Ryan Lavner asks PGA Tour to show no mercy and fix flaw in current rules

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Brian Rolapp still has plenty of work to do, even if the PGA Tour has largely gone from strength to strength recently.

The PGA Tour has structured their calendar so that most of the season wraps up before September, giving players like Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele plenty of time off.

That shift has put more attention on players trying to secure their cards during the Fall.

But that part of the season is still finding its feet, especially with so few big names showing up after the Tour Championship.

While star power is always going to be an issue, there might be another problem worth looking into.

Suggested change to the Fall Series that could help the PGA Tour

The push is on to crack the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings, with those who make it set to keep their full PGA Tour status for 2026.

But even for those who do not make the cut after The RSM Classic in November, there will still be chances to play their way back in.

Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner pointed out that this set-up might not be helping the PGA Tour generate excitement around its autumn schedule.

He said: “One of the things that I think people really gravitate to with individual or professional sports is the cutthroat nature. You either make it or you don’t.

“And I think for so long on the PGA Tour, there are either handouts and you’re gifted exemptions into tournaments, or there’s conditional status, there’s former winner status, there’s other opportunities for you to get in the field where you continually are extended lifelines.

“And I think having a little bit more drama, a little bit more tension, a little bit more do or die nature to the proceedings would be really beneficial.

“Because right now, if you’re selling the Fall series, you’re like yes, these are guys jockeying for their livelihood, for their playing cards in 2026. You are trying desperately to get inside that top 100. But if I’m understanding you correctly, all of a sudden, if you finish let’s say 101, you just narrowly miss by a fraction of a FedEx Cup point over the duration of a PGA Tour season, you’re going to wind up with three to five fewer opportunities for playing starts in 2026.

“To me, that’s sort of dilutes the Fall product, which is a dilution of the PGA Tour regular season.

“I don’t like that. I like drama, I like tension, I like churn and burn. I like to have some sort of immediacy to the proceedings, and it just seems like they’re dragging it out and extending too many lifelines to these guys.”

How many events Wesley Bryan played in 2025 before being suspended by the PGA Tour

Falling short of full membership is not the end of the road, though. As Lavner pointed out, there are still paths for players who do not crack the top 100 to get back in.

Wesley Bryan, for example, has logged 134 starts on the PGA Tour. The 2017 RBC Heritage winner has often played under conditional status throughout his career.

In 2024, he finished 128th in the FedEx Cup standings – just three spots outside the cutoff. Despite that, he still managed three starts before mid-March before being suspended.

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If the Korn Ferry Tour is developed enough to sustain those on their roster financially, closing off PGA Tour access could add real stakes to autumn golf. That kind of pressure might be exactly what is needed to draw more attention and investment into that part of the calendar.