PGA Tour Outlines Reduced Tournament Fields and Exemptions for 2026

The Tour's Player Advisory Council is proposing having fewer players in nearly every tournament with fewer Tour cards distributed.

PGA Tour fields could be reduced nearly every week in 2026. / Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

PGA Tour fields could be smaller at most tournaments in 2026 with fewer fully exempt players, according to proposals suggested by the Tour's Player Advisory Council.

Sports Illustrated obtained a copy of the PAC memo, which explains reducing field sizes around issues of daylight, pace of play and operations, among other logistics. Under the proposal, field sizes adjustments include:

• One-course full-field events capped at 144 players
• One-course full-field events prior to daylight saving time generally with 120 players
• Full-field events after daylight saving time up until the Masters with field sizes of 132

With those guidelines, for example, the Sony Open in Hawaii, WM Phoenix Open and the Players Championship would all have 120 players, a reduction of 12 to 24 players from current sizes. Midsummer events such as the RBC Canadian Open, John Deere Classic and Genesis Scottish Open, among others, would see their fields reduced from 156 players to 144.

And filling these smaller fields will be fewer exempt players, as the number of full PGA Tour exemptions that has been at 125 for decades is proposed to drop to 100, compiled from the prior season’s FedEx Cup points list. There will be a conditional category for players from 101 to 125 on the points list. Full exemptions for Korn Ferry Tour graduates are proposed to drop from 30 to 20.

The top 10 finishers not otherwise exempt from the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai ranking will continue to receive PGA Tour exemptions, as will the top 5 finishers from the Tour's qualifying tournament plus the top player from PGA Tour University standings.

If approved, all changes would take effect beginning in 2026.