PGA Tour has fewer cards and smaller fields. But the big changes are still to come

FILE - PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp speaks before a practice round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Sunday at Sea Island was supposed to be looked upon as doomsday for so many PGA Tour players who left the final event of the PGA Tour season without a full card.

This was the year the tour eliminated 25 cards, lowering the bar to No. 100 in the FedEx Cup standings to retain full status for 2026. The developmental Korn Ferry Tour offered only 20 cards to the big leagues, down from 30 cards the previous year. The fields will be smaller next year.

It just didn’t feel like the end, perhaps because the next chapter remains so uncertain.