Fewer tour cards means players must start well at Sony Open

PGA TOUR

Keith Mitchell walks across the 10th green during the pro-am round of the Sony Open golf event Wednesday at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. MATT YORK — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Doug Ferguson

The Associated Press

HONOLULU>> The royal palms on a Waialae course that runs along the Pacific Ocean give a peaceful ambiance to the Sony Open, the ideal place for the full PGA Tour membership to start the year.

But a new season has brought a small degree of stress in paradise.

The Sony Open effectively starts the chase for a PGA Tour card — only 100 from the FedEx Cup this year, down from 125, marking the most significant change in eligibility in some 40 years.

Camilo Villegas described it as an important year for him, and it’s only January.

“There is a sense of urgency,” Villegas said Wednesday. “You’ve got to play when you get in (tournaments) and you have to perform. It’s going to be very compact. It’s going to be a dogfight out there, which is cool.”

Players warming up in the morning darkness — floodlights on the driving range but not the putting green — was another reminder of some of the changes. Along with a reduction in cards, the field sizes will be shrinking starting in 2026 to make sure anyone with a card gets into a fair amount of tournaments and rounds have a better chance of finishing on time with a smaller number of players on the course.

Optimism, of course, is as great as ever. Villegas won in Bermuda toward the end of 2023 to earn a two-year exemption, and last year was among his best. He knows he has to play well to keep his job, and he was unwilling to even address the possibility he won’t finish in the top 100. “I am going to keep my card,” he said with a smile.

Hideki Matsuyama has no such issues as the No. 5 player in the world who is coming off a record scoring performance to win last week at Kapalua. Now he will try to become the third player to sweep the Hawaii swing, joining Justin Thomas (2017) and Ernie Els (2003).

For everyone else, veterans and rookies alike, it’s only the beginning.

“I would say I’m more excited this year because I felt like I got a lot better last year at playing golf, and I felt like I improved last year,” said Keith Mitchell, who is starting his eighth year. “And every year you have a card, you have a blank slate to prove your improvement.”

Mitchell missed out on the FedEx Cup playoffs last year by an estimated three shots..

“Everybody is at zero,” Mitchell said. “Each week doesn’t feel as monumental as it does the last three or four weeks.”

The Sony Open is the start of a three-tournament stretch in which the leading five players become eligible for $20 million signature events in California. Getting in the big events can go a long way for someone trying to keep his job.