Former PGA Tour winner dubs 2026 PGA Tour schedule ‘tough’ without ‘being in signature events’

The PGA Tour on Tuesday announced the 2026 FedExCup regular season schedule featuring 35 official events. The new season, culminating with the 20th edition of the FedExCup Playoffs, will feature a total of nine signature events including the newly introduced Miami Championship. Following the schedule reveal, Smylie Kaufman has now come out to dub parts of the schedule ‘tough’ for players unqualified for the signature events.

Kaufman shed light on the packed schedule between April-May following the Masters. The golfer turned commentator pointed out the two-month stretch being filled with signature events and major championships, including the RBC Heritage, Truist Championship and PGA Championship. The 1-time PGA winner addressed the major points disparity between the regular full field events and the elevated ones.

Smylie Kaufman wrote on X:

“Tough not being in the signature events next year, especially during the April–May stretch. After the Masters, the next full field points event isn’t until the Byron Nelson, a month and a half later. 5/6 events in that span are majors or signature events, with Zurich/Myrtle being less points.”

For the unversed, the 2026 Masters will be played between April 8-12 at Augusta National. The prestigious major will be followed by RBC Heritage being hosted at the Harbour Town Golf Links. Interestingly, the Miami Championship at Trump National Doral will follow the event, which will then be trailed by Truist Championship on May 6. The Myrtle Beach Classic will be played opposite the signature event, a week ahead of PGA Championship.

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2026 PGA Tour signature events explored

The newly released 2026 PGA Tour schedule will feature nine signature events starting from The Sentry on January 7. The elevated events will take place at some of the world’s most historic and recognizable courses and will feature the top 50 players from the previous year’s FedExCup. Notably, the calendar will have three player-hosted Signature Events - The Genesis Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament returning for the new season.

Interestingly, the season will also witness the circuit’s return to Trump National Doral with a new signature event - the Miami Championship 2026, which is currently without a title sponsor. The new event will be played from April 30-May 3, a week ahead of the returning Truist Championship.

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Listed below is the full list of signature events for the 2026 PGA Tour season:

1. The Sentry (Jan. 5-11)
2. AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am (Feb. 9-15)
3. The Genesis Invitational (Feb. 16-22)
4. Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 2-8)
5. RBC Heritage (April 13-19)
6. Miami Championship (April 27-May 3)
7. Truist Championship (May 4-10)
8. the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 1-7)
9. Travelers Championship (June 22-28)

For the unversed, the 2026 PGA Tour season will debut numerous enhancements, including some field size adjustments and new eligibility criteria. Owing to this, the top 100 in the FedExCup standings through the 2025 FedExCup Fall will secure exempt status for the 2026 PGA Tour, instead of previous season’s 125. Meanwhile, Nos. 101-125 on the standings will have conditional status. The $20 million prize purse will remain unchanged for the elevated events.