Padraig Harrington criticizes PGA Tour over new tournament change

Last week, the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council put forward a proposal that would reduce the number of players in most fields on the 2026 PGA Tour.

The proposal cited issues with game speed and daylight as reasons for the changes.

If approved, the adjustments would include:

With these guidelines, for example, the Sony Open in Hawaii, the World Cup Phoenix Open and the Players Championship would each have 120 players, a reduction from 12 to 24 players from the current size. Midsummer events such as the RBC Canadian Open, John Deere Classic and Genesis Scottish Open, among others, would see fields reduced from 156 to 144 players.

This week Padraig Harrington discussed the proposed changes before racing in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The Irishman didn’t hold back.

“I can’t imagine how bad it is,” Harrington said on the Golf Channel. “Ultimately, the people inside are voting to keep things tighter and more united. The tour went flawlessly.

“I know there is a bit of pressure to finish on time when attendance increases to 156 or 144 at certain times of the season, but the players will deal with it. You’ll deal with it. They are preparing for it. You know at the beginning of the year [they] might miss a few tournaments [rounds] because of the light.”

Harrington continued: “Slow play is like driving in rush hour traffic. There are simply too many people on the golf course and the tee times are too tight. So yes, this is a way to solve one of the big problems… but you want to give everyone the opportunity.

“If this was like the Premier League or the Championship and there was a really, really good second tour, then maybe the European Tour can be that.” Maybe it will work. But it definitely looks to me like the people on the inside are keeping it more strict.

“There is no qualifier on Monday, which is one of the most exciting things on the tour. The cut line is also one of the most exciting things on tour, but I know “no-cut” fields please the sponsors. They want the leading names to be guaranteed at the weekend.”

Harrington joins other players like Michael Kim who have expressed opposition to the proposed changes.