After falling short in Sea Island and slipping outside the top-100, Lower slammed the Tour’s new system and admitted he “doesn’t like the direction” things are heading.
The battle to finish inside the FedEx Cup top-100 has reached its peak at the RSM Classic, with players fighting to secure fully exempt PGA Tour status for 2026. The stakes are higher than ever: this season, the Tour reduced the number of fully exempt cards from 125 to just 100, leaving big names such as Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar at risk.
Those who finish outside the top-100 will still receive opportunities next year, but without full exemption. Instead, players ranked 101–150 will fall into varying tiers of conditional status — a far more uncertain path for anyone trying to plan a season.
Lower fumes after missed cut and looming drop in status
Justin Lower posted rounds of 69 and 68 to reach five-under at the RSM Classic, but with seven-under required to make the weekend, he missed the cut. The result is expected to drop him to 118th in the standings, meaning he will lose his fully exempt status for 2026.
Frustrated and emotional, Lower didn’t hold back. “I’m just pretty pissed off, to be honest,” he said after his round. “There’s a whole lot I could say about the changes… Do I agree with them? No. I don’t think our product is that bad to where we have to blow everything up.”
Lower acknowledged his struggles — missed cuts, poor putting, and a disastrous U.S. Open — but insisted the new system only makes an already brutal profession even tougher. “To come up this short, it sucks,” he said. “I just don’t like the direction the Tour’s going.”
With conditional status ahead, Lower now faces an uncertain schedule for 2026, unsure which events he’ll even be eligible to enter.
Calls for an even harsher system spark debate
While Lower is furious about the changes, some believe the Tour should go further. Journalist Ryan Lavner argued recently that the sport needs more drama and fewer safety nets, suggesting that too many lifelines dull the intensity of the Fall series.
He claimed that players just missing the top-100 only lose “three to five” starts the following year, which he feels dilutes the stakes. “I like drama, I like tension, I like churn and burn,” Lavner said. “It seems like they’re extending too many lifelines to these guys.”
It’s a stance that stands in stark contrast to Lower’s reaction — and one that highlights a growing divide about the future of the PGA Tour. For players on the bubble, the new system already feels unforgiving. For others, it’s still not ruthless enough.
