The PGA Tour has announced new changes which will be implemented in the 2026 season. Among the proposed changes, the recent one is a reduction in field sizes, the elimination of 10 Korn Ferry Tour graduate cards, a reduction in full PGA Tour cards from 125 to 100, the elimination of the two sponsor exemption spots, and the elimination of two Monday qualifying spots. Well, this one was a rather shocking blow for not just the golf fans, but the PGA Tour Pros. Billy Horschel appeared in the latest episode of the Any Given Monday podcast with Ryan French. The duo engaged in a candid conversation about the workings of the PGA Tour methods;

“The tour never seemed to get anything right the first time. There’s no doubt about that; historically, it’s right,” said Horschel. To begin with, he pointed to the FedEx Cup points system. Although the number of events has decreased, some players, like Scottie Scheffler, have still shown their dislike towards the format.

The format for the FedEx Cup Playoffs has changed a lot over the years and most recently was revamped in 2023. Till 2022, the top 125 in the standings qualified for the first event, and the top 70 moved on to the second week, following the top 30 for the Tour Championship. But since the 2024 season, only the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings will qualify for the first event of the Playoffs. From there, the field will be narrowed to 50 for the second week and 30 for the final event. One could say that the PGA Tour has done quite some trial and error to reach the format that sits right with them.

As per the new rules of the PGA Tour that are to be implemented in 2026, there will be fewer fully exempt players on the PGA Tour and coming to the Tour from the KFT. The exemption list for the FedEx Cup points may be reduced from 125 to around 90 or 100 players. While this change might not significantly impact The American Express, a tournament that often features younger players and recent graduates from the Korn Ferry Tour, it also raises concerns about a decrease in the number of cards issued to Korn Ferry players which is happening.

This could ultimately result in fewer available competitors for the event. “Now that may mean you have to play even better than historically, what other players had to do to get there, but you still, it’s still the opportunity that, if you play well, they’re still given the opportunity,” added Billy Horschel, trying to defend the point. However, he believes that if one continues to play good golf, they will still have the opportunity to not just get into the tour but also grab a full-time card. 

But Billy Horschel explained that making the PGA Tour smaller, like LIV Golf’s 54-player roster, would not increase the fans’ experience. He rather suggested his way out to make things right and better for the fans.

Billy Horschel advises the PGA Tour to implement things with fan engagement

Jay Monahan made many changes to keep up with LIV Golf. From signing the $3 billion deal with SSG to increasing the prize money of the event, However, according to Billy Horschel, “Doing different things at tournaments that create, you know, the fan engagement with players. We need to do more of that.” The golfer explained that from the Tour to the TV to SSG, all of them know that they need to do a better job looking after the fans going forward.

If not, there will rarely be any more engagement of the fans in the game. However, he did not reveal much of it. But according to Horschel, without them and the sponsors, the professionals will be playing without a “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” 

LIV Golf has been doing many things to increase fan engagement, be it organizing concerts, adding more to the tickets like a Flight Deck, and other things. After all, one can assume that it is the fans who have suffered the most because of the golf world division, and even Ho agrees.

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