PGA Tour pro Lee Hodges has 'no pity' for those losing cards for 2026
Adam Schupak- PGA Tour pro Lee Hodges is at risk of losing his full-exempt status for the 2026 season.
- Hodges stated he has "no pity" for other players complaining about the Tour reducing the number of full cards.
- He believes players are solely responsible for their position in the standings based on their performance.
Lee Hodges has endured a forgettable season on the PGA Tour but said he has only himself to blame for being on the verge of losing full-exempt status for the 2026 season. As for those players that are complaining about the Tour reducing the number of cards – from 125 to 100 – he said he has “no pity” for them.
Hodges, a 30-year-old pro with one Tour title to his credit, entered the RSM Classic, the final tournament of the season at 122nd in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. Only the top 100 players get their full cards for 2026. [Nos. 101-125 earn conditional status.]
“I'm from Ardmore, Alabama, and I'm playing on the PGA Tour for four years and have a win,” said Hodges, who played his college golf at Alabama, on Saturday after posting a third-round 66 to moving into a tie for seventh. “Like, no one ever would have given me that when I was 10 years old. I want to obviously keep it going, I'd love to add more to my resume, but it's been an awesome ride so far and I don't think it's over yet, but I'm excited to see where it goes.”
After three rounds, Hodges is projected to finish No. 104, which wouldn’t be good enough for full-exempt status but Nos. 101-110 avoid a re-shuffle. He should be able to get into the great majority of full-field events next season on Tour and play some Korn Ferry Tour events to fill out his schedule. Perhaps that is why he was less concerned than some of the other players in the field who missed the cut and will be returning to Q-School in order to regain their privileges.
“I don't know if I'm going to ruffle some feathers, but the guys that come in here and kind of feel sorry for themselves, I have no pity for because you played it, you know what I mean?” Hodges said. “You played every shot this year. Same way as me. I'm where I am because of my golf, nobody anybody else's golf. Nobody put me there, I put myself there. Yeah, you just are where you are, but we all have avenues out so just go do that, you know what I mean? Go take the road that gets you where you want to go.”
Asked on Saturday if he would celebrate making the top 100 with a milkshake, a beloved tradition of his college coach Jay Seawall to commemorate victories, Hodges said, “Seawell's strict about his rules. I may have something else. No, milkshake's just for wins. You've got to be No. 1 to get a milkshake.”