Matt Kuchar Reflects on His Future on the PGA Tour
Golfer Matt Kuchar finished his nineteenth consecutive season on the PGA Tour, ranking 118th in the FedEx Cup. This position, which in previous years would have secured his full card, now raises questions due to changes in the classification criteria. The new tour regulations, which reduce the cut to the top 100 instead of 125, force Kuchar, 47 years old, to reconsider his options. One of them is to use one of his career earnings exemptions, but the situation is more complex than it seems. The PGA Tour has evolved since Kuchar joined in 2002. Now, the circuit includes eight signature events, four majors, The Players Championship, and three FedEx Cup playoff events. Kuchar is not qualified for any of them in 2026.The uncertainty lies in whether his conditional status as number 118 in the FedEx Cup will allow him to participate in a similar number of tournaments compared to using a earnings exemption. PGA Tour officials estimate that players ranked between 101st and 110th in the FedEx Cup, maintaining that position throughout the year, will be able to participate in approximately 16 of the 19 tournaments, in addition to all FedEx Cup Fall events, except the one in Japan. Kuchar, located eight positions below that group, runs the risk of descending if he doesn’t perform well at the beginning of the season. Despite this, Kuchar has time to decide on his two exemptions. His outstanding career has allowed him to accumulate significant career earnings, ranking 15th with $61,538,738. This gives him room to wait another year before using the exemption for the top 25. Kuchar will have to make a decision in the next month, before the Sony Open in Hawaii. This year, Kuchar only achieved one top 10, a tie for fifth place at the John Deere Classic, but only missed two cuts in 18 participations.I don’t know how many starts I’ll have. I don’t know if using an exemption will give me different opportunities. It’s complicated. It doesn’t guarantee entry to important events.
Matt Kuchar
It’s not the 2025 I was expecting. It was a frustrating year. I think I only missed two cuts, but I didn’t manage to string together weeks where I played well and putted well.
Matt Kuchar
