Matt Kuchar: An Uncertain Future on the PGA Tour
Veteran golfer Matt Kuchar finished his 19th season on the PGA Tour, ranking 118th in the FedEx Cup. This position, which in other years would have guaranteed him his full card, now presents an uncertain outlook due to the circuit’s new regulations that reduce the cut to the top 100, instead of the top 125. For Kuchar, 47 years old, the option of using one of his career earnings exemptions seems to be the next logical step. However, the situation is more complex than it seems. The PGA Tour has evolved significantly since Kuchar joined in 2002. Now, the circuit has eight designated events, four majors, the Players Championship, and three FedEx Cup playoff events. Kuchar is not qualified for any of these events in 2026.The main unknown is whether his conditional status, being in 118th place in the FedEx Cup, will allow him to participate in a similar number of tournaments compared to using a career earnings exemption. PGA Tour executives estimate that players ranked between 101st and 110th in the FedEx Cup, maintaining that range 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 is eight places below that group, and his participation could be affected if he does not perform well at the beginning of the season. Despite this, Kuchar has time to decide on his two exemptions. Thanks to his outstanding career, he is ranked 15th in career earnings, with $61,538,738. This gives him an advantage of more than $15.4 million over the player in 25th place, which means that waiting one more year to use the exemption for the top 25 would not generate great losses for him. 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, although he only missed two cuts in 18 participations.I don’t know how many tournaments I’ll be able to play. I’m not sure if using an exemption will give me more opportunities. It’s complicated. It doesn’t guarantee you participation in the most important events.
Matt Kuchar
It’s not the 2025 I was expecting. It was a frustrating year. Although I only missed two cuts, I didn’t manage to string together weeks where I played well and also putted well.
Matt Kuchar
