Next week’s Sony Open will not only be the first PGA Tour sanctioned event of 2026 proper but it was also herald the first tournament on the Tour being held under a selection of revised rules.

The rules are not necessarily brand new but they’re long established rules that have been sensibly updated and already have gleaned much support.

One of the rule changes is to allow players free relief from an unrepaired pitchmark on a fairway.  How frustrating has it been for the pros to hit a screaming drive down a fairway, only to find their ball has come to rest in a divot that has been left unrepaired by fellow competitor/caddy playing ahead.

Players are naturally furious while caddies will be looking to try and source the culprit’s own caddy.

NEW @PGATOUR RULES COMMENCE @SonyOpenHawaii ..

Including long overdue relief from another player’s fairway divot

Read: https://t.co/uM69TyejBg

Getty

✅ @TOURMISS pic.twitter.com/WJj6MyT0J3

— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) January 9, 2026

As well, there’s always been a little uncertainty, and also we witnessed plenty of  dodgy drops, in the ‘one clublength’ rule in being afforded a preferred lie.

The Tour has altered that rule from a club length to a scorecard length.

Hereunder is the rules that players and caddies will find are different from next Thursday.

Preferred lies modification: The relief area for placing a ball when using preferred lies has been reduced from a club-length to a scorecard length.

Extending embedded-ball relief: Players will now receive embedded-ball relief when their ball finds any unrepaired pitch mark in an area cut to fairway height or less. Previously, players were only granted such relief if it was their own pitch mark.

Penalty reduction when a player is unaware his ball might have moved: Previously, players were penalized two strokes when they caused their ball to move, knowingly or unknowingly, and then played their next shot without replacing the ball. Now, if a player plays a shot from the wrong place and was unaware, the penalty will be just one stroke.

Obstructions close to putting greens modification: Players are typically given line-of-play relief from immovable obstructions when two club-lengths off the putting surface, and this will now include holes or ground under repair caused by the removal of such objects, so long as the ball and condition are in an area cut to fairway height or less.

Internal out of bounds from teeing area only: This is a rather strange new option given to rules committees, where all strokes played from teeing area that find internal out of bounds will be considered out of play but all other strokes will not.

This change surely could lead to some puzzling moments not only for players/caddies but also rules officials.

Repairing broken or significantly damaged club: Players may now replace broken or significantly damaged equipment with components carried on course. For example, if a clubface cracks, a player can immediately replace with a backup head carried in their bag, or carried by another person or player.

Distance-measuring devices not allowed on the PGA Tour: They will be, however, allowed on the PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas, though the slope function and other non-traditional features must be turned off. The PGA Tour experimented by allowing rangefinders last spring at the RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic. Presumably, they will still be allowed at the PGA Championship.

So, there’s the PGA Tour rule changes though the question to be raised: Will we see a few of those listed above brought into the amateur game?

I for one would like to see the R & A/USGA adopt the preferred lie, free relief from an unrepaired fairway pitch mark and also reducing the penalty to just one stroke if you unknowingly move your ball.