Report: Patrick Cantlay abstains on crucial PGA Tour vote

Patrick Cantlay decided against voting on the PGA Tour's new competitive format, according to a report. 

PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp announced new details of what to expect from the North American circuit from 2028 at a news conference before the Travelers Championship. 

Promotion and relegation will be key element of the revamped PGA Tour, which is being split into a Championship and Challenger series. 

Signature events with limited fields will be a thing of the past, whilst sponsor exemptions are also on their way out on the top tier. 

New markets in the United States will be visited and the season-ending Tour Championship will rotate venues and feature some form of match-play. 

The changes were formally approved by the PGA Tour's policy board after recommendations from the Tiger Woods-chaired Future Competition Committee.

Cantlay is a player director on the on both the PGA Tour Policy Board and PGA Tour Enterprises Board and the FCC. 

But according to GOLF's Sean Zak, the 35-year-old American was the only board member to abstain from Monday's vote.

The golfer is yet to explain why he did so, but he has previously spoken of his "responsibility" towards the membership. 

"I care a lot about the PGA Tour. I grew up wanting to play on the PGA Tour and win tournaments on the PGA Tour, and I've been fortunate enough to have done that. So when I joined the board, I viewed that as a responsibility. It was important for me to take that very seriously and I have taken that very seriously. My goal, being on the PGA Tour Policy Board, is to represent all the members, both current and future, to the best of my ability." - Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay opened the 2026 Travelers Championship with a 65 at TPC River Highlands. 

He wasn't directly asked about his decision to abstain from the crucial vote. 

It's likely his decision was more cautionary than a disagreement. 

"First of all, I'm grateful to everyone on the Committee and all the player directors for all the hard work they put in over the past many months," Cantlay said. 

"I'm excited about the future of the Tour, and I think it's in a good spot, and I know all the hard work hopefully pays off."

Woods, 50, recently returned to the United States after seeking treatment overseas following his car crash in March. 

He flew to Connecticut to vote and then made a surprise appearance alongside Rolapp. 

"Over the past eight months, the Future Competition Committee has spent a lot of time on a very important and fundamental question: How do we build the strongest possible version of the PGA Tour?" Woods said.

"This work was never about any one player or person. It was about bringing together different perspectives, having honest, hard conversations and thinking boldly about what is best for the game that we all love."

Several questions remain unanswered. 

The PGA Tour's future relationship with the DP World Tour is yet to be determined. 

Their strategic alliance is up for renewal next year. 

Currently, the top 10 finishes on the DP World Tour earn duel playing rights on the PGA Tour. 

It's not certain whether this will continue. 

"We've had a really successful relationship with the DP World Tour, inclusive of those cards," Rolapp said. 

"That's one of the many things we're speaking about."