His role as Player Director will not leave Peter Malnati, even as he defends his title at the Valspar Championship. There are many thorny issues on the PGA Tour table right now, and Malnati and the other decision-makers continue fielding questions about them.One of those issues that directly affects the 37-year-old is PGA Tour fields and membership cuts. Speaking on the subject from Innisbrook Resort, where the tour is playing this week, Malnati's defense of these measures is that they are beneficial to the organization, even if, in his particular case, they can be a double-edged sword."That's not something that I really love, obviously," Malnati said. "Like I think that's pretty obvious where I'm sitting, I said this before, you know, as we voted to reduce the fully exempt membership from the [FedEx Cup] top 125 down to the top 100, that was a vote to cut my own head off.""I finished in the top 100 exactly twice in my TOUR career. But I think that's the right direction for the PGA TOUR and I think it's the right direction forward for a couple of reasons."One of those two occasions was last season, when his victory helped him earn a spot in the FedEx Playoffs at the St. Jude Championship. However, he was unable to advance beyond that.In 2024, Malnati inserted his victory into a season in which he made the cut in only 14 of the 29 tournaments he played. He also had just two top-10 finishes, including the title at the Valspar Championship.The field and membership reduction measures were announced at the end of 2024 and will take effect in 2026. After that, only the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup (currently the top 125) will earn a card for the next season.The current field of 156 players will be reduced to 144, while The Players Championship will be reduced from 144 to 120 players.According to The Mirror, the reason for these changes has to do with the pace of play. The interest is to reduce the number of tournament suspensions due to darkness.Peter Malnati is guaranteed his PGA Tour card through the end of the 2026 season thanks to the two-year exemption he was granted after winning the 2024 Valspar Championship. After that, he will have to maintain his membership in some other way, the most direct being through the FedEx Cup standings.More Golf: Scottie Scheffler's Masters Menu to Spark PTSD Amid Christmas Injury