The PGA Tour Player Advisory Council (PAC) convened before the BMW Championship this week to deliberate on possible alterations to event eligibility and field sizes.
The topic surrounding field sizes and both eligibility has been a hot topic among players over that past month. The PGA Tour has made moves to ensure its top players face off more often this season, most notably with the introduction of the 'Signature Event' series for 2024.
This saw a number of the PGA Tour's biggest events handed elevated status, each boasting a hefty $20 million prize fund, whilst featuring only 70 players in the field - frequently without the need for a cut.
Typically, fields at regular Tour events range from 144 to 156 players, but there is growing concern about lengthy playing times due to the extensive entry lists. So much so that, as per Golfweek, some prominent PAC members gathered at Castle Pines to consider a vote on implementing changes.
While there is a push to trim down the number of competitors to avoid running out of daylight before the 36-hole cut, there has been worry among lower-ranked players about potential restrictions on their playing privileges. "We want every single player who earns a full Tour card to have a fair opportunity to compete on the PGA Tour," one anonymous golfer told the report.
Currently, a player's performance in the FedEx Cup standings is crucial for securing playing rights for the next season. This season, any player who ranks within the top-50 at the end of the regular season will receive full exemption into all high-stakes Signature Events for 2025.
Further down the line, Tour players who finish the year within the top-125 in the FedEx Cup list retain a full Tour card. According to the report, an anonymous player stated that any changes need to be implemented sooner rather than later, remarking: "You have to get it done for 2026 2025 is baked in but it has to be set in motion so guys know what they are playing for (next season)."
Rory McIlroy has been a proponent of reducing field sizes and issuing fewer Tour cards. Despite potentially upsetting some of his colleagues further down the PGA Tour hierarchy, he stated in March: "No, I mean, I'm all for making it more cutthroat, more competitive. Probably won't be very popular for saying this but I'm all for less players and less Tour cards, and the best of the best.''
Discussing the top of no cut lines at top Tour events, he continued: "When all these signature events were thought of, we were thinking no cut, but if it's important enough, or if it's that important to Tiger and Jack and if Arnold were alive, if it was important enough for him, then it's their tournament, at the end of the day, and they can do whatever they want."
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