James Colgan

Speaking to The Scotsman's Martin Dempster, DP World Tour chairman Guy Kinnings hinted that the PGA Tour's changes would have a major unintended consequence.
Warren Little | Getty Images
The PGA Tour is on the verge of radical change.
Change brings consequences.
Guy Kinnings knows this better than most. As head of the DP World Tour, he has watched (first from afar, now up close) how his tour has changed in the era of Saudi investment in professional golf.
He was reportedly aware of how the DP World Tour was faced with the opportunity to receive significant PIF funding and decided to form a “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour, bringing the two tours together in a way that would help both parties. his employer (through co-sanctioned activities and infusions of investment) and hurt it (through a pipeline system that diluted DPWT's talent and relegated it to its American brethren).
Now, Kinnings is paying close attention to another wave of changes the PGA Tour announced in a memo to players last week. Starting in 2026, if the changes are approved by the tour's various boards, the tour's effective size will be reduced from 125 full-time members to 100, shrinking the size of golf's largest professional tour in pursuit of a leaner competitive product . All members. As part of the shift, the PGA Tour will also reduce the number of players who advance each year from its feeder circuit, the Korn Ferry Tour, and reduce the number of Monday qualifying events.
The changes are intended to improve the quality of the Tour's week-in, week-out product, but they will also have a range of impacts on the golf landscape, particularly for those seeking to break into the highest levels of the professional game.
For an organization like the DP World Tour, this is not just news, but an opportunity – a chance to potentially convince more players from diverse backgrounds to start their professional golf journeys in Europe, which in turn could improve the DP World Tour Quality tour overall.
during an interview Scot'Kinnings was also keen to point this out during a talk by Martin Dempster this week.
“I don’t think it’s going to have a huge impact,” Kinnings said, pointing to the growth of the DP World Tour feeder circuit, the Challenger Tour and the additional resources Kinnings’ team is putting into the event. “But, at the same time, PAC's announcement last week may cause players to start looking differently at the best way for them to obtain cards, regardless of location.”
Under the proposed new PGA Tour structure, the current “strategic partnership” with the DP World Tour will not change, and the top 10 players on the European Tour will still receive PGA Tour cards for next season. At the same time, the number of cards for pros from the Korn Ferry Tour will be reduced from 30 to 20 cards.
While the Korn Ferry Tour card still has a 2-to-1 advantage over the DP World Tour, the advantages of playing in Europe may benefit future tour stars, such as field quality and the opportunity to compete in outside competitions that once became the DPWT A competitor on the PGA Tour in the late 20th century. A new crop of stars emerging from the DP World Tour could bolster the foundation of its new schedule, which includes a focus on spare schedules on other major tours.
These are not sensational changes—in fact, they are nothing yet. But for Kinnings, they represent the consequences of potential changes to the PGA Tour that have yet to be resolved and could soon benefit them.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at all if more Americans start paying attention to the DP World Tour,” Kinnings said. “If you look at the route from the Challenge Tour to the DP World Tour, it's a very clear route and it works really well. But we'll just have to monitor and see what happens.”
Rest assured, the DP World Tour will be watching closely as smaller professional golf tournaments will likely mean more room for the DP World Tour.

James Colgan
Golf Network Editor
James Colgan is GOLF's news and features editor, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages GOLF's media vertical Hot Mic and leverages his on-camera experience across the brand's platforms. Before joining golf, James graduated from Syracuse University, where he was a caddy scholarship recipient from Long Island (and a savvy curveball player). He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.