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Brandel Chamblee is not pleased with a recent change the PGA Tour has put in place for the 2026 season. He is never shy about sharing his opinions on big topics in golf, especially when they involve the ongoing rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Though he is a regular critic of LIV, Chamblee does not hold back from calling out the PGA Tour either. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has also come under fire for plans to shrink field sizes and cut back on tournaments, a move that has not gone down well with everyone. Chamblee has already praised Rolapp in the past, but this time he feels strongly that a major misstep is being made. Brandel Chamblee slams the PGA Tour for rule change ahead of 2026 The ex-pro is a strong supporter of how the PGA Tour operates, especially its focus on merit-based competition. But heading into 2026, things might be going in a different direction. Speaking on his Favorite Chamblee Podcast, Chamblee made it clear he is not impressed with one major change coming to the PGA Tour next season. “Next year, they’re reducing the number of cards from 125 to 100, they’re reducing the size of fields in almost every single event. “So, all of this is to try to, I guess speed up play, that’s how they’re selling it, and to make the Tour more competitive, that’s how they’re selling it. I think they’re just reducing the number of spots because it’s convenient to do so because the best players in the world have all the power right now and that’s the way they like it. “I personally think it’s a mistake. One of the great things about the game of golf is there is a very fine line between the best and the rest unlike other sports where there is not a fine line. They are demonstrably better at the top than they are the average and the worst, not true in golf. There’s about a three per cent difference between Scottie Scheffler and the average Tour player and about a seven per cent difference between Scottie Scheffler and the worst Tour player. “People shuffle in and out of the top levels of the game of golf all of the time. The pipelines to me are the most important aspect of the PGA Tour star development. It’s one of the things that makes it so appealing and it’s one of the things that LIV does not have. “I think they are cutting their nose off to spite their face and I don’t agree with it at all. Nonetheless, that’s what is going to happen.” How conditional status will be affected by the 2026 PGA Tour changes From 2026, the PGA Tour will keep only the top 100 players fully exempt, down from the current 125. But that is not the only adjustment – there are also new categories for those just outside that cutoff. Players ranked between 101 and 110 will receive limited status, expected to include entry into around 15 to 20 events. Those finishing between 111 and 125 on the FedEx Cup points list after the Fall Series will have slightly fewer opportunities. The bottom category is for players ranked from 126 to 150, who will have even fewer starts than those above them. The path to keeping a PGA Tour card is now tougher than before. With an additional 20 spots coming in from the Korn Ferry Tour and another ten from the DP World Tour each season, turnover is likely to hit record levels. But Chamblee is not sold on this change. It remains to be seen how these adjustments will impact players trying to break through or remain established on tour.
