If you turn on the Golf Channel or scroll through a leaderboard on a Sunday afternoon, it feels like the same fifty guys are always in the mix. You see Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Max Homa so often that it’s easy to assume the "PGA Tour" is just a small, elite traveling circus.
But it's actually way more complicated than that.
The question of how many golfers are on the PGA Tour doesn’t have a single, clean number. If you’re looking for a "one-size-fits-all" answer, you’re going to be disappointed. Depending on how you define "on the tour," the number could be 100, 175, or even 250.
Honestly, 2026 is the weirdest year to ask this. The Tour just went through a massive structural overhaul. They basically took the old system, which had been in place since the early 80s, and threw it in the trash.
The "Magic 100" and the Death of the Top 125
For decades, the number "125" was the holy grail of professional golf. If you finished the season in the top 125 of the money list (and later the FedExCup points), you had a job. You were safe. You were "on the tour."
That’s gone.
Starting right now in 2026, the PGA Tour has tightened the screws. Only the top 100 players from the previous season’s FedExCup Fall points list carry what we call "fully exempt" status. These are the guys who can basically play whenever they want.
Why the change? Well, the Tour is trying to make the product "leaner." They’ve shrunk field sizes at most events from 156 players down to 144, 132, or even 120. If you have 150 guys with full cards but only 120 spots in a tournament, the math doesn't work. Somebody is going to be sitting on their couch at home.
So, if we're talking about the elite core—the guys with the most job security—the answer is 100.
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But Wait, There’s More (The Conditional Crowd)
Golf isn't just a binary "you're in or you're out" situation. There is a massive "gray area" of players who have status but aren't fully exempt.
Think of it like a standby list at the airport.
Players who finished between 101 and 125 in the FedExCup standings didn't lose their cards entirely, but they’ve been demoted. They have "conditional status." They only get into a tournament if the top 100 guys (and the major winners, and the sponsor invites) don't fill the field.
Then you have the graduates. Every year, a fresh batch of talent arrives from:
- The Korn Ferry Tour: Usually the top 20 players.
- DP World Tour: The top 10 finishers from the European side.
- Q-School: The top 5 finishers (and no ties anymore—it’s strictly the top 5).
- PGA Tour University: The #1 ranked college player.
When you add the 100 fully exempt veterans, the 25 conditional players, the 20 KFT grads, the 10 DP World Tour guys, and the 5 Q-School winners, you’re looking at roughly 160 to 170 golfers who have a legitimate claim to being "on the tour" on a weekly basis.
The Ghost Category: Past Champions and Medicals
There’s another group people forget. It’s the "Veteran" and "Medical Extension" categories.
Let’s say a player wins a tournament. They usually get a two-year exemption. Even if they play like garbage the next year and finish 180th in points, they are still "on the tour" because of that win.
Then there are the guys on medical extensions. If a player gets a back injury (a classic golf trope) and misses half a season, the Tour gives them a certain number of starts to earn enough points to keep their card. At any given moment, there are usually 10 to 15 guys playing on these extensions.
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And don't forget the Life Members. If you win 20 times and play for 15 years, you have a spot for life. Tiger Woods isn't "on the tour" in the sense that he’s grinding every week, but he has a permanent locker.
How Many Golfers Actually Play Each Year?
If you look at the total number of unique individuals who tee it up in at least one PGA Tour event over a full season, the number is actually much higher—closer to 250.
How? Monday Qualifiers.
Every week (mostly), there’s a "mini-tournament" on Monday where four guys play their way into the main event. These are the dreamers. Often, they aren't members of the tour at all. But for that one week, they are PGA Tour players.
In 2026, though, even this is getting harder. The Tour actually eliminated Monday qualifying for events with 120-player fields. They basically said, "We don't have enough daylight for the regular members, so we definitely don't have room for the Monday guys." It’s a brutal business.
Why the Number is Shrinking
You might wonder why the Tour is making it harder for more golfers to be "on the tour." It feels a bit gatekeeper-y, right?
Basically, it’s about "Pace of Play."
For years, rounds were taking five and a half hours because the fields were too crowded. By cutting the number of exempt players to 100 and shrinking the fields, the Tour hopes to get everyone off the course before the sun goes down. It also ensures that the stars—the guys you actually want to watch on TV—aren't getting bumped out of tournaments by guys ranked 140th in the world.
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Summary of the "2026 Numbers"
If you need a quick breakdown of how many golfers are on the PGA Tour right now, here’s how the hierarchy actually looks:
- 100 Players: The "Fully Exempt" core (The top of the FedExCup).
- 20 Players: The "New Blood" from the Korn Ferry Tour.
- 10 Players: The European imports from the DP World Tour.
- 5 Players: The survivors of the Q-School gauntlet.
- 25 Players: The "Conditional" guys (Ranked 101-125) who are constantly checking their phones to see if they got into the field.
- Variable: Past champions, medical extensions, and sponsor invites.
What This Means for You (The Fan)
When you ask how many golfers are on the PGA Tour, what you're really asking is: How hard is it to stay there?
The answer is: harder than ever.
The move from a "Top 125" system to a "Top 100" system is a 20% reduction in job security. It’s created a much more cutthroat environment. You're going to see more "churn"—new faces popping up for a year and then disappearing back to the minor leagues because they couldn't crack that top 100.
If you want to track who is actually "in" right now, the best thing to do is look at the PGA Tour Priority Ranking. It’s a list that is updated constantly, ranking every single member from #1 (usually the most recent Major winner or FedExCup champ) down to #300+.
Next time you see a guy you've never heard of leading a tournament on Thursday, check his ranking. He might be one of those "top 5" Q-School survivors fighting for his life to stay in that elite group of 100.
To get a real sense of the current landscape, go check the official FedExCup Standings after the next "Signature Event." Those high-purse, small-field tournaments are the best indicator of who the "real" Tour members are in this new era.
Keep an eye on the guys in the 90-110 range—that’s where the real drama happens.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check the Priority List: Go to the PGA Tour's official "Eligibility" page to see the current order of players. It changes after every "reshuffle."
- Watch the "Fall Series": This is where the battle for the top 100 actually ends. If you want to see the "bubble" in action, October and November are the months to pay attention.
- Monitor the Korn Ferry Tour: If you want to know who the next 20 players on the PGA Tour will be, keep an eye on the KFT points list starting in May.