were against the changes altogether, feeling that they didn’t address the underlying issues plaguing the tour and one of those vocal players was Lucas Glover.

Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, recently spoke out against the PGA Tour’s proposed changes to field sizes, calling the decision-making process “cool kid meetings.” Glover believes the tour is using the pace of play as an excuse to reduce field sizes when in reality, it’s about appeasing a select few players. He thinks the solution is simple: enforce the existing rules and stop letting slow players disrupt the game. Glover is one of many players who are unhappy with the tour’s recent changes, and he’s not afraid to speak his mind.

However, it seems like Monahan is finally getting support for the latest changes. In the latest video of The Smylie Show on YouTube, an interesting point was raised about the new field size reductions set to take place in 2026. Apparently, there’s an exception for tournaments that use multiple courses, which could mean that events like the AMX might not see any changes to their field size or composition. As Kaufman noted, “I think that there’s always going to be issues when you play courses like this” but also mentioned, “that’s why I kind of trend towards liking the changes that are happening in 26”. Additionally, he said, “It would be nice and a perfect world to have huge fields and unlimited cards, but in the real world, we got to make sure that the playing experience for the guys who have a card is good”.

Meanwhile, it’s not only Glover who seems to be fed up with the system as many other players are also uniting against the changes. 

Matt Fitzpatrick joins the pack against PGA Tour changes

Lucas Glover isn’t the only one frustrated with the PGA Tour’s approach to slow play. Matt Fitzpatrick, a vocal critic of slow players, has also spoken out on the issue. In an interview with Sky Sports in April 2023, Fitzpatrick called out a group playing ahead of him, saying “It’s a disgrace… it’s truly appalling… It’s like hitting your head against a brick wall.” This outburst was a testament to the frustration that many players feel when faced with slow play. Fitzpatrick’s comments were not just a heat-of-the-moment reaction, but rather a reflection of the deeper issues that plague the tour.

Fitzpatrick has continued to express his frustration with the pace of play, recently resharing a tweet about Glover’s comments on the PGA Tour’s proposed changes to field sizes. Fitzpatrick wholeheartedly agreed with Glover’s sentiment, adding his own thoughts to the tweet: “He’s so right, pathetic that pace of play is spoken about every year and nothing ever gets done 😴.” This sense of exasperation is shared by many on the tour, who feel that the issue of slow play is not being adequately addressed. The proposed changes to field sizes may be a step in the right direction, but it remains to be seen whether they will be enough to solve the problem. As Fitzpatrick and Glover’s comments make clear, the PGA Tour needs to take decisive action to address the issue of slow play once and for all.