The 2026 PGA Tour season is all set to begin, but in a slightly unfamiliar fashion. Instead of the usual swing at the Sentry, this year we are starting with The Sony from January 15 at the Waialae Country Club, Honolulu. This reflects the overall changes set to be made this year on the Tour.

The PGA Tour’s reduced field is in place, and several new rules have come up. Either way, the Sony Open will not be relaxed ground.

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Is there a cut at the Sony Open?

Yes, there is a cut. The Sony Open will follow a traditional golf structure, with a 72-hole stroke-play format played over four days. Each round will have 18 holes, and every stroke will give the player their total score of the week.

The cut comes after 36 holes, which would be after Friday’s second round. There will be 120 players on the field, a trim from last year’s 144. Once the cut is in place, only the top 65 will advance to the weekend rounds. Golfers outside the number will have to pack their bags with no money and no spot.

This year’s fewer players give way to fewer spots, which further give way to a reduced room for error.

The weekend will be high stakes. Once the 72 holes are completed, and several players are tied for the lead, the event will move to a sudden-death playoff. The playoff will begin on the par-5 18th hole and would continue through a rotation of holes – from 18, then 10, 11, and back to 18. This will go on until a winner is declared.

Despite much anticipation for this new season-opener, the field will not be seeing many star players. The world’s top 4 four players would be sitting out for this event. But that doesn’t mean other players wouldn’t be present. No. 5th Russell Henley, No. 6th J.J. Spaun, No. 7th Robert MacIntyre, and No. 8th Ben Griffin will grace the course. Apart from them, Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa, and, fresh off the LIV controversy, Si Woo Kim will also be contesting.

The absence of favorites like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy might bring the energy down a little. But to compensate for that, the Tour has added a few new rules to keep the fans engaged.

The new changes to follow

The Sony Open will also be the early testing grounds for several new updates in rules and clarifications that are set to take effect this season.

First, preferred lies have been tightened. Earlier, players were allowed to place the ball within one full club-length of its original spot. Because club lengths can vary widely — stretching close to 40 inches — it often gave advantages to some. Now, that placement area has been reduced to the length of a scorecard. That’s roughly 11 inches. It makes the relief far more consistent and fair.

Second, embedded ball relief has been expanded. Players are now entitled to relief if their ball embeds in any unrepaired pitch mark. Previously, relief was only given when the ball was embedded in its own pitch mark. That would often lead to confusion.

There’s another meaningful change around ball movements and their penalties. If a player causes their golf ball to move accidentally or while they are unaware, their penalty will be reduced from two strokes to one.

At last, obstacles near putting greens have also been clarified. Players can now receive line-of-play relief from immovable obstructions, including holes or ground under repair.