We’re headed to GOLF CHANNEL! + Breaking down big changes in 2026 for the PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is changing — but is it changing for the better?

With the fall PGA TOUR season headed towards a close, Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme take a look some big category and card changes on the way for the 2026 PGA TOUR season. Smylie and Charlie take a look back at the 2025 season to examine how differences in points for signature and full-field events played out, and whether certain players benefited more than others in that structure.

PLUS — huge news: The Smylie Show is heading to GOLF CHANNEL beginning January 2026, airing Wednesdays at 9 AM Eastern. Smylie and Charlie reflect on the journey, what the TV version of the show will look like, and how the audience helped get the show here.

Tune in, subscribe, and stick around for more golf storytelling and behind-the-scenes insight!

Chapters ↓
00:55 — The Smylie Show is heading to the Golf Channel!
01:36 — Reflecting on the three-year journey of the show
03:06 — Show changes to look for in 2026
06:05 — Setting the Table: 2026 PGA Tour Rules & Categories
06:45 — Are PGA Points Fair? Full-Field vs Signature Debate
07:18 — The Maverick McNealy Case Study
08:22 — Is Winning a Full-Field Event Actually Harder?
10:13 — What the Data Says About Difficulty
11:45 — The 200-Point Problem
13:11 — Why Signature Events Give Huge Built-In Advantages
14:06 — Should a Top-10 Be Worth More in Full-Fields?
15:16 — How Signature Starts Create Long-Term Inequality
16:05 — Reviewing the Signature Event Chart (Audio Notes)
17:14 — Case Study: Kurt Kitayama vs Hideki Matsuyama
19:24 — Do Signature Events Artificially Inflate Some Players?
20:32 — Chris Gotterup & the “Late Season Unfairness” Issue
23:16 — Signature Events vs Full-Field: Who Really Benefits?
24:12 — How Players Ride Momentum — or Don’t
25:18 — Why You MUST Play Well Early on Today’s PGA Tour
26:21 — Low Full-Field Point Earners: Morikawa, Aberg, More
27:33 — The No-Cut Advantage Problem
29:06 — What the Tour Actually Wants: Star Protection
29:26 — Tony Finau vs Gary Woodland Breakdown
31:43 — Can You Play Your Way Off Tour With Signature Starts?
32:35 — Adam Scott & Max Homa Examples
34:51 — Rickie Fowler’s Special Case
36:23 — Why Sponsors Will Always Influence Signature Events
37:14 — Golf Is Niche — And That Shapes the Entire System
38:18 — What the Top-100 Cut Means for Journeymen
39:04 — The New 2026 Rules: Field Sizes, 120-Player Players, Q-School
41:23 — DP World Tour vs Korn Ferry: Who Deserves More Spots?
44:41 — Should the DPWT Really Get 10 Cards?
47:55 — The DPWT’s Crossroads: PGA Tour vs LIV
49:45 — Reviewing This Year’s DPWT Grads
52:02 — The Challenge of Jumping from Europe to the PGA Tour
54:07 — Breaking Down the 101–150 Conditional Groups
56:14 — Past Champion Category & Where Smylie Would Slot In
57:31 — Tiger Woods Leading the Competition Committee

#smylieshow #pgatour #golfchannel #golfnews #golfpodcast #golf

[Music] That’s Smiley Coffman for 61. Wow. I’m Smiley Kaufman and this is the Smiley Show. Welcome back to another episode of the Smiley Show. I’m Charlie Hume. The man I’m looking at right now, Smiley Kaufman, is wearing a t-shirt emlazened with the the peacock. the NBC sports uh the I guess are we saying it Versant or or Versant? Can you help me with that show? Versant. Okay, cool. Well, the reason why he’s wearing this shirt is we’re going to lead the show. We got a lot to dig into a lot of offseason stuff. We’re going to get real clerical here. I’m going to do my best Charlie Day. It’s always sunny Pepe Silvio yarn board for Smiley today as we look at all the different changes and eligibility categories heading into 2026. But the place we got to start smiley recording this on Thursday, November 13th. Uh some big news dropped earlier today that we are both thrilled about. This show, the Smiley Show, wherever you’re watching to watching this or listening to it, is going to be on Golf Channel on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. Eastern in 2026. And we’re pumped, man. I cannot wait for this. Yeah, I’m really excited. And uh thanks to all those at Golf Channel Versant uh for making this happen. these discussions talk started earlier in the year uh about the possibility of bringing the show to golf channels. So this uh for us you know we’ve been doing this what three years now is that about right? May 23 is when this all started. Yeah May 23. So to get uh on the TV in three years uh we’ve been of course with a great sponsor uh with Sports Grid over the last uh I guess two years now. So it’s it’s been fun to watch this show grow especially with new fans along the way. And I think we’re just going to continue to speak to a little larger audience as we go, which for us uh we’re going to continue to upgrade the show as much as we can. Um and so I think you’ll see a little different uh twist to the show in 2026 when it comes to uh just the overall visibility and u the visual stuff that you might see if you typically watch on YouTube. So to see it on Golf Channel, uh it’s something that we’re going to be super proud of and we’ve always been proud of like the stuff that we’ve always put out, but I think you’ll see just a little bit of a twist uh on the show that I think a lot of people uh will notice the difference. Yeah, if I can have permission to get a little sappy here, a little corny here. I mean, it is kind of wild thinking of where we started where, you know, it was just the two of us. Uh Taylor Zarszer got the phone call from him at PGA Tour Radio at the time over at SiriusXM getting this thing going and we were we were a tight-knit unit. We brought on Jackson Brown. We’ve had a lot of really cool contributors who have made this thing look and sound really cool on on YouTube, on socials. Brian Stansfields plays a huge role in this. To go to Sports Grid, to see an up in quality there as well, and now to arrive at Golf Channel. Uh I I know for you, Smiley, you broadcast on Golf Channel all the time. You won a golf tournament that was televised on Golf Channel, The Shriners. But for me as a kid who grew up, you know, watching Big Break in my living room with with with my brother and my dad, and to to think that that’s where we’re going to be next year, it’s it’s a real pinch me moment. Uh, and I just can’t wait to, as you said, we we are doing a lot of really cool things right now in in terms of development. Looking looking forward to some new visuals, some new some new sounds, some new, you know, sites that are going to make this thing elevated. Uh, but it’s just going to be the same old fun conversations we’re having, just being two golf sickos. And that’s going to be the best part of it, I think. You’re right. Uh, and it’s some segments we’re be we’re really excited about, too, for next year to unveil. So, uh, tell me visual tease. Okay. Yeah, that’s right. That’s good. I’m pointing in a direction. Okay. Just just stay tuned for that one. Um, yeah. So, uh, lot to be excited about. As far as just, you know, from a scheduling standpoint for people that are used to our our calendar and how you find us and how you watch us, uh you’re still going to get two episodes a week. For Golf Channel, we’re going to be having one episode that airs uh what time is it on Wednesday? 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. 9 a.m. Eastern. And that will just be, you know, if you’re somebody who’s an an avid watcher uh of our show, it’s it’s going to be a condensed version of our two shows that week. Uh maybe more of one than another. It just kind of depends on the either the guest for that week, but we’re going to try to kind of put together what we feel would be our our best version of of those two shows uh on the Golf Channel show. So, uh if if if you’re somebody who already consumes all of our stuff, it won’t be an extra show. It’ll be uh one of which that we will already have done uh potentially either on that Monday or that Wednesday with our typical drop dates when we get back at the new calendar season. So, um it’s exciting. We’re uh we’re excited. I don’t know what what instructions to give everyone. You know, like and subscribe. We can’t really do that. Uh maybe like take pictures of you watching it. Uh write handwritten letters to to Vers and and a Neielen telling us how much you love the Wednesday 9:00 a.m. slot. Maybe that’s a good a good place to start. But uh no, yeah, it’s as as you’ve mentioned, it should be a best of. If you’re already watching Golf Channel, it’ be cool to kind of see us on there. But nothing changing in terms of the current ways you consume this show. Whether you watch on YouTube, whether you listen on a podcast platform, whether you consume us little byte-size form on social media, you can still find us in all those places. And of course on Sports Grid, uh both on both on Sports Grid’s television channel and and on Sports Grid’s uh SiriusXM channel. We’re staying all those places. Just adding one in 2026. Yep. It’s a great opportunity for us and and and just in general for the programming of Golf Channel, I think. For the program. Yeah. and just how how they’re presenting more ways to consume golf content on Golf Channel. There’s other shows joining us as well, Chad Mum uh and and his show heading there as well going to be the time sought after us. So, there’s it’s cool that Golf Channel’s kind of leaning into uh different different golf content with uh with different podcasts that give different perspectives. So, we’re excited to be included in that bunch. I look forward to begging them for merch so I can get on your on your t-shirt level. Uh so exciting exciting stuff. It looks it looks it uh yeah excited for to to give you all more updates on that as as we kind of near the launch of that show in January 2026. Uh but as promised today, Smiley, we have a lot to get into. Uh there there are a number of category changes, things that are happening in terms of where you could have gotten a tour card in terms of where you are on a list in 2025 and how different that is for 26 and what that means for your entry into tournaments. The first place I’m going to start is turning this the microphone over to you so you can kind of set the table on this and then I will do my best to fill in with the maybe 19 to 37 tabs I have open over here as we go. Well, this is locker room talk. This is what all the players are talking about at the breakfast table. This what they’re talking about in practice rounds is is the PGA Tour and the way it’s structured right now uh the most fair with how they distribute points to its members. And I think uh before this past season where Maverick McNeely, one of the smartest guys on the PGA tour, brought up some incredible points using a great case study for a player who finished high in signature in or I should say more so the 11 to 20 play 11th to 20th place finishes versus a player who finished maybe inside the top five of a full field event and comparing the amount of points and just arguing. It’s like, is is it easier or harder to do what this person did, which I I think finishing top five in a full field event, beating 144 players versus 70 guys and finishing 11 to 20, you can definitely make the case that the top five is more impressive, although the strength of field isn’t as strong. So heading if I could just read that was that 2025 that specific change that Maverick Manley suggested there. Uh the changes made were the for the majors and the players championship. There was a slight increase to second place points and a slight decrease to points for positions 11 and beyond. And then for signature events, there was a slight decrease to points for positions seven and beyond. Want to jump in there with that? Please continue. Yes. And so heading into 2026, I think it was interesting for a lot of people that follow this uh especially players, agents looking at this list to see at the end of the year, is this the most fair system that the PGA Tour has to offer for its members? And I think you have to start by first off, thank you for the PGA Tour for sending us uh some incredible intel and information to be able to kind of compare and contrast to see who got it more of their percentage of points in signature events versus full field events. And of course, you can also uh mention that a player like a Tommy Fleetwood, he didn’t really play any other events other than signature events. So, of course, he’s going to earn all of it, all but most of his points in signature events, but I think when you the the game that I’m trying to play here today is can we find holes in the system? Can we look at the tour championship for guys that that barely qualified versus players who didn’t and look and see, okay, did this player uh with with playing hardly any signature events or very little versus a player that got into all of the signature events, how much better of a season did this player have than the player who didn’t get into the signature events? And I guess I’ll I’ll I’ll start the conversation with this Charlie, which is something that I kind of already mentioned, which is do you believe um as as a fan of of watching PJ Tour, knowing that that full field events are weaker than signature events, although they have let’s say 144, maybe 156 players um at times playing in them, do which which event do you take as far as maybe not winning Because winning a full field event, it’s currently you’re getting 500 FedEx Cup points versus a signature with 700. Let’s start there actually with winning. Do you believe that there’s a 200 point difference in beating 69 guys versus beating 143 guys? It’s it’s such an interesting question because you’re looking at something that is an objective result. You know, there’s an objective number of players in the field and there’s an objectively one person who shoots the lowest score and hoist the trophy. And then you’re saying now there’s this thing we made up the next couple points. Can you just ballpark how much harder it was to do that? And I I think the inclination that I would come into uh this discussion with or and maybe many feel the same way is you would say okay well even though there are less players uh you’re guaranteeing me in in many ways that the best players in the world or at least the best players on this tour are going to be playing in this event. So, I should think that it’s harder to win a signature event than a full field event. I I you have some data on that, correct? Well, the data that I have, I I spoke to somebody inside the PGA Tour that that asked the question in their stats department, this exact question. And the answer that was given back to him was that it’s more difficult uh by the data, whatever this data is, that it’s more difficult to win a full field event with 144 guys versus 70. Interesting. Very interesting. I I found that um interesting in the fact that let’s go back to the the points and how much is given for first place in a signature versus a first place or full field. 700 versus 500. We’re talking 200 point difference in a win. And when we talk about how, you know, every time it always seems to come down to to one putt uh to to qualify for something at the end of the year, it really starts to add up, especially for players that that aren’t in these signature events. I it’s and I think that is an interesting lens into just where we are in the professional golf landscape at large right now, right? and that there are, you know, we just came off an episode where we talked about live golf making responses to that golf landscape and hoping to achieve, you know, whether that’s major entry, be it OWGR or just better preparing those players for majors. They’re making changes, right? We talked about a a tour, the DP World Tour, which I’m sure we’ll discuss at further length as we get into this episode and talk about some of the things happening with them, you know, of where they’re best positioned now and in the future to for the health of their tour and who they’re who they’re best taking money from and passing off players to and things like that. Um, and as it relates to to this tour, the PJ tour, you know, you kind of wonder in some ways you lament the fact that we are where we are with with with, you know, this huge gap, this chasm of 200 points. They’re really worth 200 more points to win these these events where it’s not necessarily the spirit of where the PJ tour came from. You know, these fuller field events, anyone has a chance at winning. Um, but it is sort of it’s a little bit of the sign of the times like this is a vehicle that was created. this signature event model that was an evolution of the WGC and it was largely meant to to put guaranteed money in guys pockets. Not dissimilar to what we see over on the Live Tour, you know, and I I know some of them have cuts, some of them don’t, but the goal here is like, hey, we have these guys. We’d like for them to stay around on our tour and we need to find a way to get them money in a lot of different ways. And this is one that connects with with actually playing a golf tournament. I I think the argument that players would make, Charlie, if if you asked them this question about which one is more difficult to win, I think most would say, well, it’s going to be more difficult to win a signature event. And so I I would then ask, okay, well, what about finishing in the top 10? Which one do you think is is easier to do? And I I would argue that it’s more difficult to finish top 10 in a full field event than a than a signature event. Um, so with with the logic of okay, it might be more difficult to win a signature event, but I think it’s maybe a little bit easier to finish between fifth and 15th in a signature event versus fifth and 15th and and just maybe with how much better you feel like you played at a full field event to finish fifth through 15th and get as little of points compared to a signature event with beating, you know, got the percentage of players that you’re you’re beating in that is it’s it’s crazy that the the difference and you’re working uh you’re working really hard for your point in full field events. Well, and I think what that connects to and we we’ll have like we’re having a layer of different discussions all kind of come back to the same place which is like you know how open of a shop is this really on the PGA tour? Like what are they really doing to make it so that other guys are getting chances to to to kind of come into the system and play their way into things? So, at the end of of this, the sort of the tour card off was 125 now going to 100, the discussion is around guys that are getting their tour cards not being able to get starts and and being behind the eightball if they’re trying to kind of make enough points to retain their tour card for the next season. But what we’re talking about right now with signature events where it’s, you know, the top 50 guys from from the the previous year and then you add in, you know, the the the the next 10, the swing five and guys like that is that they’re now getting jump starts on staying in those events and and then, you know, it’s a lot easier to to stay a part of that group than it is to play your way out of it because you just have the opportunity to get these sort of free points. Um, and free points is not exactly right, but you know what I’m saying, right? like just that that it’s if if you and and that’s why some of the smoothing that was done um last year with Maverick Manily was was essential because to your point it with the with the less people in the field and you go snag some sort of you know T7 or you know T12 and you’re getting way more points it it you can kind of skate by and stay in that group next year which isn’t necessarily fair. Totally. And I I pulled some examples and if you want to maybe pull up a chart that we have prepared for everybody to kind of follow along if you’re listening uh it’s a good time to maybe head to our YouTube page. Make sure of course you like and subscribe while you’re there. Look at that plug. Yeah. How about that? Yeah. Getting pretty good at this whole podcasting thing. Um and we have a chart here and and what this chart represents is the amount of points a player earned in that first column will be the full field events. So you if you see red, that is obviously a low amount of points that they’re earning. Yellow is kind of in that medium range. Green is in the in the higher range of where they earn their points. So uh from top to bottom based off of I think this was heading into the tour championship was before I got this data. Um actually this is I think this one is this is updated through the tour championship which is why you see that massive number in the right hand column for Tommy Fle. Yeah. Yeah. There you go. There you go. So, as we flip through this, uh, I think the exercise that I wanted to do, uh, the most in this was try to find a player who played maybe a little bit better than a somebody who made the tour championship that had maybe a little bit less of a season, but because they were playing at signature events, uh, were were granted just that advantage of of earning a little bit more points for playing the exact same or or maybe a little worse. So, the two players that I that I pulled, if you scroll down a little bit, you’ll go down to Kirk Kityama, uh, who finished 35th, uh, it appears in the, uh, I’ll highlight him right here. Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. So, Kirk Kityama, if if you see all the way over there to the right, you’ll see that he got zero points in signature events. Um, and because that he had a win late in the season, uh, I believe it was a 3M. Uh, so really was having an okay season at that point, wins a signature event late, wasn’t quite rewarded with getting into a signature event like a player that, let’s say, won at the beginning of the year, then he would have had an opportunity to, of course, play in these. So, uh, he’s maybe a tough argument to make because, uh, you know, it’s it’s not exactly like he was just lighting up top 10 throughout the whole year. But why don’t we compare him to let’s say Sunjm or actually Hideki Matsuyama might be a better example. So if you scroll just slightly up, you’ll see Hideki Matsuyama at 29. So he made the tour championship. Uh if you see on that very right side, it’s a green for the signature events with 958 points. And then you’ll see in the media the middle column by the way uh for those of you are looking at it the middle column is how many points that she earned at the players of the majors. So you see that Hideki didn’t have a good players or major season only earning 135 points but then you see the full field event at 215 points in that yellow category. So, I wanted to then go to the PGA Tour website, Charlie, to then see, okay, um, how can we compare these results uh, between these two players throughout the year to see, okay, uh, did did Kityama deserve to be in the top 30? Did Hideki deserve to not be in the top 30? So, uh, understanding that Kirk Kityama, I think, only played in one major championship or either one player, seeing that he only had 28 points at, um, in that category, Kirk Kityama was four, he had four top 10s on the year with one win being at the 3M and Hideki Matsyama, one top 10 and one win and also finished 29th in the FedEx Cup. So, Kityama with three more top 10s than Hideki, both with one win and one player making the tour championship and the other not. And I I don’t think you can really compare too much with the I think the argument is, okay, well, we’re looking at this after the tour championship was had, which has elevated points for the BMW, also the FedEx. So throwing that out the door a little bit, you you start to kind of see, okay, Kityama by the results had a better season than Hideki Matsuyama. So it goes back to our original argument of is this the best system? Can you play in all signature events and play a little bit worse than some guys and and stay inside what a lot of people think to be the the golden event to play in which is a tour championship which now gives you into the majors an extra season on the PGA Tour. Um why don’t we just start there Charlie? Yeah I mean I I think that there are and there there’s another document we have here that I will not share but I’ll pull from our rundown. Uh but just percentages and this is actually just through the regular season cuz the chart we’re looking at through the tour championship but if if you’re looking at percentage of points that are won through signature events uh if you start with the group that won the least Kurt Kittyama top that list 0% of his points from signature events. Um and and heading let’s see through either entering the BMW or on the other side of the BMW is 35th. Chris GD up second only 1% of his points from signature events. Crazy. It’s wild, right? So, he basically had the best season of somebody that didn’t play in any signature events. And and it’s interesting, too, because we’re starting to form some trends here. The points you’re making about Kirk Kama playing good late, couldn’t get in the signature events. The same thing with Chris Goddup. We see him kind of burst onto the scene late, wins the Scottish Open. So, part of that is okay, it’s just the way he played in the schedule and and but but I almost think in some ways that does further a point of okay, we’re looking at the top of the list and and we’re talking about guys that played good and won and and they’re going to be safe. They have an argument to make about making to the Tour Championship, how much marginal money they lose out on. But what about a guy that’s further down the list and and who’s trying to kind of play his way into a signature event or trying to keep his tour card and he and he’s gets, you know, playing good late, but he doesn’t have any method of entry into a signature event via a a next 10 or a swing five type of scenario, right? like it’s really it’s almost like you got to get the starts early which I think as as we’ll discuss later I actually think a lot of the changes they made with tour cards going to 100 are really good changes because they’re going to guarantee guys starts and you know whereas past seasons you get they hand you your card you’re one of in the past 30 cornfairy tour graduates you’re like great I I’d love to go play Sony like well you can’t you know that that and and maybe that’s not an exact um example I’m sure most of the cornfair tour graduates were able to get in But but just basically what I’m trying to say is when you get your starts, you better cash in on those really play really good golf at the beginning of the season. Otherwise, you are way behind the eightball. Um and everyone else that gets off to a hot start and plays good golf in those first few months can play their way into these recurring categories so they can retain their tour or make their way into signature events. So, Kittyama got her up. Brian Campbell, Ryan Gerard, Ryan Fox were the top five in terms of um uh uh all players who made it to the BMW but had less than 10% of their points won through signature events. On the flip side of that scale, Russell Henley won the most amount of his points through signature events, 79%. Shane Lowry was second at 78. And in a tie for third, Tommy Fleetwood, Keegan Bradley, and Patrick Canley all won 77% of their points through signature events. So it’s just it’s just I think it’s an interesting exercise to say is this thing working? I think that there I think in a lot of ways it it it has worked. Uh and there has been some smoothing through very intelligent people uh hashtagmath guys like Maverick McNeely. But there is still some degree of we’ve just made a choice here. The PJ tours made a choice here. They’re okay to some degree with keeping guys playing in the ecosystem. In fact, in some ways, I think they want it because they want those stars to stay there cuz that’s how they’re going to try to sell their league, right? Okay. And let’s let’s look at the positive side of full field events. Not saying that if you’re in just in full field events that that’s a place where careers go to die. Well, we’ve seen careers completely elevate from players that have played really well in full field events. And if you look at this season, for example, uh Ben Griffin is the best case example. a guy who had 12 top 10s this year uh made 1,400 points in full field events. That is uh some stupid golf. And that’s not even including what he has done this fall, which is winning another one. So almost up to 2,000 points of what you would typically earn for another win. Uh Cameron Young, another good example, a player that uh that that had 735 points. You already mentioned Chris Gddard up 900 points uh was earned. Uh remember that that’s a that’s a pretty big number for just being in full field events. Uh some other players too that that had good seasons that maybe didn’t get to play as many signature events. Uh Andrew Novak was a good case study of a player who played his way into the system. Uh Sam Stevens and Jacob Bridgemond are also two others. Uh Michael Kim being um also another player too. So there I do like the system in that you can play your way into it, but it really is not very rewarding to players that have good summers, right? And and it’s that’s probably the best way to distill it is just that you got to play good early. And that’s that’s an interesting one, too, because you don’t have to because Chris Godf still made it to a championship, but but we’re talking about a guy who won. Yes. Right. Like like if you if you are not going to play good early in the year, you better go out and win later in the year, right? Like that’s kind of it, you know, cuz all those guys into this into the top events that we’re looking at like Jacob Bridgemond, Sam Stevens, guys that were near the top of leaderboards in January, February, March, you know, Florida swing kind of end of the California swing. Like those guys, those guys played good early and they kept themselves in that position through their play the rest of the year, but like they really got off to a hot start and stayed there. Um, okay. How about this? I got a question trivia question for you. Okay. Okay. I want you to name two players that had the least amount of points in signature events that that were that were playing in them. Two players had the least amount of points. Hold on. Start over. Start over. This is This is like the game show again. I was going to say I’m I’m like I’m We talked about the dad back the the FL I just got flashbang. Oh, Smiley’s got a turtleneck on. He’s asking He’s asking RC questions. I totally like it was not even the right category either. Like I I had to start over because I really was asking about full field events. What player who maybe made the tour championship that that earned hardly zero points in full field events? Okay. So, okay. So, this player made the tour championship and and he played well in signature events but not full field events. I mean, you can throw in majors players, too, but uh the I’m not even going to do the trivia because it’s kind of confusing. K Morawa made less than 100 points in full field events 75 points and he earned a53 in signature events and only 299 points in majors and players. So so 74 74% of his points uh were from signature events. Imagine how much more that is if he actually if he wins Bay instead of comes to second. I know Louis Vgo’s another example same player 72% mean less than 150 points. He did not play well in the full field events this year. The ones that he did play in, if I if I recall, had some mis cuts along the way, too. So, it’s it’s not a perfect system by any means because you you really especially when you see these other the guys that finish in the top 30 year in year out, they go and miss cuts in these um in these uh full field events. You’re just thinking to yourself like, man, well, how would they do an entire year with with uh full fields? You know, would they be able to make as many cuts as they they do now? because going from 70 to 50 when half the signature events are cuts and half aren’t, it’s uh it’s pretty easy to kind of freewheel your golf game, not not having to worry quite quite as much about losing your card. Well, and I’d even love to really dive deep with the stats department on uh and and this might this is just a theory. This may not hold true, but just just looking at the composition of a 4-day no cut signature event where some of these guys earn lots of points where if they just played okay Thursday, Friday, do they make a cut in a full field event or they kind of lost in the mix and then you just go out and light you go light it up on moving day and and and then all of a sudden you there are less people you have to jump, right? There only, you know, 70 80 people in that field. So you you you know maybe you’re you’re in a place where you could have missed the cut and got zero points. All of a sudden you catapulled up and you’re getting way more points and that’s the kind of the bread and butter you’re living off of to stay in this category. Now I I you know maybe you crunch the stats and that’s not an issue at all. But these are just the types of things that the system is set up um to to query about right just to like is is this you know how is this thing working? And again, and it may come back down to this is the way we want the system set up because we want we want to keep these guys in and around these events because they are superstars. They’re the way we market the game. They’re, you know, what we sell against from a television contract perspective and and that’s a decision, right? Um, but it is one that is, you know, many would rightly say kind of against the spirit of what the tour has been in the past. Okay, so the one last game I’ll play with with comparing two players, Tony Feno, a guy that was in all the signature events and Gary Woodwin, a player that uh was was playing well throughout the year, just missed out on the playoffs, finished 72nd. Tony Fen now being in the signature events, made it to the FedEx St. Jude finishing 66th, so he did make the playoffs. And just looking at their results, Tony Fen now just one top 10 on the year. Best finish was a fifth at the Genesis. no other top 10s. Uh Gary Woodwin won top 10 and it was at second place at the Houston Open. That was a fun fun event watching him. But if the other cool one is Woodwin had eight top 25s, Tony Fen now uh just five top 25. So, it’s kind of marginal right here when you’re looking at this. And it makes sense when you’re just adding up all the points. But just another example of Woodland having I think probably a better year when you just look at down his results uh versus Tony Fen now and one making the playoffs and one not. And it’s and it’s it’s so fractional that we’re breaking this down based off of like three more top 25s than another guy. But when we’re looking at what you’re earning at a signature event versus what you’re earning at a full field for 20th versus 20th, it’s it’s different and that’s what it comes down to. Well, and it it’s absolutely that it it is hairsplitting. We understand we are doing that, but it really it really is it it’s just illustrating, you know, in further depth the way the system is set up, right? Where it’s it’s okay, 20s aren’t the same. The 20s aren’t the same. The decision that’s been made there is Tony Fen now made his way into signature events the you know the previous season or or you know I have to go back and look to see where his 2024 season ended to definitively say what that was but basically like we are going to reward him well into 2025 and in a way help him boost his his chances for 2026 based on that prior year 23rd. Yeah. So there you go. So he makes it to East Lake and you say, “Okay, you’re, you know, you have status through the following year and we’re going to effectively you can go out have a worse year than a guy who’s in a similar position and you’re still going to get into the playoffs the following year.” Like that’s what you know and so again that that that is um there are a lot of things that are set up like that in the game of golf. Multi-year exemptions for guys that you know are playing well one year, not so good the next year. So, it’s not like it doesn’t have a precedent, but it just is an illustration of the way the tour has constructed the system so they can keep guys can play like can you play your way off of a PGA Tour top 100 card being in all the signature events? That’s that’s kind of the conversation that that’s worth having. And and the only player that that I looks to be outside the top 100 right now is Adam Scott. Uh now he’s it’s not the best example of a player because he’s not going to go chase uh top 100 like another guy will because of uh maybe the amount of starts that he has as far as just being able to play weeks on weeks on weeks in a row. I think he played let’s see how many events that that he played this season. He only played 18 events. He finished the season at 90th. Right now in the FedEx fall he’s 103rd, but he still has eligibility through next year. he’s not going to go chase playing events in the fall to finish in the top 100. Um I don’t think Adam’s at the point of his career where he wants to do that. Uh so the the answer would be that it this year it doesn’t appear that anybody did. Mhm. So yeah, I mean there’s an argument to be made there. Well, and and I think in a in a similar but very different position, you know, a maxoma kind of fluttering around that top 100 line um and and having a very different uh type of year and and and sort of a a downward trajectory off of where he had been and going out and deciding to play some events in the fall because he wants to kind of get Max is Max is the best example. Yeah, Max is one. Yeah. And and and Ma and Max has, you know, three additional years of exemptions on the PGA tour past this one. So, it’s one of those things where um you know he and he’s he’s just made he’s gone back to an old swing coach and Mark Blackburn. Like clearly there was some value for him in trying to kind of play and grind and and and and earn status that way. But um but it’s it’s you know he was already exempt anyway. So, it it’s one of those discussions where it doesn’t matter as you know, I want to say it doesn’t matter at all, but it doesn’t matter as much in the scheme of like can a guy go one year from having his card and also depends on where he finished right in the tour championship and the top 50 the previous season because that gives you exemption for the following year and the year beyond as well. So, yeah. So, I was the other player too. I was looking because I remember the prior year Ricky uh heading into the 24 season was in all the signature events and then he finished 108th. So that’s another player that had to play all full field stuff last year. Now he is in a position he’s in a position that I think a lot of people made arguments. Well, because of his name, he was able to get into some signature events, but I think when you go look at his uh his points, which I just got to find it here on the list, it might take me a second to find. I think it was like around 31st is where he was. Yeah, here he is. So he he made 319 points at uh signature events and then only 240 it says at uh at full field events. So he definitely it’s for him he definitely has an advantage that that he’s had an incredible career. The most one of the most marketable players in the world uh that that they have a system set up to where he can take advantage of of uh his weeks which I’m trying to see how many he played signature events this past year. He played Pebble. He played Genesis. Let me double check this. 25. That’s right. So he’s got two there. And let’s see, Memorial. So that’s three. And then Travels at Travelers at four. So he played in half, right? And and I think that there is um you know, not not to I’m going to sound like I’m kind of Well, like that’s not like you could you could imagine that other players would be upset about not having a marketable name. Is it Is it the most fair system? I I don’t know if there should be sponsors invites for for for signature events. I I don’t I don’t think I don’t think I think shooting for fair is going to be a fool’s errand. Like I think that you just have to understand realities of the way all these things work in today’s day and age. Like you can lament the fact that they work the way they do in today’s day and age, but you know to pay for television contracts and all those sort of things like you have to you have to have players in these fields to generate revenue. like you just have to. It’s it’s more the title sponsors are what is being asked of them to pay for these signature events. Was it $25 million? So, you’re starting to see companies split it up uh between between different title sponsors because it’s a bubble. It feels like it’s a bubble that could pop at some point because sponsors invites are important in that if if a player doesn’t get into signature events that okay, we can we can get these four guys in that that had poor years a year before just to cover our butts here on on not giving the best product to what we’re charging. You know, that’s just basic basic business here. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I I think it’s I don’t I don’t want to sound like nihilistic. Like I I I feel like there’s a portion of this is just embracing what it is, you know, just like I you know, I I yeah, like I think it’s worth examining. I think it’s worth talking about in a year-to-year basis. I think it’s worth saying this is really out of whack and we got to change this a little bit. But I also think that there’s just a part of this where you just have to say this is the direction the league’s going. And by the way, like with a guy like Brian Rolap coming in who’s all about product and how can we kind of grow this thing, I wouldn’t expect this to change. In fact, I think it should go further in this direction. But he but he has a task in front of him. I mean, you know, I think if you really want to zoom out and you look at like television ratings for these things, you know, the the the Masters compared to like a normal NFL Sunday is still, you know, it I don’t want to say pales in comparison, but it’s like you have to golf still remains a niche market. Now, it’s a market we love. It’s a sport we love and we all, you know, and the Masters is our is our Super Bowl, right? But you also have to understand that that there are decisions that have to be made from a business perspective like sponsor exemptions, like these sort of signature events because these are things that fund the ability for us to watch it and consume it like and and if you if you don’t want to I mean, if you don’t want to wrap your head around that, I don’t really know what to tell you. Like that’s just there there are lots of things like that in in American society and in global society. And I I think PGA Tour made the right decision to go to a top 100 model. Although you can make the argument too if you’re somebody who kind of lives in that 100 to 125 year after year after year on the PGA Tour. Like Joel Damon is a player who’s kind of been in between that 170 to 125 his entire career. And this year he’s falling uh in that 115 range. Joe on one of his he’s he’s very consistent of where he finishes year after year, but it’s just maybe a slight tick down of a year that he normally has and he’s all of a sudden looking at being outside that top 100 and being a conditional PGA tour member unless he has a good Butterfield Bermuda Classic or an RSM. And uh how about that sponsor plug on Bermuda? That was pretty good there. That was kind of fle kind of rolled off the tongue. Roll off the tongue. Yeah, really. Every every time I hear the name of that tournament, I want to eat a Butterfinger. Yeah, that’s right. I don’t know if that’s uh should we do you want me to kind of start moving into that section of it? Just just reading about these changes from 26 and discussing already ranking. Yes. Yeah. Okay. So, so just to recap some of what we already discussed as as you know that the the exempt status for 26 changes from top 125 to top 100 as Smiley notes that the conditional status it’s really broken up from 101 to 150, but there are three separate groups there. 101 to 110, 111 to 125, and 126 to 150. Okay. Then full field field sizes are changing as well. Full fields uh are going from 156 to 144 players. Uh and then there are also other circumstances where limited daylight fields, some fields are going to go to 120 or 132. Um the two courses or the two events that will stay at 156 are the AMX because they have three courses and the Gent Scottish Open because it’s the middle of summer in Scotland. There’s plenty of daylight over there. Um and players championship that field size is going to 120 beginning in in 2026 which I that’s a good change. That’s a good change. The players needs to have less guys playing. It’s it just needs to feel a little bit more elevated in what it is because there’s so many times at the players championship I would look at the field and be like how did this guy get in it would happen every year it needs to especially with what the PGA Tour puts as their crown jewel the P this is the PGA Tour major championship and I know it should be for all of its players but when you have signature event model that only has 70 that there’s there’s a huge gap there so 120 to me which I think is closer to where the model should be for signature events anyways. I actually I think 100 is probably where you should land. Like if you are a PGA tour, uh make that top 100. I I think you should be able to get into what should be the elevated events. I think 70 is too little. 100’s kind of about that sweet spot. And I I I think that’s a good move for the players. So, and then just to to to continue on that field size thing, the that the the the Monday uh Monday Q info, bad bad uh a tough scene for him, I guess, is the open qualifying changing in a lot of different ways. Um they’ve been eliminate open qualifying spots have been eliminated for full field events with fields of 120 and reduced to two for fields of 132 uh fields of 144 maintained for open qualifying spots. Uh and then for some some category changes as well for the DP World Tour Corn Fairberry Tour and and Q school. Uh so the DP World Tour stays at 10. Cornfair Tour goes from from 30 to 20 and PGA Tour Q School goes to five instead of top five and ties. So, this leads us to our 2026 priority rankings. And so, this this is I’m reading these to you in order. Uh the the top priority category is tournament winners. Uh then top 70 on the FedEx Cup points list through the FedEx Cup playoffs. Then number 71 through 100. This is where it starts getting interesting here and you stop me wherever you want to jump in. The next group on that list is the DP World Tour top 10 which is positioned just above the Cornferry Tour top 20 and then the Q school top five. Uh then we go to the PGA Tour University both the number one finisher and accelerated for the prior season and current season and then the top 70 non-member FedEx Cup points greater than or equal to to 70 on the 2025 FedEx Cup fall points list. Then uh top 30 on the 2024 FedEx Cup points list in year two. Uh, and then career money, top 25 and top 50, and then life member. And those those groups are your you have a full tour card this year. Everything we get past that is conditional status once we get to 101 101 and beyond. So, anything you want to kind of pick up their smiley and discuss. All right. I’ll start with what I think is wrong about the DP World Tour and the Cornfairy Tour and the amount of spots that are given to uh both of those uh leagues. DP uh 10’s too many. The talent level, it just hasn’t proven enough to to me to to grant 10. Five seems like a better number where I feel like there should be five extra spots given to the Cornferry tour with top 25 um on that tour. Uh so you’re not taking away spots uh from from the overall amount. It’s more so just adding some to the Cornferry, taking away some from the DP. U and I don’t think that’s wrong right now. I my opinion might change on that in the future, but until with live golf around, you know, they’re they seem to be plucking away some talent over the DP World Tour year after year. Um, especially with how they fill out their lineups, uh, it seems like on on some of these teams that aren’t, uh, not the not the star power of these names that are, uh, filling out the top of the leaderboards that live, but guys that are played have played on the DP that are on these teams as their three four guy. Um, some of you would know their name, some of you would uh some of you would, but I I just feel that 10 is a lot. Um, and then how it’s currently ordered. I think this is another talking point that goes back to our conversation this past week about the PGA Tour having a an agreement with the DP and a strategic agreement. So, which is what you what you need right now because the DP of course could could have easily uh gone into business with uh with with with the PIF or LIV and and had a some type of co-sanction deal. Uh but right now the DP still gosh it feels like it’s almost a feeder tour of the PGA Tour because you’re giving your top talent away year after year to the PGA Tour. So, the PJ tour in here is rewarding that the their priority ranking being above the cornfairy tour. I could not disagree with more, but it seems like going to less uh cards available that they’re able to guarantee most anybody with a PJ tour card this year will get into a full field event. So, it it it kind of takes away a little bit of that frustration uh for me coming off of the Cornfairy Tour thinking that’s more difficult to do than uh the DP, which is, by the way, it’s not the top 10 on the DP World Tour. It’s the top 10 without a PG tour card. So, it’s not exactly uh you know, you could have a guy that’s outside the top 25 on their their their list, which it usually it usually goes to about 15ish. It’s like between like 15 and 17 the past couple years we’re crunching numbers and looking at guys. But I think that’s a that’s a very important point like okay, let’s start with the positive which is I think the move to on 100 making everything past 100 conditional is a really good one because it makes having a tour card worth something. you can get the starts you need to everything we just discussed in in terms of you know if I if I have this opportunity can I actually have a realistic chance of keeping my tour card if I’m a graduate out the cornfairy tour DP world tour wherever I think this this does that in a lot of different ways so I think that’s really good the the the DP world tour cornfairy tour positioning in terms of priority is a fascinating one and as you’ve mentioned connects back to what we’ve just discussed which is to say that I if you even if you believe that there’s more talent coming off the Corn Ferry Tour, which I think you can make a compelling argument for uh for for a number of reasons. One of which is what you just said where if you’re if you’re it’s not just the top 10 because you know you got Rory on that list and Tommy Fleetwood. You have you have a decade decades worth of data that you can point to of players that have come off that tour to the PJ tour that are still playing on the PGA tour. Yes. And and so so I if you’re getting a watered down version every year and it and it keeps getting watered down, right? Because you’re taking those guys from the DP World Tour and it’s the next guys up. They’re they’re either going through either they didn’t earn their status on the PJ tour the year before and they’re going back or it’s kind of, you know, coming through a feeder program on the DP World Tour. Whatever it is, you you can make the argument and and it sounds like you believe it that the the better players are coming from the corner tour. But in in the in the the sort of the light of the strategic alliance between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, if you put the Cornferry Tour above the DP World Tour on that priority list, they are absolutely a feeder tour at that point. I mean, they already are in the sense they’re literally delivering players to the PGA Tour. But that’s the whole optic thing of, oh, this isn’t a feeder tour. This is a an alliance, a partnership. If you’re taking they’re just prioritizing them over the corn ferry, which I I disagree with. Well, and the Corfairy Tour is quite literally the PGA Tour feeder tour. So, if you’re putting that feeder tour above the DP World Tour, they can think nothing else than we’re just a feeder tour. And I think this is where you kind of start getting into, and not to necessarily rehash the conversation, but just to kind of provide context for those who didn’t hear the conversation we had before, is that the DP World Tour has a real crossroads moment here where they have to decide whether the the hundred million, whatever the rumors are, like that that huge sum of money that the PJ tour is delivering them to underpin those purses and fund events, is that worth be a deacto feeder tour and shunning the money that they could get from the PIFF, the Liv Tour to have a partnership there, especially in light of the fact that they might lose two of their best RDER Cup players via that sort of lawsuit where if they if they lose their DP World Tour cards, they can’t play on that team in a dare manner. So, there are a lot of things happening where if I’m at the DB World Tour and I’m a decision maker, I’m like, “Wait a second. Could we just ask the PIF for $100 million and partner with them and not have to give up our 10 best players and maybe get a bunch of international guys that want to come back here and play here instead in addition to live events?” You know, look, I I I think it’s it’s a complicated thing, but I think that’s why at the the PGA Tour, I understand the difficult position they’re in as well, but they have to to to give that list of guys coming from the DP World Tour real credence because the further they move them down, the more it’s like, wait a second, is this really worth it for us at this point? if you’re if you’re a DP World Tour executive. I I guess I wish I wish I had a little bit more data for you because would this be the third year now that we’re taking DP World Tour players to to my recollection? Yes. Um and I have to go check on that. But yeah, I know this past year the 10 guys that came. Now remember Tom McKibben left to head to the live golf tour. I believe he played San Diego and then then bounced right after. But I don’t think it’s been exactly as successful uh with the the 19 players or 18 players depending on if the year prior. Maybe Adrian left was another guy. Um but it even with all of that um and you haven’t seen these guys come over here and play well. I I do think uh when you’ve gone from the DP having a really good season then coming over the PGA Tour and then when they get here they’re like wait you’re wait I’m not in that event or am I in this event and and and just coming over to the states learning new golf courses I don’t think it’s exactly easy to do and I think you have to be a very very good player to come over here and keep your card because I think very few have been able to do it at this point. I think there’s some promise. Like I’m really excited about Marco Penge coming over uh from the DP World Tour. I think he’s a player that that fits PGA Tour golf. He hits it hard. He’s a player that I think could translate. I was really impressed with like Yespers Venson this year. I thought he was an awesome player, but he again he’s going to lose his PGA Tour card. So um that that list just so you have it of of this is last year’s graduates. Yeah. Rasmus Hoygard, Tristan Lawrence, Paul Wearering, Yaspers Vincent, Nicholas Norgard, Matteo Manisero. Rasmus wasn’t good. So Olen, that’s right. Antoine Rosner, Rakuya Hosino, and Tom McKibben. Okay. So Rasmus is the only guy keeping his card. Yeah. And and I think, you know, to your point, like we’re excited about Marco Ping. Um you know, it looks like Alex Norn is going to retain his PGA Tour card through that point system rather than the system, too. He’s a medical, too. So, I mean, there are guys on that list that, you know, we’re we’re excited to see play, but, you know, there there aren’t a ton like past those two guys, it’s not like I’m exactly fired up about the list of graduates, uh, as they currently stand. I mean, Christopher Ryan, Adrien Sadir, John Perry, Lori, well, there is one on this list. I cannot wait to see Hong Lee back on the field. I love Hong Lee, so I’m excited about him. But, you know, I mean, it it’s a mixed result and and and and it’s and it’s kind of it’s interesting. Um, you know, just evaluating the success of that program relative to like what it’s meant to do. I I think honestly I’d say this way too for the PJ tour. It’s been a huge success in terms of not having a a massive competitor emerge. So, you could give me your worst 10 players and I’d still be doing it at this point if it means they’re not it means they’re not partnering with Liv. Yes. And that’s going to be the tough part, I think, is when these players have really good seasons coming off the DP World Tour. I think it’s every single year you’re going to have a Tom McKim and a Marco Penge that are going to have to make a decision on should I go to live or should I go to the PGA Tour? Uh should I accept status or not? Because as soon as you accept status with the PGA Tour, that’s when all your hurdles are going to start. you know, it’s it’s then you have to either deal with the long-term suspensions if you don’t resign, or if you do resign, then you just got to start the process all over again, which is totally fine. There’s nothing wrong with starting it over, but um it’s it’s definitely a decision to be made. Tom McKibben is is it appears that he made the right decision for his bank account. Can you make an argument that that maybe some of the changes that have kind of been uh beneficial to him like a Hong Kong Open rewarding a a master start and getting a pathway to the majors helped his case without knowing that was going to happen heading into his decision to join web? Well, sure. Yeah. And has it helped him playing with John Rom week after week? Yeah, probably has helped him. Um, is it difficult to make the transition from Europe to the States? Yeah, it’s really hard. It’s very hard. Look at Robert McIntyre. He he was a player that smoked it on the DP World Tour forever. Uh was play he was playing on the WGC’s before when they were still going on. Uh but he really struggled with the transition. I mean like a he’s just a when you think of Scotland golf like I think of Robert McIntyre. I don’t think of Ford or Robert McIntyre. Like that’s got to be a tough transition for him and his family. So, it especially with the age of of some of these guys, it can’t be easy, but it’s an opportunity with that you can’t pass up as far as the the the opportunity uh to make your a name for yourself in the States. Not that not to say you can’t do it on the DP World Tour because you can, but uh more exposure to the American markets, uh the official world golf rankings and and uh more money. Uh they’re playing for a lot more money over here than than the DP. uh just to kind of continue down this list of of conditional members and just to get just to get your viewpoint really on the split here between 101 110 and 11125. So the next the next category listing in the priorities the priority list here is 101 through 110 uh you know of the 2025 fall points list through the RSM classic then you have 300 career cuts then you have three time winners on the cornferry tour/DP world tour then you have major medical extension and then you get to 111 through 125. So I guess the question I have for you first we’ve heard a lot of guys say this. Michael Kim said this on our show is that I still think guys and and that that category both those categories are going to get a lot of starts. I mean do do you see do how many do you think we’ll see in terms of entrance from 300 career cuts three-time winners major medical that are going to separate those two groups in in a in a meaningful way? Well, I think 101 to 110, just looking at this, seems to be a much better position to 111 to 125, especially when you throw in the medical extensions and how many players that could potentially be for getting in an event and not getting into an event. But yeah, I I think you could probably play uh 15 events as a 111 to 125, which honestly when you used to uh be a conditional member back when I was playing on tour, so if you finish 126 and 150, 15 was a fair number. I think what you expected to kind of get into that next year being a conditional member. So I I feel like that’s probably going to be about the same um at that spot. But 126 to 150 like signa. Well, so you have then after 111 to 125 you have minor medical uh extension, then you have 126 to 150. Uh then you have non-exempt medical extension and then you have beyond 150 past champions and veteran members. Then you have me past champion. I was going to say, hey, look at you. You’re slotted in right there above special temporary member and veteran member. Oo. So I mean you’re you’re at least you’re not DFL on the priority list. Like you could you have an outside chance. What do you how many starts you think you could get if you actually applied for events next year, Smiley? Zero. You don’t think you could get even in one event on past champion status? No. Really? I mean, find out. Unless it was a bit. I don’t know. Well, I mean, I’m not saying you actually would do it. I’m just saying just, you know, a guess on on how many entrance there are to these events. But may maybe not. Maybe not. I I don’t think I’d get any. Um maybe you Gosh, I I I just would feel wrong. I’d rather somebody who’s I don’t want to take one. Let me let me reframe the question because I’m not asking you seriously whether or not you’re going to do this. I’m more so asking about that place in the priority list. And I guess I guess really what I’m getting at here is if you think about every special temporary member in the past couple years, the way that they cashed that in was sponsor invites, right? Sponsor exemptions. Like that’s how they got in those tournaments. They didn’t get in by just applying for the tournament. They had to get a sponsor exemption to be able to continue playing as a special tent member unless they they top 10 the week before or whatever it was to get into the next tournament. Yeah, correct. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. So, there you go. We’ve exhausted everything there is to know. I I’ve got I feel like I’ve just unrolled a giant ball of yarn. Anything I missed here today? uh smile. The only thing that we did not discuss which I think just we can briefly just kind of read out who’s on this list, but Tiger Woods is uh the head of the future competitions committee, which I think is uh interesting to note. Um as there’s many uh micro committees on the PGA Tour that players are are heading. Tiger Woods happens to head the competition committee. who this entire conversation that we’ve had about who gets into events, the order, the priority order, uh how many points are being awarded for signature events versus fullfield events. Well, you have uh the GOAT uh that that’s heading that committee, and I think you have the rest of the names that are on that as well. I do. Uh the the the rest of the names on that committee are Patrick Kentlay, Adam Scott, Camila Vijas, Maverick McNeely, Keith Mitchell, and then from the non-playing side, Joe Gorder, uh who is the chairman of the PJ tour policy and PJ tour enterprises boards, John Henry, who is of course principal of Fenway Sports Group and manager the de facto head of the strategic sports group, and Theo Epstein, senior adviser for the Fenway Sports Group. How about that? Trip with him. He’s awesome. So that that that is your your your future competition committee of course headed by Tiger Woods. Okay. Well, I think as we look ahead to 2027, I think that’s this committee is probably more so focusing on that year and how the schedule’s going to be formatted potentially how they can tidy up some of the things that we find to be a little unfair and maybe the membership finds a little bit unfair too. Uh, I think this was a step in the right direction to go to 100 because this is going to be another good great case study year to see if this is all fair. Are players getting enough events compared to another compared to other players? Uh, do they feel comfortable about knowing where they’re going to play? That’s always one of the worst feelings as a player, not knowing what you’re going to be getting into. So, I think that’s uh a step in the right direction. But this priority board or I should say this competition committee priority board. Um Maverick McNeely being on it. Uh that’s that’s great to hear. You know, Keith Mitchell also a player who I think uh has been on the wrong side of this two years in a row who’s maybe he didn’t play as well this year, but last year um I should say Keith actually played very well on Thursdays this year. Friday through Saturday through Friday through Sunday uh played played pretty well, but not like Thursday. I think he led like five Thursday rounds this year if you remember that. Right. Even and Tommy Fleetwood, like you would not want to have those two pitted against each other in a first round leader bet. Those guys up on Thursdays. But but Keith is a player two years in a row who’s maybe he’s gotten into one signature event uh but has played I think I think many people would would would peg Keith as a guy who’s uh talent-wise is easily a a top 50 signature event and a name on a leaderboard that people recognize too. So uh having him on the board on this on this committee is good. uh from that standpoint because he can make uh make arguments like Maverick McNeely did of okay I can compare just like we did did this exercise uh here with you guys today with Kityama Hideki uh we’re with Gary Woodwin and Tony Feno you can compare and just be like I mean you could you could say play better for how long can you say that to where to where this is the most fair system and then getting into sponsors exemptions um and and how it affects title sponsors and and how much money they’re paying and and knowing that they have an opportunity to to improve the field. There’s so many things that are slightly unfair to the rest of the membership and I think 2027 will be interesting to see how they they improved some areas. It’s it’s a really representative group and you’ve got, you know, young and old, international. Uh Smiley cares so much about this topic that he ejected his highlighter out of his hand in the midst of making a point. I do. this this is people’s livelihood and you want the most fair system and I I think it would have bothered me a bunch uh if I was wasn’t a name let’s say I was just a um an introverted guy just doesn’t get not going to ever get a sponsor like yeah it would bother the crap out of me if I if I felt like I I played better than a guy um oh I I it just feels like two separate tours at times. Well, I mean, it it’ll I think it’s a good point you’re making and it’s one that again will be informed by new leadership and and by the priorities of that new leadership and and and by a lot of other things too that we discussed, you know, like what happens with the DP World Tour, you know, what happens with those appeals with the Liv guys, what happens with Liv, you know, who’s to say they’re going to stop at the 72 hole change? Like I I I think this thing is is is continuously a moving target that we have to kind of break down as we go. And and I would not I definitely would not expect these to be the last set of changes we see. In fact, I think too, you know, playoff changes we’ve talked about like they they revert to a very simplistic system this year. That’s not going to stay the way it is long term. I don’t think I don’t think so either. Only constant has changed. And we you know, we we nitpicked a little bit throughout this finding some some negatives. There’s plenty of positives. There’s a lot of things that I think are great about the PGA Tour from a competition standpoint. fact that you have an opportunity to play yourself into signature events is great, but we also pointed out like you need to do it early, you know, to like take to reap the full benefit. So, there’s there’s avenues that have been created for players to move up um to where you don’t ever get stymied um in a year. I I guess the last thing that I would suggest is that I wish that we could see these corn fury tour players in the fall. if we’re gonna if we’re gonna continue to make the fall a thing to where you have now you’re continue you’re like adding event in Austin, you’re adding an event in Asheville and it always felt like it’s going to be sick. Yeah. It always it didn’t always feel like they were just going to wipe the fall with the PGA tour and just be like, “All right, we’re not playing golf in the fall now.” We we’re like adding events now. So, let’s get the Cornferry tour guys playing for some money. Let’s get them comfortable with the PJ tour. And uh but then the argument is like well what about the guys who didn’t get you know the full opportunities throughout the year and and here they are now they’re they’re they’re not getting into these events because of corn or guys coming off the cornfair that that and that’s and then maybe you can bring in the DP guys too at the same time although they’re their race to their whole thing is still ongoing. Well I I think that I think that’s honestly that’s a whole other show in itself. It’s one we talked about before. It’s like I’d be a proponent of shutting out the top 70 or whatever it is. I mean, I you’d have to reconfigure the the next 10 how that applies to signature events the next year, but shut out the top 30 or shut out the top 50 guys who are already into signature events and then make the only people who can enter the fall events 51 through cuz because what you’re doing then is you’re creating a sub tour that has a positive connotation. You know, it’s it’s not it’s it’s it’s really it’s like, hey, we know that you’re not going to see elite players here in the fall, but what you are going to see is a fierce competition for 49 spots or 50 spots plus reshuffleling within those 50 spots for 10 spots to get in the signature events this next year. Like that becomes compelling in its own right. Now, I know pitching that to a sponsor kind of stinks because you’re like, “Wait a second, I have no chance of seeing the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup the previous season.” Okay, that’s not great. But at the same time, it’s like what? You know, all these things are a balance. And I think I’m glad you brought up what you did there as well, which is that even as we nitpick these things, you know, if all these decisions were easy and there was a quick and easy and simple answer, you wouldn’t need a future competition committee. Be like, great, we’re just going to do this and everyone’s going to be fine. I guarantee you all these things that we’re nitpicking at are the same conversations that these players and stakeholders are having in the boardroom. like, hey, I don’t really love that this is the way that this is, but if our stated goal is to reward this subset of players, we have to do it this way. So, all these things are trade-offs they have to make. It’s just like what’s the trade-off that’s being made, and we’re examining that and deciding whether it is worth it. Um, exactly. And and and to point out too, it’s it I know we we say that the fall has been like a throwaway, but you’ve also I mean you had Scotty Schuffer win this fall. You had Xander Shafway win this fall. You’ve had Ben Griffin win this fall. You had like a great story in Michael Brennan who’s like a breakout potential star who’s been on the show. If you haven’t listened to it, make sure you go listen. Um Steven Fisk won in the fall and then uh yeah I mean it’s actually been a very very productive great fall but just it’s kind of been lucky you know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You can’t guarantee it all the time. Well uh if you made it all this way congratulations. You you this is this is dense stuff. So this is for the grinders. This is this gritty grinders. Screw as it goes. Uh that’s all I got. Smiley. Any final thoughts from your end? No. Um I I’ve been in putting this episode off for quite some time. I’ve been excited about it because I I am passionate about uh about this stuff. So hopefully it all came across the right way and a lot of people probably walk away a little bit more educated about the PJ tour than they were before and just about maybe how players feel about how the tour is and just little locker room talk today. So it was productive. Yeah, give us you continue that in the comments on YouTube. Uh we want to hear your thoughts on these things and debate alongside you. So, that’s what we got. Uh, guess we’ll see you in about a week here on the Smiley Show, and we will see you on Golf Channel Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. in 2026. That’s right. Talk to you soon. See you. You know, I listen to this podcast. It’s really cool. And all of our fans and subscribers, but make sure you like and subscribe. It’s cool to see what you guys are doing. I know golf fans appreciate it, but we we do, too. So, please keep it up. For all the good people of YouTube, like and subscribe. You guys have some good takes. So, I’m happy to come on and and shoot the