The next step for the 47-year-old Kuchar appears to be taking one of his career money waivers, but it’s not that simple.
This is a different PGA Tour than when it first joined in 2002. There are eight signature events, four majors, the Players Championship and three FedExCup playoff events. Entering 2026, Kuchar will not be eligible for any of these.
“I don’t know how many starts I’m going to get,” Kuchar said after finishing at the RSM Classic. “I don’t know if using an exemption will give me a different start. It’s a tough one. It won’t get you to a higher level.”
The question is whether his conditional status as No. 118 in the FedExCup will put him in about the same number of events as taking a career money waiver would.
“We’re in somewhat uncharted territory,” he said. “I guess they’ve run the numbers, but I don’t know how well their scenarios work out.”
PGA Tour officials estimate that players between No. 101 and No. 110 in the FedExCup — they maintain that ranking year-round — will play in about 16 of the 19 tournaments, and then have the entire FedEx Cup Fall, except Japan.
Kuchar is eight places below that group and could drop if he doesn’t get off to a good start.
He has time for his two exemptions. Even in this era of big money, Kuchar has played so well for so long that he is No. 15 in career earnings at $61,538,738. That’s just over $15.4 million more than the player at No. 25, so waiting another year to get the top 25 exemption won’t cost him anything.
That’s what Kuchar will have to figure out next month before the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Kuchar had just one top 10 finish this year, a tie for fifth in the John Deere Classic, but he missed just two points in 18 starts.
“It’s not the 2025 I was hoping for. It’s been a frustrating year,” Kuchar said. “I think I only missed two cuts, but I couldn’t seem to put together the weeks where you were hitting well and putting well.”
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