Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schuaffele sparked debate about Ryder Cup player pay last year.
Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss potential Ryder Cup player stipends, the biggest proposed PGA Tour change, the latest PGA Tour-PIF developments and more.
Pending approval by the PGA Tour Policy Board, big changes are coming to the Tour regarding membership, field sizes, pace of play, Monday qualifiers and more. You can read about the proposed changes here (and some burning questions here), but what's your take on the most significant development, and are you in favor of it?
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): The biggest news has to be that the number of full-status players will drop from 125 to 100. In short, it will make it a little more special to secure a PGA Tour card and strengthen that core group of members, but at the same time it's not like the guys just outside that line won't get any starts anywhere. Far from it. I don't mind the cutthroat nature.
Josh Sens, senior writer, (@joshsens): That reduced number of full-timers is definitely the one that jumps out first. But cutting back on Monday qualifiers also caught my eye. At first blush, it seems like an unfortunate change, since who doesn't love the Cinderella story of some unknown squeaking into a tournament at the last minute and going on to win? Thing is, the record shows that stories of that kind almost never happen, that most Monday qualifiers wind up missing the cut or being non-factors. Bottom line: reality trumps romance. In the end, it seems like a sensible change.
Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Yeah, no doubt the trimming of the full-status number is the headliner change; that kind of reduction is going to be a big deal to the vast majority of players who have to scratch and claw for their livelihoods from season to season. In terms of a logical change, shrinking field sizes makes a lot of sense. Sure, we'll lose out on a few Cinderella winners, but getting rounds completed before dark should be a priority. It's wild that nearly three out of every 10 rounds this season spilled into the following day -- that's not good either for players or fans. Mostly, though, I found myself unmoved by these tweaks, none of which will make the Tour "product" significantly more compelling. The Tour and players should be laser-focused on how to improve the TV viewing experience, starting with sinking some of that surge in Tour investment into fewer commercial interruptions.