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The FedEx Cup Fall wrapped up on Sunday with 100 players keeping their PGA Tour cards for 2026 and 25 others being given 'conditional status' next term. Should 'conditional status' still exist or should the PGA Tour remove that exemption category moving forward?
To be honest with you, I still don’t really know what ‘conditional status’ means on the PGA Tour - other than the fact that is is a lower level than regular members and doesn’t offer as many starts. There should have been more drama about finishing 101st. It should mean zero status, not conditional, in my opinion.
If you’re not in the top 100, you’re out - otherwise the drama lessens. If a Premier League team or a LIV golfer finishes in the relegation zone they are gone for the next season, it’s as simple as that.
On the PGA Tour it doesn’t quite seem that way yet, so I think it’s an area to be improved upon.
Personally, I would not be against the PGA Tour removing conditional-status cards moving forward.
Players who are in that category are largely there because they haven't performed well in PGA Tour events during the previous season and I'm not sure what they offer over an in-form or up-and-coming Korn Ferry Tour or DP World Tour pro?
If you lose your status, you should face a clean drop down. That way, pro golf rewards in-form players over out-of-favor names just hoping for a change in fortunes.
I don't think the PGA Tour should do away with conditional status, especially when finishing between the top 100 and 125 is still, looking at the overall picture, an impressive feat.
We make the argument about Luiten and consistency being rewarded, so why should it not apply here? Players in that category are punished with fewer starts than those with full PGA Tour status, but it should be a driver for them to play well in those events, thus gaining their playing status back on the top circuit. Overall, no, I don't think we should get rid of it.
Jeeno Thitikul won the CME Group Tour Championship to claim a fourth victory of 2025. Is the World No.1 now the best golfer, male or female, yet to win a Major?
Many will point to Tommy Fleetwood as the best golfer yet to win a Major, or perhaps Charley Hull, but I think Thitikul is undoubtedly the best yet to get over the line in one of the top-tier events.
She has been a world-beater for years now and has been head-and-shoulders clear at the top of the women’s game in 2025. She has also been World No.1 in two separate spells.
Fleetwood would be in second place for me after a phenomenal year himself. Both have the game to be Major champions in 2026. I think Jeeno is more likely to do so, though.
They're both phenomenal players in their own right and each has enjoyed an incredible season, but it's ultimately a case of World No.1 vs World No.4. So, yes, Jeeno Thitkul is the best golfer in the world yet to win a Major.
I think both could well do it in 2026, although it should be slightly tougher for Fleetwood, you'd have thought. Thitikul has been in the arena of contending on Major Sundays multiple times in her career while Fleetwood still has something to learn, I feel.
Nevertheless, it's not unrealistic to believe they could both be ticked off this list in 12 months' time.
Given her World No.1 tag, and the last few years she has compiled, I'd lean on the side of yes, Thitikul is the best player without a Major.
However, I will throw Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Cantlay into that equation, due to the fact that they have also claimed a similar amount of trophies, albeit over a longer period, which is why you could argue they're more relevant names.
For me, winning that number of events and rising to World No.1 in a short period is impressive, but the longevity factor of the men's trio makes this a very close call between some great players.
It's hard to present an argument that the world's best player isn't the best player in the world to never have lifted a Major trophy.
Thitikul won three times on the LPGA Tour in 2025 and came so close to her maiden Major at the Evian Championship, where only an improbable chip-in from Grace Kim prevented her from getting the job done.
She's enjoyed a scintillating season and it was rounded off in fitting style as she defended her title at the CME Group Tour Championship. Still only 22, Thitikul has all the tools to win multiple Majors and given her recent form, it'd be a surprise if she didn't get over the line in 2026.
For me, her closest rival for the not-so-coveted title in either the men's or women's game is Patrick Cantlay, who I think it an absolute flusher, but given his indifferent form of late, Thitikul takes the crown.
Joost Luiten shared his frustration at not being included in the Nedbank Golf Challenge field despite finishing 33rd in the most recent Race To Dubai. Is it unfair that wins count for more than consistency?
It certainly seems harsh that Joost Luiten hasn’t managed to qualify for the Nedbank, given a solid campaign on the DP World Tour this year.
The Nedbank is a fairly unique event, however, with such a small field of just 66 players.
It is unlucky on his part, but ultimately he hasn’t fulfilled the qualifying criteria for this specific event and I’m sure he could tee it up in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne during the same week, which is also sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
I find it really difficult to agree that the DP World Tour and Nedbank Golf Challenge officials have got this one right, and the number of pros who backed Luiten's comments on social media tells me this is a common belief among touring pros as well.
Rory McIlroy regularly mentions how he is most proud of how consistent he's been over a long period of time, rather than picking out individual tournaments that he's won, and I'd agree that a high level of consistency is certainly more worthwhile rewarding than a one-off winner.
I know that the Nedbank is a limited-field event, but restricting the number of players who qualify through the Race To Dubai to 30 seems overly harsh to me. Justice for Joost!
I can see both sides of the argument and, given that getting a win on the professional circuits is so hard to do, there should be some reward for collecting the trophy.
However, a win could be a one-off event. You perform well for four days a year, and you're suddenly entitled to more than someone who has performed well for 12 weeks of the year.
If the tournament wasn't a limited field, Luiten would be in all day and, given the prize money at stake, I do find it incredibly tough on him that he doesn't feature, especially given his service and consistency to the DP World Tour.
I think most people would agree Joost Luiten should be in the field for the Nebank Golf Challenge. He's a stalwart on the circuit and he enjoyed a solid season in 2025, finishing 33rd on the Race to Dubai standings.
I'm not sure why three players from the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup top-70 category are ahead of him in the pecking order, and five sponsor's invites seem a bit excessive in a tournament with a limited field.
That said, he hasn't won a tournament on the DP World Tour for six years, and I'm not sure you should expect a place in such a lucrative event if that's the case. Still, If I were Luiten, I'd find it galling to be behind both LIV Golf and PGA Tour members in terms of priority.
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