$1 billion heir Maverick McNealy backs PGA Tour’s 2026 field cut plan: “Can see both sides of the argument”

Maverick McNealy has voiced his support for the PGA Tour's controversial plan to change for the upcoming 2026 season. He spoke out about the circuit's decision to reduce field sizes.

The Stanford graduate, who is the heir to his father Scott McNealy's $1 billion tech empire (as per Celebrity Net Worth), shared his opinion on how this new change will impact players, especially those who are fighting to make their way onto golf's biggest stage.

In an exclusive interview with Bunkered ahead of the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open, Maverick McNealy said:

"I can see both sides of the argument. There will be less cards but there will be better access for those with cards. Playing out of the Korn Ferry Tour category in my rookie year, I know it’s extremely hard to have an uncertain schedule and play against guys on their home courses that they know really well. A lot of the players who ‘earned their tour cards’, didn’t have a fair chance to try and keep it because they just didn’t get in enough tournaments. So, in that perspective, if you get a Tour card it really does mean something and means you’ll get a full season, which I think is a really positive thing.”

Under the PGA Tour's new rules for the 2026 season, the top 100 players will keep full cards as opposed to the current 125 players. All regular-season events will see smaller field sizes.

Having earned his way into the PGA Tour via the Korn Ferry Tour himself, Maverick McNealy stressed the struggles faced by rookies trying to secure tournament starts and status on the circuit.

Players aspiring to earn their way into the PGA Tour from the Korn Ferry Tour, like Maverick McNealy, will see the number of available cards decrease from 30 to 20. There will also be fewer Monday Qualifying events.

How has Maverick McNealy performed so far this 2025 PGA Tour season?

Maverick McNealy has played 18 tournaments on the PGA Tour so far this year. He made the cut in 15 events and recorded seven finishes inside the top 25, six finishes inside the top 10, and one runner-up finish.

McNealy recorded his best finish yet at the 2025 Genesis Invitational. He claimed solo second place with a 72-hole score of 11 under par.

McNealy went on to post two third-place finishes at the Valero Texas Open and the RBC Heritage within weeks of each other. The Korn Ferry Tour champion earned $6,093,910 in earnings so far this year.

The World No. 16 golfer sits in 11th place in the FedEx Cup Rankings with 1,593 points accumulated.

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar