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A changing of the guard on the PGA Tour has left veteran golfer Matt Kuchar facing an unprecedented challenge as he plans his 2026 season.Finishing the 2025 season at No. 118 in the FedEx Cup standings – a position that would have previously guaranteed a full tour card – Kuchar now finds himself in a precarious position due to the tour’s revised qualifying criteria.
The 47-year-old completed his 19th consecutive season on tour,but the recent reduction of the full-card cutoff from the top 125 to the top 100 players has substantially altered his outlook. Kuchar’s options, traditionally centered around utilizing career earnings exemptions, are now complicated by the evolving structure of the tour.
A New Era for Professional Golf
The PGA Tour in 2026 bears little resemblance to the one Kuchar joined in 2002. The schedule now features eight signature events, alongside the four majors, The Players Championship, and three FedEx Cup playoff events. Critically, Kuchar currently lacks eligibility for any of these high-profile tournaments.
“I don’t know how many starts I’ll get,” Kuchar admitted after finishing tied for 67th at the RSM Classic on November 25, 2025. “I don’t know if using an exemption will get me any different starts. It’s a tricky one. It’s not going to get you into any elevated events.”
The central question facing Kuchar is whether his conditional status,based on his FedEx Cup ranking,will provide a comparable number of playing opportunities to leveraging a career money exemption.”We’re in somewhat unchartered territory,” he stated, adding, “I’m guessing they’ve run the numbers, but I don’t know how well their scenarios work out.”
PGA Tour officials estimate that players ranked between No. 101 and No.110 in the FedEx Cup – a ranking maintained throughout the year – will gain entry into approximately 16 of the 19 regular season tournaments, with full access to the FedEx Cup Fall series excluding the event in japan. Kuchar, currently eight spots below that range, risks further decline if he experiences a slow start to the season.
Fortunately, Kuchar possesses two exemptions and considerable financial security.He currently ranks 15th in all-time career earnings with $61,538,738 – a pleasant $15.4 million ahead of the player at No. 25. This financial cushion allows him the flexibility to delay utilizing a top 25 exemption for another year without significant consequence.
Kuchar has until the Sony Open in Hawaii to finalize his strategy. Despite a challenging 2025, marked by only one top-10 finish – a tie for fifth at the John Deere Classic – he demonstrated resilience by missing only two cuts in 18 starts.
“It’s not the 2025 that I hoped for. It was a frustrating year,” Kuchar acknowledged. “I think I missed only two cuts, but I didn’t seem to put together the weeks where you hit it well and putt it well.”
The situation highlights the increasing complexities facing established PGA Tour players in a rapidly evolving landscape. Kuchar’s next move will be closely watched as
