The 2026 PGA Tour season brings major changes. To tackle slow play, Jay Monahan & Co. have reduced the size of every event and cut the exemption spots from 125 to 100. Many players are uneasy, including Viktor Hovland, who has openly shared his concerns about how the rule changes could affect careers despite his own security.

The Norwegian isn’t in danger, sitting well within the top 100. Still, when asked about the changes at the DP World India Championship 2025 press conference, the 27-year-old shared his thoughts with EssentiallySports. Hovland said, “Man, it’s tough. At the end of the day, I think we just want to play in the biggest tournaments, the best tournaments against the best field.” Hovland also shared his thoughts on the Tour’s balancing act between big and smaller events

“I think the Tour is obviously trying to do that, I honestly don’t even know. I think having more cards is obviously good for competition, but at the same time, I think they’re trying to get to a place where you have obviously Memorial and Bay Hill and these bigger tournaments and then you also have a lot of smaller events, and trying to get both of those tournaments to work in the same league is tough, and I think they’re trying to mitigate some of that.”

Hovland understands that the PGA Tour’s packed schedule and alternate events make limiting field sizes practical, giving players more chances to compete. With so many pros holding Tour cards, it makes sense to separate levels of competition and keep tournaments exciting. Still, his main concern with the new rule isn’t about field size or exemptions. It’s the effectiveness of these measures.

“I don’t know if reducing the amount of cards is the way to do that. I don’t really know. But I can see both sides of the argument. I just don’t really have too much of a — a strong enough opinion to say much more than that, to be honest.” After the conclusion of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season, only 20 players received a PGA Tour card. This number dropped considerably from 30 last season.

Hovland isn’t a fan of the limited opportunities for pros trying to break into the PGA Tour and compete with the top players. He was fortunate to have a standout 2022 season on the DP World Tour, earning a straight PGA Tour membership. But not everyone blooms early like him, and many struggle to make it into the big leagues at first.

Interestingly, Viktor Hovland is not the only one who holds these opinions about the changes for 2026.

Viktor Hovland joins veteran golfers in his stance

There are a number of golfers who have spoken against the direction Jay Monahan has chosen to resolve the issue of slow play, just like Viktor Hovland. Lucas Glover has been one of the most vocal pros who are not in favor of the idea.

In one of his interviews, he had said, “Limiting players doesn’t help competition. We’re the only sport that decreased the number of teams or players; every other sport has expanded their playoffs or expanded their fields. We are doing the opposite. The Tour’s job description is to do what’s right for the membership, not a few members.”

While most sports expand their rosters to increase competition and excitement, the PGA Tour seems to be heading in the opposite direction. When Matt Fitzpatrick was asked about the latest plans, he said, “I thought that was absolutely absurd that that even went through.” He was surprised the strategy was even considered and concerned that the Tour had accepted it without a second thought.

The new setup has raised concerns across the player base, whether they comfortably qualify for events or not. If it’s triggering alarm among top players, it raises bigger questions about Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour moving forward with it in 2026.