2026 is going to be the year of change for golf. Forward-looking for some, and apparently, backwards for some! For instance, LIV Golf has changed to being a 4-day event, and has increased the number of qualifying spots from the LIV Golf Promotions Event. Forward-looking, right? Contrarily, the PGA Tour is going backwards as they are reducing the competition. Next year, only 100 PGA Tour players will receive memberships instead of 125. Many are fighting for their spot, and Kris Ventura is one of them. And he was as honest as he could be in Mexico about how this change affects him, mentally.

“Honestly, in the past I’ve been the guy that has thought about results and thought about what I need, how many points, and this and that. I know that doesn’t work. Like, even if you’re playing OK, you’re kind of suffering through it. I’ve just gotten tired of playing, thinking about what if or what if I don’t make it, what if I make it. These last few events, I think it’s super important to just play free and do your best. As long as I do that, I’m going to be happy regardless of what happens,” Ventura told the media at the WWT Championship after the first round, after shooting bogey-free 64 at the El Cardonal Golf Course.

Sitting at 119th on the FedEx Cup Fall table, he is not that far away from booking his place on the PGA Tour for another season. He is not as worried about missing out as he may have been in the past. The 30-year-old missed the 2022, 2023 & 2024 seasons of the PGA Tour after he lost his membership in 2022. But he was still able to fight his way back in to regain his status in 2025 by qualifying through the Korn Ferry Tour. After spending half a decade in the Tour, he now understands that he would only put himself at a disadvantage if he stresses about the result instead of enjoying his game.

A few other stars also talked about how the changes might have a negative effect on the Tour. One of the big names was Viktor Hovland, who said, “I don’t know if reducing the amount of cards is the way to do that. I don’t really know.” Even Lanto Griffin shared his concerns about the new system as he stated, “With everything going smaller, it feels like the walls are a lot tighter, but everybody has to do it.” As Griffin stated, the rules apply to everyone. And while it’s unlikely that Hovland will fall below the top 100 rankings, if and when he does, the PGA Tour’s new rules won’t spare him as well. It doesn’t matter how big of a name he is.

Coming back to the topic, interestingly, it seems that Kris Ventura’s approach is working as it reflects on the leaderboard. Let’s see how he has been performing in Los Cabos, Baja California, Mexico, so far.

Top Stories

LIV Golf Braces for Another Possible Exit in Wake of Brooks Koepka Departure

Rory McIlroy Makes Feelings Clear on Bryson DeChambeau’s PGA Tour Return: ‘Have Lost…’

Amanda Balionis Confirms New Relationship Ending Months of Rumors

Bryson DeChambeau Gives Reality Check to Phil Mickelson When Asked to Select His Mount Rushmore for Golf

After Brooks Koepka, Another Pro Cuts All Ties With LIV Golf & Publicly Backs PGA Tour

Has letting go of the stress helped Kris Ventura perform better in Mexico?

A stress-free Kris Ventura seems to be a dangerous Kris Ventura on the field. The Norwegian did state that there is no point for him to worry about the points. Ironically, not worrying about them has helped him rack up a lot of points. After the end of 18 holes, he finished at T3, just three strokes off the top of the leaderboard. He managed to score an 8-under 64 and is in a prime position to finish high on the leaderboard.

However, his performance in Mexico has been far better than how he has played throughout the season. Ventura made 15 out of the 25 cuts and only had 1 top-10 finish this year. His last full season on the PGA Tour in 2020-21 saw him get 2 great top-10 finishes. Although he has been great with the driver in 2025 and that has helped him push through some events. That has also played to his advantage in the 2025 World Wide Technology Championship as he is leading the field off the tee.