The PGA Tour cut rule is changing beginning with the 2019-2020 season, and so, too, is the field size for opposite-field events played against the World Golf Championships and the British Open Championship.
The PGA Tour is reducing those opposite-field events from 132-player fields to 120-player fields beginning with the 2019-2020 PGA Tour season.
This means the new Bermuda Championship, the Puerto Rico Open, the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, the Barracuda Championship and the Barabasol Championship will have their fields cut by 12 players. The cut rules will remain the same as regular PGA Tour events, moving to the top 65 players and ties beginning in the 2019-2020 season. The MDF secondary cut rule will be eliminated for the new season.
The PGA Tour has long had difficulty in filling the 132-player fields for these opposite-field events, which are essentially lottery tickets for winners, who earn a two-season exemption, 300 FedEx Cup points (60 percent of a normal PGA Tour event) and a healthy paycheck for victory. For most players who otherwise compete, they earn some crucial FedEx Cup points toward keeping or earning status, as well good earnings.
Nevertheless, after getting past an initial 120 players, these fields often rely on players who have the weakest of PGA Tour status. At the 2019 Barracuda Championship, a late withdrawal led to there being a 131-person final field, as no alternate was available in Reno to fill the last-second opening.
However, moving forward, the 120-player field can be expanded further to accommodate eligible players with status on the Korn Ferry Tour.
