A handful of proposed adjustments might be coming to the PGA Tour, however that does not imply everybody approves. Here is Padraig Harrington’s take.
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Huge adjustments are (doubtless) coming to the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour’s Participant Advisory Council despatched out a 23-page doc to Tour membership final week detailing proposed adjustments for 2026. The Tour’s Coverage Board — a bunch of 12 that features Tiger Woods and 5 different execs — will vote on the adjustments later this month, and so they’re prone to be accepted.
The proposal contains objects reminiscent of smaller area sizes, a smaller variety of totally exempt members, tweaked pathways to Tour membership, a discount of Monday qualifiers and extra.
You’ll be able to learn extra about all the adjustments right here, however for now we’re going to get a three-time main winner’s tackle the proposal.
So, what does Padraig Harrington assume?
“Horrible,” he stated, shaking his head. “Simply horrible. It truly is.”
Harrington defined his ideas on Wednesday’s episode of “Golf In the present day” on Golf Channel. In brief, he’s not a fan of shrinking area sizes, amongst different issues.
“On the finish of the day the people who find themselves on the within are voting to maintain the factor tighter and extra closed,” Harrington stated. “Positive, why don’t we simply have 12 folks within the occasion if I’m entered and everyone else can go residence?
“The Tour was operating simply nice. I do know there’s somewhat little bit of strain on time to get fields completed once they go to 156 [players] at sure occasions of the season, however gamers will take care of that, they’ll deal with that. They know firstly of the yr, hey, I’d miss out on just a few tournaments trigger of sunshine. The slow-play concern is like driving in rush hour site visitors. There are too many individuals on the golf programs and the tee occasions are too tight. So sure this can be a method of fixing one of many massive points in golf, the tempo of play, however you wish to give everybody the chance.”
Harrington stated he would have been extra in favor of the proposal if there was a stronger “secondary” Tour behind the PGA Tour to which underperforming gamers could be relegated, including that possibly sometime the DP World Tour play that function.
Though the proposal that actually irked him?
“Not having a Monday qualifier?” he stated. “Come on! That’s some of the thrilling issues on the Tour.”
The proposal wouldn’t fully banish the Tour of Monday qualifiers — which have lengthy been an integral a part of a Tour week and may present nice storylines and career-changing alternatives — however they’d take successful. They’d be eradicated for fields of 120 or fewer and solely two spots (as an alternative of 4) shall be awarded for 132-player fields.
Harrington stated he’s at all times liked these qualifiers as a result of it’s an effective way to judge a younger participant’s drive.
“Once I take a look at a younger professional and whether or not he’s going to achieve success, if he simply drives down the street to the native occasions, he’s not likely pushing himself,” Harrington stated. “If he travels, performs Monday qualifies, goes to South Africa and goes to Europe and goes to all these tour faculties, I do know that man desires to make it. So it’s a method of me separating folks out. Do they actually wish to make it as a professional? Or would they like to make it as a professional?
The coverage board will vote on the proposed adjustments on Nov. 18.
