With the new rules that cut the entry list for the following season coming into effect, the conclusion of the FedEX Fall Series rankings has seen some harsh verdicts.
The RSM Classic, won by Sami Valimaki, defined the rankings that guarantee the top 100 players a full entry into the 2026 PGA Tour season, cutting a full twenty-five entries from the previous year.
Well, the axe that fell by making an even narrower selection has claimed some notable victims, who have thus lost their entry list after years.
It should be noted that some of them will remain on the PGA Tour full-time thanks to one of the various exemptions available.
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Pga Tour, situation
This is the case for Max Homa (105th) and Billy Horschel (116th), who will benefit from exemptions tied to their previous Tour victories.
Will Zalatoris (153rd) will also be able to play all events in 2026 thanks to a medical exemption granted to him following several back surgeries over the past two seasons.
For other players, many of them top senators on the PGA, the path will be more complicated, as they enter what is known as conditional status: essentially, they can enter tournaments, but have no guarantee of rejoining the field (unless they can benefit from a sponsor's exemption, ed.).
We begin the list with Matt Wallace (103rd), who used up his two-year exemption for his victory at Corales Puntacana: the most likely scenario is that the 35-year-old will return full-time to the DP World Tour.
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In 118th place, we find a big name: Matt Kuchar.
After more than twenty years of holding onto his card, he will be forced to use his career-money exemptions to reach 2028 and move onto the Champions.
Brandt Snedeker (126th), having lost his card, will be able to focus 100% on his role as Captain of Team USA Presidents Cup.
The Captain of Team USA Rome also didn't have a great season.
Zach Johnson finished 141st and, like Kuchar, will have to use his career-money exemption next year while waiting to turn 50 and join the Senior.
The biggest surprise among those not qualified for next season is 163rd.
Thriston Lawrence arrived on the PGA Tour after an excellent 2024 season on the DP World Tour (a solitary fourth-place finish at the Open Championship), but was unable to perform at his highest level.
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He'll return to the DP World alongside Wallace, with whom he played a fantastic match (and won) at this year's Omega European Masters.
Francesco Molinari (185th place), having exhausted the exemptions tied to his victories on the American Tour, will return to the European stage.
