The race to keep the cards — with a lower stake — begins at the Sony Open

HONOLULU — The majestic palm trees of Waialae Course, which stretches along the Pacific Ocean, lend a tranquil setting to the Sony Open, an ideal venue for full PGA Tour membership to start the year.

But the new season has brought a small degree of stress to paradise.

The Sony Open effectively kicks off the race for a PGA Tour card — just 100 from the FedExCup this year, down from 125, marking the most significant change in eligibility in some 40 years.

Camilo Villegas described it as an important year for him, and it’s only January.

“There is a sense of urgency,” Villegas said Wednesday. “You have to play when you come to (tournaments) and you have to perform. It will be very compact. It’s going to be a dogfight over there, which is great.”

Players warming up in the morning darkness – floodlights on the ring but not the putting green – was another reminder of some changes. Along with the reduction in the number of cards, the field size will decrease starting in 2026 to ensure that everyone who has a card enters a fair number of tournaments and rounds have a better chance of finishing on time with fewer players on the course.

Optimism is, of course, as great as ever. Villegas won in Bermuda towards the end of 2023 and received a two-year exemption, and last year was among his best. He knows he has to play well to keep his job, and he wasn’t willing to entertain the possibility of not finishing in the top 100.

“I’ll keep my card,” he said with a smile.

Hideki Matsuyama has no such problems as the No. 5 player in the world who has a record performance to win last week in Kapalua. Now the Japanese star is trying to become the third player to swing in Hawaii, joining Justin Thomas (2017) and Ernie Els (2003).

For everyone else, veterans and newbies alike, it’s just the beginning.

“I’d say I’m more excited this year because I felt like I got a lot better at golf last year, and I felt like I improved last year,” said Keith Mitchell, who is entering his eighth year. “And every year you have a card, you have a blank slate to prove your progress.”

Mitchell missed the FedExCup playoffs by three shots last year – going three shots better in the final round of the regular season would have been enough. He can also look back on 18 other tournaments where he could have picked up a shot or two. Every player can do it.

Even with seven months of the season to keep his ticket, Mitchell has been around long enough to understand that getting off to a good start can ease the real pressure that comes later.

“Everybody’s at zero,” Mitchell said. “Every week doesn’t feel as monumental as the last three or four weeks. At the beginning of the season, people play a little more freely or loosely because it doesn’t feel as urgent.”

Mitchell said the shots he makes, the scores he posts are just as valuable now as they were in the final regular-season tournaments in the summer.

“In theory it is,” he said. “But emotionally it’s not.”

The Sony Open is the start of a three-tournament series in which the top five players qualify for $20 million tournaments in California. Getting into big events can mean a lot to someone trying to keep their job.

Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has more experience with the optimism and nerves that come with a new season. He made his PGA Tour debut at the 2011 Sony Open. Bradley won the Byron Nelson and the PGA Championship that year, but he has strong memories of the beginning.

“It’s a scary feeling,” he said. “I came here for my first event, Ernie Els was on the putting green, and that was a ‘Holy cow’ moment for me. But it’s a really scary feeling because you’ve worked your whole life to get here and now you have to play the best golf of your life to keep your card.

“I look at the rookies, and part of me is so jealous that they have all this in front of them,” he said. “And another part of me is like, ‘Man, they have a lot of pressure on them, starting right out of the gate.’ I wish them all the best. It’s a really hard job to be successful at.”