‘Those days are done’: PGA Tour winner defends controversial change

A raft of controversial changes coming to the PGA Tour in 2026 have split opinion, to say the least.

From next year, the number of exempt players on the circuit will shift from the top 125 to the top 100, while field sizes will be trimmed from 156 to between 120 and 144.

But there is one man strongly in favour of them, and that’s Ryan Palmer.

The 48-year-old turned pro in 2000 and has been around long enough. In his 20 plus years on Tour, he’s played over 500 times and picked up four wins.

Now, he’s glad to see the Tour become more cutthroat, something he’s craved for years.

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“I’ve said it for five to seven years now: I’ve always been in favour of cutting cards,” Palmer told GOLF’s Subpar Podcast. “I’ve always thought there was too many players with a card and not enough access.

“[And] I’m not opposed to the shortening of fields. You know, 120 to 132 being the max field. Top 100 [keep their cards] doesn’t bother me at all.

“I think the game has gotten so deep and so strong. You want the best. To make the top 100, you have to have a pretty good year now. Top 125, it seemed like a lot of guys were finishing top 120, 121, keeping their card every year and playing ok. Those days are done.

“The days of playing average and keeping your card are done unless you’ve won in the past year or two.”

Had the membership cuts been introduced sooner, it wouldn’t have affected Palmer. He finished 69th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2021 and 88th in 2022.

He has struggled since, however. Palmer lost his PGA Tour card in 2023 after finishing 130th in the season-long race, while he plummeted to 198th last season.

Nowadays, he competes on a more limited schedule in the States and that hasn’t included Signature Events, which he believes ARE in need of change.

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“I don’t think it’s a good product, in my opinion,” he argued of the 70-man, no-cut events.

“I think 120-man fields with a cut is a great way to go. I could see Tiger’s event in LA, Arnold’s and Jack’s, their fields being 100 with a cut. There’s your Signature Events and make the purses even bigger.

“I think Memphis [FedEx St. Jude] should be top 100. If you finish top 100, 100 should play Memphis. Then you can go to 50 and 30.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with a 120-man field at Pebble and the other ones beside Tiger, Jack and Arnie’s.”

The Signature Events have been controversial in their own regard since being implemented, but the Tour did make one change to them ahead of the 2025 season.

All three player-hosted Signature Events: the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial, now feature a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties plus anyone within 10 strokes of the lead.

Among the other changes that will be implemented in 2026 are reductions in cards earned from the Korn Ferry Tour and a reduced number of Monday Qualifiers.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.