World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler‘s dominance at the FedEx St. Jude Championship—a 70-player, no-cut event—has reignited a format debate. Kevin Kisner is questioning whether the PGA Tour needs smaller fields at Signature Events. Appearing on the Fore Play podcast, the 42-year-old called for sweeping changes to the format.

“It proves that we don’t need these small fields… [I don’t mind it in] the playoff, but the signature event thing…,” he said. “We tried to make that for TV viewing. If we get the best players in the world in smaller fields, all playing together more often, we would have a better product… It’s proven that we don’t. Make a cut. You have your drama. That’s what the tour was founded on, meritocracy. ”

Kisner also acknowledged that TV ratings for the signature events have gone up. In fact, according to Front Office Sports, final-round broadcasts for signature events have averaged around 3.59 million viewers, representing notable year-over-year percentage increases compared to previous seasons. Despite that, Kisner claims it’s not because of the 70-player fields on Signature Events. 

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“I think it’s just golf in general is exploding…,” he explained. “We know at majors, people watch more golf, right? More ratings, more money. But they had the idea that if we could somehow try to force these guys into playing without forcing them together more often, the product would improve.”

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He adds that while he doesn’t mind the format for the season-ending playoffs, given that players have already fought their way there, he doesn’t think it suits the Signature Events at all. Instead, he wants the Signature Events to feature 125 players and have a 36-hole cut, which he believes would make the events even more exciting for fans to watch.

“My point was back to the Signature Events. Why do we only have 70 guys at Doral when we could have 125 and have a cut?”

The PGA Tour currently has eight Signature Events on its schedule. Players primarily qualify for these tournaments by finishing in the top 50 of the previous season’s FedExCup standings, winning a PGA Tour event during the current season, or earning a spot through performance-based pathways such as the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5, along with sponsor and tournament-host exemptions.

Speaking of qualifications, the St. Jude Championship played a key role in determining the final 50 players who advanced to the BMW Championship and, ultimately, secured eligibility for next season’s Signature Events. From Kisner’s perspective, however, the Tour’s future structure could make his concerns even more relevant.

The PGA Tour has already announced plans to overhaul its tournament structure with a two-tier system designed to further separate the game’s elite players from the rest of the field. Beginning in 2028, the Championship tier is expected to feature 21 to 26 elite, Signature-style events each year, potentially creating an even wider divide between the Tour’s top players and the rest of the field.

That means Kisner may not have his wish of seeing 125-player fields at Signature Events anytime soon. Still, it will be interesting to see how the new two-tier structure is received by fans and whether concentrating more of the Tour’s biggest stars in elite events ultimately produces the stronger product the PGA Tour is hoping for.