Sponsor exemptions have been a sore point on the PGA Tour for years. But Billy Horschel knows that better than most. The multiple Tour winner has now come out in support of the decision to scrap them entirely from the Championship Series in 2028.

Horschel spoke to Golfweek on June 25. He was responding to PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp's announcement of a sweeping overhaul of the Tour's competitive structure.

"I've been a beneficiary of sponsor exemptions, but at the end of the day, I think it would be easier for everyone to have it go away and be more of a merit-based system and straight go off the current FedEx Cup points list to fill the field," Horschel said.

Horschel himself has accepted sponsor exemptions in the past. However, with this new turn of events, he has fully accepted the decision, as per Golfweek.

People have criticized sponsor exemptions ever since the PGA Tour started limited-field signature events in 2022.

These events actually offered bigger prize money, with guaranteed FedEx Cup points, and also a better chance to qualify for future tournaments. Because of this reason, some players believed golfers who received sponsor exemptions had an unfair advantage over players trying to keep their PGA Tour cards.

Several members of the Players Advisory Council and some well-known golfers accepted sponsor exemptions after they failed to qualify through the usual process. This decision led to public criticism.

According to Golfweek, golfers like Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler, and Peter Malnati were among those who accepted sponsor exemptions.

What the 2028 overhaul actually changes

Starting in 2028, the PGA Tour will have two levels: the Championship Series and the Challenger Series, as per Sean Zak of Golf.com.

Both series will take place at the same time. Each tournament will have at least 120 players, will be played over four rounds (72 holes), and will include a cut after the first two rounds. Prize money in the Championship Series will start at $20 million.

Players move between tiers based on performance. Golfers who win twice on the Challenger Series earn automatic promotion. The Tour Championship format shifts to match play and will rotate venues. New markets, including Boston, Denver, and Seattle, will also be added to the schedule, per Rolapp's announcement.

On Tuesday, Rolapp pointed in his X post that the new format is designed to bring back merit-based competition. He said golf has always been a sport where players earn their place through their performance on the course, but he believes the Tour has moved away from that idea. 

Horschel is not playing in this week's Travelers Championship. It is the first time in 14 years that he has missed the tournament after a right hip injury affected much of his season.

What do you think about the PGA Tour's decision to end sponsor exemptions? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi