pga tour keep your card

How to Keep Your PGA Tour Card: A Guide for Tour Pros

How to Keep a PGA Tour Card

The PGA Tour is the pinnacle of professional golf. Only the best of the best earn the right to compete on tour, and even then, it’s a challenge to keep your card. The tour’s cut-off point is 125th place, and any player who finishes below that mark will lose their card and be relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour.

So how do you keep your PGA Tour card? It’s not easy, but it’s definitely possible. Here are a few tips:

• Play consistently. The PGA Tour is a long season, and there will be ups and downs. But if you want to keep your card, you need to be able to put together a string of solid performances. That means shooting under par on a regular basis and avoiding big scores.
• Make putts. Putting is often the difference between winning and losing on the PGA Tour. If you can’t make putts, you’re not going to be able to keep your card. So practice your putting as much as you can, and make sure you’re comfortable with a variety of different putts.
• Be mentally tough. The PGA Tour is a tough place to play. There will be pressure, both from yourself and from the outside world. If you can’t handle the pressure, you’re not going to be able to keep your card. So learn to stay calm under pressure and focus on your own game.

Keeping your PGA Tour card is a challenge, but it’s one that’s within reach for any player who’s willing to put in the work. If you have the talent, the desire, and the mental toughness, you can do it.

The PGA Tour is the highest level of professional golf in the world. In order to keep a PGA Tour card, players must maintain a high level of play and manage their finances wisely. This article will provide tips on how to do both of those things.

Maintain a high level of play

The most important factor in keeping a PGA Tour card is maintaining a high level of play. This means consistently shooting under par and avoiding major errors. To do this, players need to practice regularly and work on their weaknesses. They also need to be able to handle the pressure of playing on the PGA Tour.

• Consistently shoot under par. This is the most basic requirement for keeping a PGA Tour card. Players need to be able to shoot under par on a regular basis in order to stay competitive. This means having a solid swing and being able to hit the ball in the fairway and green. Players also need to be able to make putts under pressure.
• Avoid major errors. In addition to shooting under par, players also need to avoid making major errors. This means not taking too many risks and playing smart golf. Players need to be able to control their emotions and stay calm under pressure.
• Stay in contention on a regular basis. In order to keep a PGA Tour card, players need to be able to stay in contention on a regular basis. This means finishing in the top 10 or 15 on a regular basis. Players need to be able to put together four good rounds of golf and make a run at the title.

Manage your finances

In addition to maintaining a high level of play, players also need to manage their finances wisely in order to keep a PGA Tour card. This means budgeting for travel and expenses, investing wisely, and protecting your assets.

• Budget for travel and expenses. The PGA Tour is a demanding schedule, and players need to be prepared for the financial costs. This includes travel expenses, accommodations, food, and other costs. Players need to create a budget and stick to it in order to avoid financial problems.
• Invest wisely. Players should invest their money wisely in order to secure their financial future. This means investing in stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. Players should also consider getting financial advice from a professional.
• Protect your assets. Players should protect their assets by buying insurance and taking other precautions. This includes insurance for their homes, cars, and other valuables. Players should also consider getting life insurance and disability insurance.

Keeping a PGA Tour card is a difficult task, but it is possible if players maintain a high level of play and manage their finances wisely. By following the tips in this article, players can increase their chances of keeping their PGA Tour card.

1. Maintain a high level of play

In order to keep a PGA Tour card, players must maintain a high level of play. This means consistently shooting under par and avoiding major errors. To do this, players need to practice regularly and work on their weaknesses. They also need to be able to handle the pressure of playing on the PGA Tour.

Tips for maintaining a high level of play:

• Practice regularly. The best way to improve your golf game is to practice regularly. This means practicing your swing, your short game, and your putting. You should also practice under pressure, so that you can learn to handle the stress of playing on the PGA Tour.
• Work on your weaknesses. Everyone has weaknesses in their golf game. The key is to identify your weaknesses and work on them. This could mean taking lessons, working with a coach, or practicing on your own.
• Manage your emotions. The PGA Tour is a demanding schedule, and it can be easy to get caught up in the moment. However, it is important to stay calm and focused on your game. If

Build relationships with sponsors

Sponsorship is a critical part of the professional golf world. Sponsors provide financial support to players, and in return, they receive exposure through the player’s name and image. Building relationships with sponsors is essential for keeping your PGA Tour card.

There are a few things you can do to build relationships with sponsors. First, attend industry events. This is a great way to meet potential sponsors and learn more about their businesses. Second, network with potential sponsors. Talk to them about your goals and how their sponsorship can help you achieve them. Third, deliver results on the course. Sponsors want to see that you are a top-performing player. If you can consistently perform well, you will be more attractive to sponsors.

Here are some specific tips for building relationships with sponsors:

• Be genuine. Sponsors can spot a fake a mile away. Be yourself and let your personality shine through.
• Be professional. Sponsors want to work with people they can trust. Dress and act professionally when you are around sponsors.
• Be prepared. Sponsors want to know that you are serious about your career. Do your research on their businesses and be prepared to talk about how their sponsorship can help you achieve your goals.
• Be persistent. It takes time to build relationships with sponsors. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a sponsorship right away. Keep networking and continue to deliver results on the course.

Network with potential sponsors

Networking is one of the most important things you can do to build relationships with sponsors. There are a few different ways to network with potential sponsors.

• Attend industry events. This is a great way to meet potential sponsors and learn more about their businesses.
• Join industry organizations. This is a great way to stay connected with the industry and meet new people.
• Reach out to potential sponsors directly. Send them an email or call them to introduce yourself and learn more about their sponsorship opportunities.

When you are networking with potential sponsors, be sure to be prepared. Do your research on their businesses and be able to talk about how their sponsorship can help you achieve your goals. Be genuine and professional, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.

Here are some specific tips for networking with potential sponsors:

• Be specific. When you reach out to potential sponsors, be specific about what you are looking for. Tell them what you are trying to achieve and how their sponsorship can help you.
• Be personal. Don’t just send a generic email to a list of potential sponsors. Take the time to write a personal message that shows that you have taken the time to learn about their business.

Deliver results on the course

The best way to attract sponsors is to deliver results on the course. Sponsors want to see that you are a top-performing player. If you can consistently perform well, you will be more attractive to sponsors.

There are a few things you can do to improve your performance on the course. First, work on your game. Practice regularly and make sure that you are playing your best. Second, stay focused on your goals. Don’t let anything distract you from your goal of winning. Third, be positive and upbeat. Sponsors want to work with people who are passionate about their sport.

Here are some specific tips for delivering results on the course:

• Set goals. What do you want to achieve in your career? Set specific goals for yourself and work towards them every day.
• Be disciplined. Practice regularly and make sure that you are putting in the work.
• Stay focused. Don’t let anything distract you from your goals.
• Be positive. Stay upbeat and positive, even when things are tough.

Maintain a positive attitude

It’s important to maintain a positive attitude, even when things are tough. Sponsors want to work with people who are passionate about their sport and who are always looking for ways to improve. If you can stay positive and upbeat, you will be more attractive to sponsors.

Here are some specific tips for maintaining a positive attitude:

• Focus on the positive. When things are tough, focus on the positive aspects of your situation. Think about what you can learn from the experience and how you can improve.

Q: What are the criteria for keeping a PGA Tour card?

A: To keep your PGA Tour card, you must finish the season ranked in the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list. If you do not finish in the top 125, you will lose your card and will have to go through Q-School to earn your way back onto the tour.

Q: What are the benefits of keeping a PGA Tour card?

A: There are many benefits to keeping your PGA Tour card, including:

• The ability to play in all of the PGA Tour events
• The opportunity to earn prize money and bonuses
• The chance to compete for major championships
• The exposure that comes with being a PGA Tour player

Q: What are the challenges of keeping a PGA Tour card?

A: The biggest challenge of keeping a PGA Tour card is the competition. The PGA Tour is the most competitive golf tour in the world, and there are always a lot of players who are trying to take your spot. You need to be able to consistently play well under pressure in order to keep your card.

Q: What are some tips for keeping a PGA Tour card?

Here are some tips for keeping your PGA Tour card:

• Practice regularly and make sure that you are prepared for the challenges of the tour.
• Stay focused on your game and don’t let the pressure get to you.
• Be patient and persistent. It takes time to develop the consistency that you need to keep your card.
• Take advantage of the resources that are available to you, such as the PGA Tour’s coaching program.

Q: What happens if I lose my PGA Tour card?

If you lose your PGA Tour card, you will have to go through Q-School to earn your way back onto the tour. Q-School is a three-stage tournament that is held at the end of the season. The top 25 players on the Q-School money list earn their PGA Tour cards for the following season.

Q: How can I prepare for Q-School?

Here are some tips for preparing for Q-School:

• Practice regularly and make sure that you are prepared for the challenges of the tournament.
• Be patient and persistent. It takes time to succeed at Q-School.

Q: What are the odds of keeping a PGA Tour card?

The odds of keeping a PGA Tour card vary from year to year, but it is generally around 50%. This means that half of the players who start the season with a card will lose it by the end of the year.

Q: Is it possible to make a living on the PGA Tour without a card?

Yes, it is possible to make a living on the PGA Tour without a card. However, it is much more difficult than if you had a card. Players who do not have a card must qualify for each event they play in, and they must rely on sponsors and prize money to make a living.

there are a number of factors that go into keeping a PGA Tour card. These include playing well enough to consistently make cuts, staying healthy, and managing your finances wisely. It is also important to be able to handle the pressure of playing on tour and to be able to adapt to the ever-changing conditions. If you are able to do all of these things, you will be well on your way to keeping your PGA Tour card for years to come.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Play well enough to consistently make cuts. This is the most important factor in keeping your card. You need to be able to shoot low scores and consistently make the weekend rounds.
• Stay healthy. Injuries can be a major setback on tour. You need to make sure that you are taking care of your body and staying healthy so that you can play your best.
• Manage your finances wisely. The cost of living on tour can be high. You need to make sure that you are budgeting your money wisely and that you are not spending more than you earn.
• Be able to handle the pressure. Playing on tour is a lot of pressure. You need to be able to handle the pressure and stay focused on your game.
• Be able to adapt to the ever-changing conditions. The conditions on tour can change quickly. You need to be able to adapt to these changes and be able to play your best in any conditions.

If you are able to do all of these things, you will be well on your way to keeping your PGA Tour card for years to come.

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What Are the Requirements for a PGA Tour Card? 6 Ways to Earn One

Here are 6 ways to earn a PGA Tour card

• DESCRIPTION Ben Martin becomes Tour Bound
• SOURCE James Gilbert / Contributor
• PERMISSION Getty Image license

In a lot of ways, getting a PGA Tour card is like winning the lottery. The path is simple, but the odds are against you. If you beat those odds, however, the payout is handsome.

To play as a member on the PGA Tour, you must have a PGA Tour card. Players earn their card by accomplishing one of several requirements. Here’s a breakdown of just how to earn a PGA Tour card, and six ways to snag one.

1. PGA Tour Q-School

PGA Tour Q-School used to be a direct path to the PGA Tour. Then Q-School stopped giving players PGA Tour cards, giving them status on the Korn Ferry Tour instead, where they could play for spots on the PGA Tour over the course of an entire season. But now, just like in years past, players can earn a PGA Tour card through Q-School and head straight to the PGA Tour. However, only the top five finishers from the final stage of Q-School earn PGA Tour cards and get to head directly to the PGA Tour.

Korn Ferry Tour: Strategies to Qualify and Challenges to Expect

2. Korn Ferry Tour Points

The most direct path to the PGA Tour is through the Korn Ferry Tour. While gaining Korn Ferry Tour status is no breeze in itself, once there, players have multiple avenues to earn their PGA Tour card.

There are 30 PGA Tour cards up for grabs through the Korn Ferry Tour each year. The top 30 players from the Korn Ferry Tour's season-long standings after the KFT Championship earn cards.

Getting into the Korn Ferry Tour is a process in itself, which can be accomplished through Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School , or via the Forme Tour , Mackenzie (Canadian) Tour, or the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

3. Korn Ferry Tour Three-Win Promotion

Korn Ferry Tour players can jump directly to the PGA Tour through an exemption known as the Three-Win Promotion . This promotion is exactly what it sounds like, after three Korn Ferry Tour wins in one season, a player gains his PGA Tour card.

The three-win promotion has proven to be a tough route to the big tour, as only 12 players have accomplished the feat since 1997.

4. PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership

Players can bypass the Korn Ferry Tour and jump straight to the PGA Tour by gaining PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership, then parlaying that into a PGA Tour card.

The PGA Tour reserves a small number of spots each week for non-Tour members through sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers. Non-members who compete in PGA Tour events through these avenues and perform well enough can earn Special Temporary Membership by accumulating the amount of FedExCup points equal to the player who finished 150th on the FedExCup list the previous season.

Once a player has accepted Special Temporary Membership, they can accept unlimited sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events and can earn their card by finishing in the top 125 of the FedExCup points list during the regular season.

Without Special Temporary Membership, non-members can only accept up to seven sponsor exemptions and compete in up to 12 PGA Tour events in a season.

Players on a Special Temporary Membership are not eligible for the FedExCup playoffs.

5. PGA Tour U Gets College Golfers to the PGA Tour

Through PGA Tour U , the PGA Tour has removed some hurdles for the top collegiate players who begin their transition into the professional ranks when their amateur careers end.

Top collegiate players in the final year of their college careers earn ranking points based on their performance in the NCAA Division I championship, PGA Tour events, major championships, and the Dubai Desert Classic. At the end of the season, five PGA Tour University first-team and second-team honorees are identified, along with 10 PGA Tour University third-team players. 

The top player earns PGA TOUR membership for the rest of the season, plus the followig season. The top five players earn Korm Ferry Tour membership for the rest of the season, a spot in the Final Stage of Q-School, and the opportunity to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events throug the following season.

Nos. 6-10 earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status for the current season, an exemption into the North American portion of the PGA TOUR Americas schedule, and an exemption into Second Stage of Q-School.

The 10 third-team honorees get exemptions to the North America Swing of the PGA TOUR Americas and exemptions into the Second Stage of Q-School.

6. Win a PGA Tour Event or Major Championship

The fastest way to earn a PGA Tour card is also the least likely. Anybody who wins a PGA Tour event gets an immediate two-year PGA Tour exemption. This means that any non-member who gets into the field at a PGA Tour event via a sponsor exemption or Monday qualifier, and goes on to win that event, gets their PGA Tour card.

While yes, this path is extremely rare, it's exactly what Nick Dunlap did in 2024. He entered a PGA Tour event, the American Express, as an amateur, and despite the astronomica odds, won the tournament. Shortly after, Dunlap took advantage of his two-plus year PGA Tour exemption by turning pro.

Major champions get even more luxury, securing a five-year exemption to both the PGA Tour and European Tour. Three of the four major championships each year reserve spots for amateur players , meaning that theoretically an amateur could win the Masters, U.S. Open or Open Championship and secure their PGA Tour card for the next five years.

Benefits of a Tour Card

By having a PGA Tour card, a golfer can play in PGA Tour events. Many players also receive sponsor endorsements and advertising contracts. The PGA Tour card provides the player the opportunity to win large purses in tournaments . Players who make the cut in routine PGA Tour events generally cash at least a five-figure check, with that amount increasing with higher-stature events and major championships.

In 1965, the first PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (called Q-School) was held and John Schlee won the event. In 1968 and 1969 and from 1975 to 1981, there were two tournaments each year.

Until 2013, Q-School was used to grant membership to the PGA Tour. From 2013 to 2023, Q-School served as a gateway to the Korn Ferry Tour, with PGA Tour Cards handed out through the Korn Ferry Tour regular season and finals.

Misconceptions

Many people think that if a player holds a PGA Tour Card, he can play in any event on the PGA tour. However, new PGA tour players are eligible for tournaments but players commit to tournaments based on their priority ranking. Players with lower priority rankings can only play an event when it's not already full by the time they have a chance to commit.

Major Changes to PGA Tour: How Pros Keep PGA Tour Cards in The Future

A lot of things you thought you knew about the PGA TOUR just changed. Well, not just this second, but over the last few weeks with more in the upcoming months. It’s all in an effort to secure the place of the PGA TOUR as the most elite, competitive golf organization on the planet. To understand this new system, you’ll need to know these numbers: 125, 70, 50, 30, 20 and 15.

First, the top 125 PGA TOUR players in FedEx points at the end of this season will still be exempt for the next season. Exempt means they are guaranteed a PGA TOUR card. But the way it’s determined will change slightly starting with this year’s FedEx Playoffs.

Here’s the big change: The top 125 won’t get to enter the Playoffs. Just the top 70. That is about half of the number that previously played. Or oops! If your favorite pro ends up at No. 71 or 72. He doesn’t get to participate in the Playoffs, but he still has a good chance to retain his card for the next season, during which he can maybe get back to that top 70 position.

In the FedEx Playoffs, there are some changes.

The first playoff event will be the FedEx St. Jude, and that’s the one where only the top 70 will be eligible. That is just under half of the number that previously played, which was 125. Anyone who makes that top 70 is guaranteed a PGA TOUR card for the next year, meaning they can play in any event, including invitationals and events with the biggest purses.

Then, the next two Playoff events are cut to top 50 for BMW and top 30 for TOUR Championship. The BWM was previously 70 players. So that’s 20 more who will be going home early, but they are still in good shape for the next season.

If your favorite makes the top 30 and the TOUR Championship, he’s good for the next two years, even if he did not have an exemption for a victory. That’s a big change. Two-year exemptions have not been given for anything but victories in the past. However, in recent years, we have had several rookies, some non-winners and the occasional veteran get to the top 30 in a season. This modification encourages stars to stay with the PGA TOUR.

The other thing all these changes do is to amp up the competition a lot. Golfers have to perform to stay on the PGA TOUR. No lollygagging. No taking a while to tweak a swing unless they have five-year PGA TOUR exemptions for winning majors or THE PLAYERS.

Now, here’s the get out of jail free card. After the TOUR Championship, those who did not make the top 70 will be able to add to their point total in the fall tournaments to upgrade their status. Nobody has announced how that will work as yet, so there are questions, particularly for those who are in the 50- to 70-point list. Could they get bumped out of their spot? Probably not, but there are unknowns at this juncture. 

Regardless, the fall events will allow those placed 71 and above to improve their point position for the following season by playing in the fall events. We don’t know if those at 70 and better on the list will be able to add to theirs, but no one has said they can’t. It is sure that guys who are in the 126-150 slots will do their darnedest to unseat players in the 70-125 group. If you like full contact golf, this is as close as it gets. Every point will matter when it comes to having a chance to play the following season. 

This is not altogether different from the days before FedEx points when it was top 125 in money or before the all-exempt tour, when it was top 60 were guaranteed a place to play, period. In those years, players lower in status would play in the fall to add to their money list total and move up to get a better shot at entering tournaments in the next season. Same idea here.

End of season tournaments may allow some who are in the 126-175 or so to move into the top 125 and secure a card and a better chance at entering tournaments. Right now, the lower priority a guy has, the harder it is for him to enter an event. We don’t know what will happen with jostling in this category, but some are going to go away unhappy with their performance at the end of the season. 

Advancing in points during the fall is made harder by the fact that the Zozo and CJ Cup are limited field events that invite a specific number of players. In addition, two of them have many exemptions for golfers on the Japan Tour (Zozo) and the Korean Tour in (CJ Cup).

When the dust settles, what happens is the top 70 get a guaranteed slot in every PGA TOUR event, including invitationals and events with the biggest purses. They are set. Once a player is in the top 70, he’s good for the next year. If he doesn’t stay there, he has problems.

Then, starting next January, the future seasons will begin with the calendar year. There is no more wrap-around season. No more sort of starting in September and then going to the following September.  (Thank goodness!)

In addition to the top 70 becoming the new benchmark, there is another change in the pecking order, too. 

Lifetime Status

Lifetime status comes sooner if you are a prolific winner. In the past, a player had to have 20 victories and play for 15 seasons on the PGA TOUR to get lifetime status. Lifetime means he can enter any regular, non-invitational PGA TOUR tournament, even if he is lower than the top 70. Davis Love III, for example, is in this category, although it’s hard to believe any tournament would ever say no to him.

Now, if a player wins 20 times, he doesn’t have to wait for the 15 years. Let’s call this the Rory McIlroy rule, but it could just as easily be the Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus or the Arnold Palmer rule.

McIlroy joined the PGA TOUR in 2010 although he’d been a pro in Europe for a few seasons before that. He reached that magic number 20 in the fall of 2021 with a victory at the CJ Cup. He’s gathered up three more since then. But the 15-year criteria wouldn’t give him lifetime status until 2025. Now, he has it. Deservedly so.

To compare to legends in the game, Woods had 20 PGA TOUR victories by the middle of 2000, and he started his career in the fall of 1996. So that’s 20 victories in less than five years. Jack Nicklaus won 20 times in his first six years on the PGA TOUR. Arnold Palmer won 20 between August of 1955 and June of 1960.

There are 14 more golfers who have 20 or more PGA TOUR victories who are still alive. Can you name them? Two of them have flown the coop. They’re on another tour that we don’t talk about here in PVB!

(Answer: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Vijay Singh, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Dustin Johnson, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Davis Love III, Lanny Wadkins, Hale Irwin and Greg Norman.)

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Getting a pga tour card is tough; keeping it is no picnic.

• Doug Ferguson ,
• Doug Ferguson

Tyler Duncan played his best golf over the final nine holes of his long season, making four birdies on the back nine to close with a 66. That meant getting a PGA Tour card for the third straight season, twice through what now is called the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

D.J. Trahan also delivered a clutch moment with an approach to 3 feet for birdie on the last hole to get one of the last cards.

The Korn Ferry Tour Championship, the final chance to earn a PGA Tour card for 25 players, was at times exciting, exhausting and exhilarating for those who made it. And it’s also just the start.

Getting a PGA Tour card is tough. Keeping it is no picnic.

The new PGA Tour season starts Sept. 12 at the Greenbrier, with six domestic events and one at the Mexican resort of Mayakoba, all of them offering full FedExCup points and an invitation to the Masters for the winner.

Optimism is never higher. The PGA Tour in September is right up there with Major League Baseball in March.

Now for the bad news: If the last three years are any indication, some 60 percent of the players who earned PGA Tour cards won’t be keeping them.

Of the 50 players who earned PGA Tour cards last year – either the regular season or the finals series of what is now the Korn Ferry Tour – 31 failed to finish among the top 125 in the FedExCup to retain full status.

Thirty players failed to keep their cards in 2018, and 29 did not keep their cards in 2017.

As for that optimism? There’s no predicting who’s going to get hot in what week. One adage passed down from veterans over the years is that players typically make 80 percent of their money from 20 percent of their tournaments.

Five players who earned cards from the Korn Ferry Tour – either the regular season or the finals series – won on the PGA Tour the next year. That includes Max Homa at Quail Hollow and Adam Long at the Desert Classic, where he beat Phil Mickelson by one shot.

The previous year, seven players who had to earn tour cards went on to win, four of them getting a Masters invitation. That group included Ted Potter Jr., who took down Dustin Johnson at Pebble Beach. And in 2016-17, the list of nine winners included Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.

• Brentley Romine ,

PATTY T’S TIMING

Patty Tavatanakit is sure to join the LPGA tour next year based on her play on the Symetra Tour.

But the UCLA alum still has to wait.

Tavatanakit rallied from six shots behind to win the Sioux Falls GreatLife Challenge last week for her third victory of the season on the Symetra Tour. Previously, three Symetra Tour victories earned an instant promotion to the LPGA, a policy that changed last year with the introduction of the Q-Series on the tour, which is a pair of 72-hole tournaments in consecutive weeks.

The 19-year-old Thai didn’t sound bothered by it all. Tavatanakit is No. 2 on the money list with $110,487, leaving her about $3,000 short of Perrine Delacour, who has played 17 times on the Symetra Tour. Tavatanakit has won three times in just eight starts.

''It’s hard to get a picture of what I’ve been able to accomplish,’' Tavatanakit said. ''I set my goals and have lived in the moment really well for the past three months since turning pro. I just focus on what I need to do to be a better player. All I want is to improve every time I step on the course. It’s pretty unreal for how far I have come and what the future holds too.’'

CALLING ON THE HALL

Justin Rose doesn’t know the criteria to be considered or even voted for the World Golf Hall of Fame.

His objective is to take the guesswork out of the equation.

Strictly by his PGA Tour record, Rose has too many other players ahead of his 10 victories and one major championship. But he has 10 other victories on the other five major tours in golf, not to mention that Olympic gold medal from Rio in 2016. He also has a FedExCup title and has reached No. 1 in the world.

''I’m knocking on the door, but I feel like you want to bash the door down and make it an easy decision,’' Rose said. ''I don’t want to be on the fringe of it.’'

Next in line is Tiger Woods, who turns 44 at the end of the year. Rose turns 40 next year, as does Adam Scott, who has more victories on the PGA Tour and worldwide; and Sergio Garcia. Jim Furyk also merits plenty of consideration with his 17 victories, a U.S. Open and uncanny consistency.

''Is it two majors and 20 PGA Tour events? I don’t know if there’s a criteria,’' Rose said. ''I’ve definitely had some cool moments in my career that definitely stand out. Hopefully, if it ever happened, they’d look favorably on that stuff. But I want to kick on. I want to prove more to myself. I want to be a multiple major champion.’'

He mentioned players like Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Padraig Harrington, each of whom won three majors or more in a span of three seasons.

''If you catch fire and you catch a break here and there, you can pick up a couple of majors pretty quick,’' he said. ''So I’m looking for one of those spells and phases late in my career.’'

NO NEED FOR OVERTIME

Kevin Tway began the season by winning the Safeway Open in a three-way playoff. Three weeks later, Xander Schauffele made birdie on the first extra hole to beat Tony Finau in a playoff in Shanghai. Charles Howell III ended the fall portion of the season with a playoff victory at Sea Island over Patrick Rodgers.

That was on Nov. 18. And that was the last playoff of the PGA Tour season.

None of the 37 tournaments (stroke play) from Kapalua in January through East Lake in August had to go extra holes.

There were 13 events won by one stroke, though not all of them came down to the final shot. Among the tournaments that were a birdie putt away from a sudden-death playoff were Adam Long making birdie on the 72nd hole in the Desert Classic, Keith Mitchell making birdie on the last hole of the Honda Classic and perhaps the most memorable, Matthew Wolff making eagle on the final hole to win the 3M Open, but only after Collin Morikawa narrowly missed his eagle putt.

For the fifth straight year, the PGA Tour had more than 100 players go over $1 million in earnings for the year. There were 114 millionaires in 2019, tying the record set the previous year. ... Former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell is playing the Porsche Open, his first regular European Tour start in nearly five years. ... Women’s PGA champion Hannah Green of Australia became the fifth player to win multiple times on the LPGA tour this season. Jin Young Ko leads the way with four victories, including two majors. ... Scottie Scheffler won the Korn Ferry Tour points list for the regular season and the finals, meaning he is exempt for The Players Championship and will remain at the top of the priority list all of next season.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Webb Simpson earned the most money of anyone who did not win a PGA Tour event last season. He finished No. 10 with $4.69 million.

''People are not giving us much of a chance. I mean, the whole of the U.S. team is in the top 20. We have one player in the top 20, and that’s just the way it is. But somebody is going to win 15+ points, and at the end of the day, that’s our aim.’' – Presidents Cup captain Ernie Els.

Ferguson is a golf writer for The Associated Press.

What Is A PGA Tour Card? (All You Need To Know)

Becoming a PGA Tour player is the pinnacle of professional golf. To be a part of this elite group, professionals need to work their way into earning a prestigious PGA Tour Card.

A PGA Tour Card is what players earn to play on the PGA tour. However, being able to play in a PGA tour event does not always require a PGA Tour Card.

Given that there are many nuisances to PGA Tour Cards and what they mean for eligibility, there are a lot of questions that surround what having a PGA Tour Cards actually means.

In the article below, we’ll cover how many cards are available, how golfers earn a card, can players lose their card, and so much more.

If you are interested in learning all there is to know about PGA Tour Cards, keep reading below for a complete guide!

How Do Players Get Their PGA Tour Cards?

New players need to work their way into the PGA Tour. This happens by playing in Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental league for rising stars as well as a league for players kicked out of the PGA tour due to poor play. The top 30 players in the Korn Ferry Tour will earn their PGA Tour Cards.

Current PGA Tour Card holders keep their PGA Tour Card from winning PGA tournaments, placing highly in the FedEx Cup rankings, or through exemptions by hitting certain milestones. There are also medical exemptions which protect players with an injury from losing their tour status.

Winning on tour is the best way to get and keep a PGA Tour Card. A great example of this is the PGA Championship.

Players who win the PGA Championship receive a lifelong exemption to play in the tournament.

PGA Tournament Champions also secure a spot in the Masters, Open Championship and US Open for the subsequent 5 years along with a PGA Tour card for the next 5 years.  

Winning on tour is tough, so many players rely on FedEx Cup  rankings to stay eligible.

FedEx Cup rankings take each players tournament performance to calculate their rankings, with wins and top finishes receiving a higher point value.

Is There An Actual PGA Tour Card?

Yes, PGA Tour players get a physical PGA Tour Card when they make it on tour. However, PGA Tour players do not need to show their card to enter events .

Tournament officials will know before the event who has qualified to play.

So, what does a PGA Tour card look like? It is a small, rectangular plastic issued to professional golfers who have earned their playing privileges for the PGA Tour.

The card typically features the PGA Tour logo prominently displayed, along with the player’s name, and other relevant information such as the player’s tour status and the year in which the card is valid.

How Many PGA Tour Cards Are There?

The number of active PGA Tour players can vary by definition. The best way to look at it is the number of available tour cards each year.

125 golfers will maintain their PGA Tour Cards each year along with 30 players from the Korn Ferry Tour being promoted up into the PGA Tour.

This means that there are 155 active tour players during a given golf season.

Does this mean that only 155 players are able to play in a PGA Tour event?

Well, not exactly.  There are other ways to play on tour which we will cover in the next section.  

Do You Need A PGA Tour Card To Play In A PGA Event?

You do not need a tour card to play in a PGA sponsored event. Player can play into tournaments by winning Monday qualifiers or earn exceptions through sponsors.

Monday qualifiers are essentially a mini day tournament where the top finishers are allowed to play in the tournament.

These spots for these qualifiers are typically reserved for players right outside of qualifying for the tour such as up and coming Korn Ferry players or prior PGA Tour Card holders.

Special exemptions are very different from qualifiers. The tournament sponsors essentially can pick individuals to play in their event.

Past winners or a local PGA Pro may be invited to play without the proper qualifications to enter the event.

Can Players Lose Their PGA Tour Card?

The unfortunate reality is that every year PGA Tour player lose their eligibility. You may wonder who gets to keep their PGA Tour Card each year.

As we covered above, PGA Tour status is determined by FedEx standings, promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour, or by PGA Tour tournament wins.

Players in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup are eligible for a PGA Tour Card. Golfers who fall outside the top 125 must work their way back into good standing.

Players that finish 126–150 in the standings are given conditional status on tour and full status on the Korn Ferry Tour. These players can play in PGA tour events if spots are available in the field.

How Much Does A PGA Tour Card Cost?

There is a lot of money to be made on the PGA Tour. Earning a PGA Tour Card is a green light to make some serious cash if you have the nerves to compete.

Given this ability to earn, you might think that the PGA Tour would charge its players a premium for the privilege of playing, but this is not the case.

There is no cost to be a member of the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour makes its money from TV contracts and sponsorship, not membership dues.

The PGA wants to have the best players in the world in their events. Charging golfers an entry fee is nothing compared to the earnings they receive from their TV deals and event sponsors.

Check out our article on PGA Tour Expenses if you are interested in learning more about what it costs to be a tour player.

Final Thoughts

Qualifying for a PGA Tour Card is tough work. Promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour is almost as challenging as competing in the PGA.

Players need to be dedicated to the game to earn the right to play on tour.

Keeping a card is equally as tough. Players need to continually perform at a high level to keep their PGA Tour Card or win a major championship to ensure longevity on tour, both of which are monumental accomplishments.

Once a player gets on tour the winnings can be extraordinary.

The PGA Tour is truly the best of the best and so are the winnings. Its no wonder why players work their whole lives to get on tour.

Hopefully you liked this article and found it informative. Check out our other  blog posts if you liked this one!

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How Do You Lose Your PGA Tour Card? [And What Next]

A PGA Tour card is one of the most prized possessions in professional golf, but it’s also one of the most difficult things to hold onto.

With the level of players on the PGA Tour, if a golfer isn’t quite up to the standard, it’s very possible they won’t make a lot of money and will lose their cards.

So how are PGA Tour cards lost? Let’s take a look.

How Do You Lose PGA Tour Card?

Table of Contents

How Do Golfers Lose Their PGA Tour Cards?

Golfers on the PGA Tour lose their card if they’re not playing well and finish outside of the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Usually, this will happen when a player is out of form and is missing many cuts in a season. If the player misses the cut at an event, they won’t get paid or pick up any FedEx Cup points.

This ultimately means they won’t accumulate enough earnings and points in the regular season, and will finish outside of the top 125 players.

The number of points required to finish inside the top 125 places can vary each season, depending on the number of golfers playing on the PGA Tour and other player performances across the season.

At the end of the 2021-22 season, 361 FedEx Cup points were needed to finish in the top 125 and retain a tour card. Whereas the previous season, players needed at least 440 to sit within 125 on the money list.

Of course, not all golfers who finish outside the top 125 in the rankings will lose their tour card. Some of these players may still have exemptions which allow them to keep playing despite a poor season.

A win at a PGA Tour event gives a golfer a two-year playing exemption. Therefore, if they won within the previous two seasons, they’ll still have a place secured for next season.

If the tournament is the Tour Championship, a World Golf Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational or Memorial Tournament, the exemption is 3 years.

Even better, if a player wins a major championship such as the US Open or The Masters , this will give them playing exemptions on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour (European Tour) for five years. So this allows them many years when the pressure is off to perform their best, without fear of losing their cards.

Any golfer that finishes inside the top 125 in the rankings after the FedEx Cup Fall events are guaranteed to have a card on the PGA Tour for the following season. This means they have a full PGA Tour card which will give them full status and allow them to play in whichever official PGA Tour events they wish.

What Happens When You Lose Your PGA Tour Card?

Losing a PGA Tour is a very tough time for professional golfers as it means they no longer have a full playing status.

Those that finish outside the top 125 will no longer have access to all PGA Tour events in the next year.

The best opportunity to get a tour card again for the following season is by going through the Final Stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying.

Those that make the top-5 will get a card with full playing rights. However, if they fail to make the top-5, their playing schedule will vary based on whereabouts they finished in the rankings.

Those conditional status players in 126-150 spots on the FedEx Cup Points List will have a full Korn Ferry Tour status. This means they can play all Korn Ferry Tour events and hopefully get a few events on the PGA Tour.

The smaller events in the season are the weeks when these players will be looking to get a spot in the field. It’s these events where the top players in the rankings will likely have a week off or be playing in a bigger event such as one of the major championships, so places open up to those with limited status.

Although this is an amazing opportunity for those players to have a great week and regain a tour card, places will be limited.

Most tournaments will have around 144 to 156 players competing, with some of the previous top 125 playing, as well as most of the top 25 players from the previous Korn Ferry Tour Finals. As a result, space for conditional status players will be fairly limited.

They also usually won’t know if they’ve got a place in the field until the week before. This makes scheduling very difficult.

Any players that finished in 151-200 spot at the close of the season will get a Korn Ferry Tour conditional playing status. Like conditional playing status on the PGA Tour, this only gives them entry into a few of the Korn Ferry Tour tournaments.

For players outside of the 200 on the points list, they’ll have no status on any of the elite-level tours. This means they’ll either need to try for Korn Ferry Tour Q-school or give the smaller satellite tours a go.

Final Thoughts

For golfers that make it to the final of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, there’s no need to worry about losing their PGA Tour cards. They’ve had a great season, played well and made lots of money.

Unfortunately, golf just isn’t that easy and every year there will be professional golfers that are left without a place for the next year.

What does it take to keep your PGA Tour card?

PGA Tour players that finish within the top 125 in the FedEx Cup Fall Points List at the end of the season will keep their PGA Tour card for the following season.

This will give them full status on the tour for all of next season’s PGA Tour events.

How long does your tour card last?

A PGA Tour card for most players will last one full season.

Some players may have a 2, 3 or 5-year playing exemption if they’ve won a certain tournament, which means they have a tour card for a number of years.

How many golfers keep their tour card?

The top 125 players at the end of the season keep their tour cards for next season on the PGA Tour.

Players outside of the top 125 will still have some status on the tour, but won’t have access to every event.

What does it mean to lose PGA Tour card?

Losing a PGA Tour card means that a golfer won’t have full playing rights on the PGA Tour for the next season.

This could mean that they’re unable to play in any PGA Tour events or it might mean they’re only able to play in smaller tournaments on the tour.

Founder, Editor

Ed is the founder and editor at EEE Golf. He’s been playing golf for over 20 years, competing in many top amateur events. He’s played courses all over the world and played with some of the best players in the game. His aim is to help educate people about the game of golf and give insights into the sport he loves most.

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Is It Really Just Top 70 Who Will Keep Their PGA Tour Cards in 2024?

By kathlene bissell | jul 12, 2023.

For the first time in 40 years, some high-earning PGA Tour players are going to be stressed about keeping their playing privileges. Next season, only the top 70 in FedEx points for this year will advance into 2024 in terms of being guaranteed a spot in any PGA Tour event.

However, it doesn’t mean those farther down the list won’t participate. It just means their guarantees or opportunities are different.

Those below 70 have five weeks, counting this one, to get inside that 70 number or their place at the PGA Tour table will go to someone else first. They will be farther down the money food chain. Except for exceptions.

For some, this looks serious. Right now, Justin Thomas is 70th. If he messes up between now and the Wyndham, just on the number alone, it looks like he could be in trouble. Adam Scott is 79th.  Gary Woodland is 98th. Jimmy Walker is 117th.

You’d think that some golfers, even major champions, have really heavy lifting to do, like Webb Simpson, who is mired in some kind of golf misery at a surprising 161st place. Francesco Molinari is 168th. PGA Tour Champions player Padraig Harrington is 172nd, but that is just for comparison because he mostly plays the older guys’ circuit now.

"However, some, like Jimmy Walker, aren’t so lucky. Walker is currently playing on a top 50 in career money exemption and really can’t afford to be this far down in the rankings…"

While it looks like doom and gloom, there are other forces at work here. Adam Scott, for instance, has exempt status for his victory at the Genesis Invitational. He doesn’t have to really grind this season.

But next year on the PGA Tour, he will need to.

Gary Woodland has another season or two on his exemption for winning the U.S. Open. But there’s a good chance he will miss out on the big cash grab at the FedEx Cup finale this year.

Francesco Molinari is in a similar situation. As a past British Open winner, he has a five-year exemption that works through next season. At that point, he can work to maintain his PGA Tour card or go back to the DP World Tour where he may never have to buy a glass of wine again because he’s the first and only Italian to win the British Open.

Similarly, for Justin Thomas. He just started working on his five-year exemption for winning last year’s PGA Championship. So, while he may want to get into the top 70 to advance in the FedEx Cup playoffs, it’s more of a matter of pride for him.  He doesn’t really have to worry about an exemption for 2024. He has one for that year and several that follow.

Webb Simpson has the golden ticket through 2026 from his victory at The Players, so even though he’s 161st, it doesn’t matter because he can play in any regular PGA Tour event and may qualify for some invitationals.

However, some, like Jimmy Walker, aren’t so lucky. Walker is currently playing on a top 50 in career money exemption and really can’t afford to be this far down in the rankings, although, with his pedigree as a past PGA Champion, it’s likely he will still make it onto the invitation list for many tournaments. Walker is now 44 and will be 45 in January. He may be biding his time until he can go to the original no-cut tour, PGA Tour Champions.

Padraig Harrington has made the jump to PGA Tour Champions but continues to straddle both Tours. He’s playing the Genesis Scottish Open this week, and as a former British Open champion, he’ll go on to Royal Liverpool the following week.

Harrington played on the PGA Tour from 2005 to 2022.

He is now a member of PGA Tour Champions with five victories in less than two full seasons. He’s a winner of three majors: the British Open twice and the PGA Championship once. He has won 15 tournaments in Europe and six in the U.S. and numerous in other countries. There’s a pretty good chance he can get an invitation to any PGA Tour event where he wants to play, whether he’s exempt or not.

However, regarding who is in the top 70 and who’s not, sometimes a top 70 isn’t really a top 70.  Sometimes, it’s infiltrated with major champs and players who have other kinds of exemptions, which is how many will find their way into tournaments next season and in subsequent years.

Steve Stricker's New Beer 'Strick 9'. dark. Next

So, from now on, Top 70 is important, but for some players, it’s not the only way they get into a tournament. There are plenty of different ways to secure playing spots, like being a past champion of an event.

But unless you are Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy, it can be hard to build a schedule without being top 70 or having a lengthy exemption for a victory.

Ray Barnes, our Senior Staff Writer and a Golf Analyst with a PhD in Sports Analytics, is a beacon of insight in the golfing world. With a deep understanding of the sport's nuances, statistical analysis, and a talent for demystifying complexities, he provides in-depth analysis and captivating narratives that engage golf enthusiasts worldwide.

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How To Become A PGA Tour Pro

There are various different ways to earn a PGA Tour card as we explain...

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Becoming a PGA Tour pro is a dream all young golfers have when starting out and aside from being very, very good at golf - take a look at our scratch handicap vs PGA Tour pro comparison for proof - the question is, how do you become one?

In ultra-simplistic terms, to officially become a PGA Tour pro you need to earn your PGA Tour card. So how is that done?

There are various different ways, with the world's best players earning theirs from a number of different routes.

Scottie Scheffler , for example, earned his PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour, while Jon Rahm earned his from capitalising on sponsors exemptions. Danny Willett earned his PGA Tour card after winning the 2017 Masters, while Corey Conners earned his after Monday qualifying and going on to win the Valero Texas Open.

Corey Conners Monday qualified into the 2019 Valero Texas Open and went on to win the tournament, earning a two-year PGA Tour exemption

Rahm turned pro in 2016, gained a sponsors exemption into the Quicken Loans National, finished T3rd to qualify for The Open before getting into the RBC Canadian Open too. He finished T2nd there to secure Special Temporary Member status on the PGA Tour and earned enough points in the remaining events in the season to secure his PGA Tour card for 2017.

Tom Kim was also given a Special Temporary Membership in 2022. The Korean star went on to win the Wyndham Championship to earn a two-year exemption and then another year was added on after his Shriners open win.

Earning enough points simply means accruing enough FedEx Cup points to sit inside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the regular season. All 125 are guaranteed to earn cards for the next season and go on to the Playoffs. Those who finish just outside of the top 125 will tend to earn a certain number of starts on the PGA Tour for next season, where good finishes will give them the chance to qualify for more tournaments and get into the fabled 125.

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Collin Morikawa 's route to earning a PGA Tour card was similar to Rahm's. As an elite amateur, he had sponsors exemptions when turning professional and managed to capitalise on them to make it to the big league.

A new way to earn a PGA Tour card is via the DP World Tour. Thanks to the new strategic alliance between the two tours , the top ten finishers (without cards already) on the Race to Dubai will all earn PGA Tour status.

Keith Pelley, DP World Tour CEO

The DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour are the main two feeders for the PGA Tour, with ten coming from the DP World Tour each year and a total of 30 cards handed out on the Korn Ferry Tour. Three wins in a single Korn Ferry Tour season also earns a 'battlefield' automatic promotion to the main tour.

There are routes to the Korn Ferry Tour via the other tours that the PGA Tour runs including its circuits in Canada and Latin America.

The top five finishers (and ties) at the Final Stage of 2023 Q-School will earn PGA Tour cards for 2024, while the number one player in the final PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking also earns a PGA Tour card.

Another way to earn your PGA Tour card is to win a PGA Tour event. To tee it up in a PGA Tour event without a PGA Tour card you need a sponsor's exemption or to earn a spot via one of the tournament's Monday qualifiers. 

A victory on the PGA Tour secures your card for at least two years. Some of the elevated events offer three-year exemptions with wins, while Major victories earn five-year exemptions.

Below we summarise the most common ways of earning a PGA Tour card:

• Earn one of the 30 cards given out to the Korn Ferry Tour top finishers.
• Earn one of the 10 cards given out to the DP World Tour top finishers.
• Finish in the top five of Final Stage Q-School.
• Rank number one at the end of the PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking.
• Win a PGA Tour event.
• Earn a sponsor's exemption and win enough points to earn your card.
• Win a Major.

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook , Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

There's no respite for the world's elite as, following the Masters, the PGA Tour circuit moves to Harbour Town and the RBC Heritage

By Matt Cradock Published 15 April 24

Social media was awash with fans, legends, and brands congratulating Scheffler over his second Masters win in three years

By Jonny Leighfield Published 15 April 24

Dave Portnoy, who invented Barstool Sports, has placed a huge bet on world No.1 Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters

By James Nursey Published 14 April 24

Phil Mickelson was again quiet, Sandy Lyle couldn't make it and the Seve stories flowed as Jon Rahm hosted a successful Champions Dinner ahead of The Masters

By Paul Higham Last updated 10 April 24

Rahm spoke about why he still "loves the PGA Tour", the pressure of LIV Golf events, and his legacy ahead of defending his Masters title this week

By Joel Kulasingham Published 9 April 24

The current Masters champion suggested that increasing the number of holes in a week on the PIF-backed circuit could help with unification in the men's game

By Jonny Leighfield Published 8 April 24

Sir Nick Faldo questioned whether Jon Rahm could find the right intensity to defend his Masters title after making the switch to LIV Golf

By Paul Higham Published 8 April 24

There are 13 LIV Golf players set to tee it up at Augusta National Golf Club next week - and it's fair to say that confidence is high among the group

By Jonny Leighfield Published 5 April 24

The current Masters champion suggested there was one player in the LIV Golf League that has been "a little bit left out" despite being "fantastic" in 2023

By Jonny Leighfield Published 6 March 24

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How Many PGA Tour Cards Are Issued? Overview, Qualifying Criteria, And Benefits

January 11, 2024

Learn about the total number of PGA Tour cards issued, the breakdown by category, qualifying tournaments, and the benefits and privileges of holding a PGA Tour card.

Overview of PGA Tour Cards

PGA Tour cards are coveted credentials that grant professional golfers the opportunity to compete in PGA Tour events. These cards serve as a gateway to the pinnacle of golfing success and symbolize the recognition of a golfer’s skill and dedication. In this section, we will explore the essence, purpose, and historical significance of PGA Tour cards.

What is a PGA Tour card?

A PGA Tour card is essentially a license that grants a golfer the right to participate in PGA Tour events. It represents an official recognition of a golfer’s talent and achievements, serving as a testament to their dedication and hard work. The card is awarded based on a set of criteria, which we will delve into later in this guide.

Purpose of PGA Tour cards

The primary purpose of PGA Tour cards is to provide a clear pathway for professional golfers to compete at the highest level. By granting access to PGA Tour events, these cards create a platform for golfers to showcase their skills, compete against the best in the world, and potentially earn significant rewards and recognition.

Moreover, PGA Tour cards serve as a means of organizing and regulating professional golf competitions. They establish a standardized system that ensures fairness and consistency in determining eligibility for participation. This, in turn, enhances the overall integrity of the sport and provides a level playing field for all golfers.

History of PGA Tour cards

The history of PGA Tour cards dates back to the early days of professional golf. The concept of a card system was first introduced in the 1960s as a means to formalize the qualification process for PGA Tour events. Over the years, the system has evolved and undergone several changes to adapt to the dynamic nature of the sport and the ever-increasing talent pool.

Originally, the number of PGA Tour cards issued was limited, and only a select few golfers were granted the privilege to compete in PGA Tour events. However, as the popularity of golf grew and the demand for professional tournaments increased, the number of cards issued expanded to accommodate a larger pool of talented golfers.

Today, the PGA Tour card system has become a highly competitive and prestigious achievement. It serves as a testament to a golfer’s skill, perseverance, and ability to excel in a highly competitive environment. The history of PGA Tour cards reflects the evolution of professional golf and the continuous efforts to provide opportunities for golfers to showcase their talent on the grandest stage.

In summary, PGA Tour cards are the gateway to professional golfing success. They represent the recognition of a golfer’s talent, provide access to elite tournaments, and contribute to the overall integrity of the sport. Understanding the essence, purpose, and historical significance of PGA Tour cards is crucial in comprehending the journey that golfers undertake to reach the pinnacle of their careers.

(Note: The remaining sections of this guide will delve deeper into specific aspects of PGA Tour cards, such as the number of cards issued, the qualifying process, different card categories, benefits and privileges, and the implications of losing or regaining a card.)

How Many PGA Tour Cards are Issued

The PGA Tour is the pinnacle of professional golf, attracting the best players from around the world. To compete on the PGA Tour, golfers must possess a PGA Tour card, which grants them entry into various events throughout the season. In this section, we will explore the number of PGA Tour cards issued, the breakdown by category, and any changes that have occurred over the years.

Total Number of PGA Tour Cards

The total number of PGA Tour cards issued each season varies depending on several factors. Currently, there are a total of 125 PGA Tour cards available for distribution. These cards serve as the key to accessing the most prestigious tournaments in professional golf.

It’s important to note that the number of PGA Tour cards is not fixed and can change from year to year. The PGA Tour has made adjustments to the card distribution process in the past to accommodate different circumstances and the needs of the tour.

Breakdown by Category

PGA Tour cards are further categorized into different groups based on the level of playing privileges they provide. Let’s take a closer look at the breakdown of these categories:

• Fully Exempt PGA Tour Cards : These cards are awarded to players who have achieved a high level of success and consistency on the PGA Tour. Fully exempt players have unrestricted access to all PGA Tour events, allowing them to compete against the best golfers in the world.
• Conditional PGA Tour Cards : Conditional cards are given to players who have not yet established a consistent track record on the PGA Tour. These players have limited playing opportunities and must rely on sponsor invitations or Monday qualifiers to gain entry into events. However, conditional cardholders have the chance to earn a full exemption through strong performances in designated tournaments.
• Other Categories of PGA Tour Cards : In addition to fully exempt and conditional cards, there are also other categories of PGA Tour cards that provide limited playing privileges. These include cards awarded through the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Web.com Tour) and sponsor exemptions. These cards offer players a pathway to the PGA Tour and the opportunity to prove their skills at the highest level.

Changes in the Number of PGA Tour Cards Over the Years

The number of PGA Tour cards issued has not remained constant throughout the history of the tour. Over the years, there have been changes in the distribution of cards to adapt to the evolving landscape of professional golf.

In the past, the total number of PGA Tour cards available was different from the current 125. The PGA Tour has made adjustments to the card distribution process to ensure a balance between providing opportunities for talented players and maintaining the competitiveness of the tour.

These changes have taken into account various factors, including the growth of the game, the talent pool, and the demands of the players. The PGA Tour continually evaluates and adjusts the number of cards issued to ensure the tour remains vibrant and competitive.

In summary, the PGA Tour issues a total of 125 cards each season, which are categorized into fully exempt, conditional, and other categories. These cards serve as the gateway for professional golfers to compete at the highest level. The number of cards issued has changed over the years, reflecting the dynamic nature of the sport and the tour’s commitment to maintaining a strong and competitive field.

Qualifying for a PGA Tour Card

Becoming a professional golfer and earning a PGA Tour card is a dream for many aspiring players. It is a testament to their skill, dedication, and hard work. Qualifying for a PGA Tour card involves a series of tournaments and events, along with meeting specific criteria and performance requirements. Let’s take a closer look at the qualifying process, the tournaments and events involved, the criteria for earning a PGA Tour card, and the performance requirements for maintaining it.

Qualifying Tournaments and Events

Qualifying for a PGA Tour card requires participating in a series of tournaments and events that serve as the pathway to professional golf’s highest level. These tournaments are designed to identify and showcase the most talented golfers who have the potential to compete at the elite level. They provide a platform for players to demonstrate their skills and compete against their peers, with the ultimate goal of earning a coveted PGA Tour card.

The qualifying tournaments and events vary in terms of format and structure. One of the most well-known and rigorous events is the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, also known as Q-School. Q-School is a multi-stage tournament that tests players’ abilities over several rounds, with the top finishers earning their PGA Tour cards. It is a highly competitive and mentally challenging event that separates the best from the rest.

In addition to Q-School, there are other routes to qualifying for a PGA Tour card. Some players earn their cards through the Korn Ferry Tour, which serves as the developmental tour for the PGA Tour. The Korn Ferry Tour features a series of tournaments throughout the season, and the top performers earn promotion to the PGA Tour. This provides an opportunity for players to showcase their skills and gain valuable experience before making the leap to the highest level.

Criteria for Earning a PGA Tour Card

Qualifying for a PGA Tour card is not solely based on performance in tournaments. There are also specific criteria that players must meet in order to earn their cards. These criteria are designed to ensure that players have the necessary skills, experience, and potential to compete at the highest level of professional golf.

One of the key criteria is a player’s finish in the qualifying tournaments and events. The higher a player finishes, the better their chances of earning a PGA Tour card. This emphasizes the importance of consistently performing well and being competitive in these events.

Another criterion is the player’s performance on the Korn Ferry Tour. Players who achieve certain benchmarks and rankings on the Korn Ferry Tour are eligible for promotion to the PGA Tour. This provides an incentive for players to excel on the developmental tour and demonstrates their readiness for the challenges of the PGA Tour.

Additionally, players may also earn a PGA Tour card through special exemptions. These exemptions are typically granted to players who have achieved notable success in amateur golf or have demonstrated exceptional potential. These exemptions provide an opportunity for talented players to skip some of the qualifying stages and directly earn their PGA Tour cards.

Performance Requirements for Maintaining a PGA Tour Card

Once a player has earned their PGA Tour card, they must meet certain performance requirements to maintain their status on the tour. These requirements ensure that players continue to compete at a high level and contribute to the overall competitiveness of the PGA Tour.

The primary performance requirement is the player’s position on the FedEx Cup standings. The FedEx Cup is a season-long points race that determines the overall champion of the PGA Tour. Players must accumulate a certain number of points throughout the season to retain their PGA Tour card. This incentivizes players to consistently perform well and remain competitive throughout the year.

Another performance requirement is the player’s position on the Official World Golf Ranking. This ranking system considers a player’s performance in various tournaments worldwide and provides a measure of their standing in the global golfing community. Players must maintain a certain ranking to retain their PGA Tour card, highlighting the importance of performing well in both PGA Tour events and other international tournaments.

PGA Tour Card Categories

The PGA Tour offers different categories of tour cards to professional golfers based on their performance and status. These categories include fully exempt PGA Tour cards, conditional PGA Tour cards, and other categories.

Fully Exempt PGA Tour cards

Fully exempt PGA Tour cards are the most coveted and prestigious category of cards that a professional golfer can earn. These cards provide the highest level of privileges and benefits on the PGA Tour. Players holding fully exempt cards have guaranteed entry into almost all PGA Tour events without having to go through the qualifying process.

To obtain a fully exempt PGA Tour card, players need to meet specific criteria. The primary method of earning a fully exempt card is by finishing within the top 125 in the FedExCup standings at the end of the season. The FedExCup is a season-long points competition on the PGA Tour, and players who perform well throughout the year are rewarded with fully exempt status for the following season.

A fully exempt PGA Tour card offers stability and security for a golfer’s career. It ensures consistent participation in high-profile tournaments and provides opportunities to earn significant prize money. Holding a fully exempt card also allows players to plan their schedules in advance and focus on their game without the pressure of having to qualify for events.

Conditional PGA Tour cards

Conditional PGA Tour cards are awarded to players who do not meet the criteria for a fully exempt card but still have the potential to compete at a high level. These cards provide limited playing privileges on the PGA Tour, and players holding conditional cards need to participate in the qualifying process for most events.

Conditional PGA Tour cards are typically given to players who finish between the 126th and 200th positions in the FedExCup standings. They have the opportunity to compete in a certain number of tournaments, but they may need to rely on sponsor exemptions or Monday qualifying events to secure a spot in the field.

While holding a conditional PGA Tour card may not offer the same level of stability as a fully exempt card, it provides players with a chance to prove themselves and earn their way into higher categories. Many players with conditional cards have showcased their talent and eventually moved up to fully exempt status through strong performances and consistent results.

Other categories of PGA Tour cards

In addition to fully exempt and conditional cards, the PGA Tour also offers a few other categories of cards to cater to different circumstances and player statuses. These categories include:

• Past Champion Exemption : This category allows players who have previously won on the PGA Tour to maintain their playing privileges for a certain period, even if they don’t meet the regular qualifying criteria. It recognizes their past success and contributions to the tour.
• Major Championship Exemption : Winners of major championships, such as the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship, receive exemptions into PGA Tour events for a specific number of years. This exemption acknowledges their achievement and ensures their participation in high-profile tournaments.
• Medical Exemption : Players who suffer from injuries or medical conditions that prevent them from competing for a certain period may be granted a medical exemption. This allows them to maintain their PGA Tour status and regain their playing privileges once they are fit to compete again.
• Special Temporary Membership : Players who are not PGA Tour members but have demonstrated exceptional talent and performance on other tours may be granted special temporary membership. This allows them to compete in a limited number of PGA Tour events and provides an opportunity to earn a PGA Tour card for the following season.

The PGA Tour’s various categories of tour cards ensure that golfers of different abilities and circumstances have opportunities to compete at the highest level. Whether it’s the fully exempt cards that provide stability and security or the conditional cards that offer a chance to prove oneself, each category plays a crucial role in shaping a golfer’s career on the PGA Tour.

Benefits and Privileges of Holding a PGA Tour Card

Being a professional golfer on the PGA Tour comes with a multitude of benefits and privileges. Holding a PGA Tour card opens up a world of opportunities and advantages that can significantly impact a golfer’s career. In this section, we will explore some of the key benefits and privileges that come with holding a PGA Tour card.

Entry into PGA Tour Events

One of the most coveted privileges of holding a PGA Tour card is the entry into PGA Tour events. As a cardholder, golfers gain access to a wide range of tournaments, including prestigious events such as the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. These tournaments are not only highly competitive but also offer substantial prize money and media exposure.

By participating in PGA Tour events, golfers have the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world, showcasing their skills and gaining valuable experience. The exposure gained from playing in these events can attract sponsors, endorsements, and lucrative opportunities outside of the tournament winnings.

Exemption from Certain Qualifying Tournaments

Another significant benefit of holding a PGA Tour card is the exemption from certain qualifying tournaments. Typically, golfers without a PGA Tour card are required to go through a rigorous qualifying process to earn a spot in each tournament. However, cardholders are exempt from these qualifying tournaments, saving them time, energy, and resources.

Exemption categories vary, with fully exempt players enjoying the highest level of exemption. These players have the privilege of avoiding pre-qualifying events and directly entering the main tournament field. Conditional cardholders, on the other hand, may need to participate in some pre-qualifying events but still have greater access compared to non-cardholders.

The exemption system allows PGA Tour cardholders to focus on their game and strategic planning rather than constantly battling through qualifying tournaments. This advantage gives them more time to prepare mentally and physically for the tournaments, increasing their chances of success.

Access to Player Services and Resources

Holding a PGA Tour card also grants golfers access to a range of player services and resources. The PGA Tour provides support to its cardholders to ensure they have everything they need to perform at their best. These services and resources are designed to help golfers navigate the challenges of professional golf and enhance their overall experience on tour.

Player services include access to fitness and medical facilities, mental health support, and personalized training programs. The PGA Tour recognizes the importance of physical and mental well-being in achieving peak performance, and they provide resources to help golfers maintain their health and fitness levels.

Additionally, cardholders have access to player lounges, locker rooms, and practice facilities at tournament venues. These exclusive areas offer a space for players to relax, prepare, and socialize with fellow professionals. The camaraderie and networking opportunities within these spaces can be invaluable for golfers looking to build relationships and learn from their peers.

Furthermore, the PGA Tour provides educational programs and career development resources to help cardholders plan for their future beyond golf. These programs cover topics such as financial management, media training, and business skills. By offering these resources, the PGA Tour supports golfers in creating a sustainable and successful career both on and off the course.

Losing or Regaining a PGA Tour Card

Losing or regaining a PGA Tour card can have a significant impact on a golfer’s career. It is a topic that sparks curiosity and interest among golf enthusiasts. In this section, we will explore the various ways a player can lose their PGA Tour card, the options available for regaining it, and delve into some inspiring success stories of players who managed to regain their coveted card.

Ways to Lose a PGA Tour Card

Losing a PGA Tour card is a dreaded outcome for any professional golfer. However, it is not uncommon for players to find themselves in this unfortunate situation. There are several ways a golfer can lose their PGA Tour card, and understanding these factors is crucial for aspiring golfers aiming to avoid the same fate.

One of the most common ways to lose a PGA Tour card is by failing to meet the performance requirements. Each season, players must accumulate a certain number of FedEx Cup points to maintain their card. If a player consistently performs poorly and fails to earn enough points, they may lose their card.

Another way to lose a PGA Tour card is by finishing below a certain ranking on the official money list. The money list determines the earnings of players throughout the season, and if a player falls below a specific threshold, they may lose their card.

In addition, players can also lose their PGA Tour card if they violate the tour’s code of conduct or fail to meet the tour’s obligations. This includes instances of misconduct, substance abuse, or any behavior that tarnishes the reputation of the PGA Tour.

Options for Regaining a PGA Tour Card

While losing a PGA Tour card can be disheartening, it is not the end of the road for determined golfers. There are several options available for players to regain their PGA Tour card and continue their professional careers.

One way to regain a PGA Tour card is through the Korn Ferry Tour. The Korn Ferry Tour serves as a development tour for aspiring professionals and offers a pathway for players to earn their way back to the PGA Tour. By performing well on the Korn Ferry Tour, players can earn enough points to regain their PGA Tour card.

Another option for regaining a PGA Tour card is through sponsor exemptions. Sponsors have the ability to invite players to participate in specific tournaments, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their skills and potentially earn enough money or points to regain their card.

Players can also regain their PGA Tour card through the qualifying tournaments known as the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament or “Q-School.” This rigorous tournament tests the skills and determination of golfers, and those who perform exceptionally well can earn their card back.

Success Stories of Players Who Regained Their PGA Tour Card

The journey of regaining a PGA Tour card is a challenging one, but it is not impossible. Many players have faced adversity and managed to regain their card, serving as an inspiration to all aspiring golfers.

One notable success story is that of Tiger Woods. After experiencing a series of injuries and setbacks, Woods found himself outside the top 125 in the FedEx Cup rankings, leading to the loss of his PGA Tour card. However, through sheer determination and hard work, Woods made a triumphant comeback and regained his card, eventually going on to win multiple tournaments and solidify his place as one of the greatest golfers of all time.

Another inspiring story is that of Billy Hurley III. After losing his PGA Tour card, Hurley took a break from professional golf to serve in the military. Upon his return, he faced an uphill battle to regain his card. However, through perseverance and unwavering dedication, Hurley earned his way back to the PGA Tour and became an inspiration to many.

These success stories remind us that losing a PGA Tour card does not define a golfer’s career. With determination, hard work, and a never-give-up attitude, players can overcome challenges and regain their rightful place among the best in the game.

Other Considerations Related to PGA Tour Cards

Financial implications of holding a pga tour card.

Holding a PGA Tour card comes with significant financial implications for professional golfers. While the pursuit of a PGA Tour card is driven by the desire for success, it is important to consider the financial commitments that come along with it. Players must be prepared to invest in their career, both on and off the course.

First and foremost, the expenses associated with participating in PGA Tour events can be substantial. From travel and accommodation to caddie fees and equipment costs, players need to allocate a significant portion of their earnings towards these expenses. The ability to generate enough income to cover these costs is crucial for sustaining a professional golf career.

Additionally, the financial implications extend beyond the immediate expenses of tournament participation. Holding a PGA Tour card opens doors to potential sponsorship opportunities and endorsement deals. With increased exposure and visibility, players have the opportunity to secure lucrative partnerships that can provide substantial financial support. These financial partnerships often require players to fulfill certain obligations, such as promoting brands or products, both on and off the golf course.

Furthermore, the financial implications of holding a PGA Tour card can also impact a player’s long-term financial stability. The ability to consistently perform well and maintain a high ranking in the Official World Golf Rankings can lead to increased prize money and endorsement opportunities. However, fluctuating performances and lower rankings can result in decreased earnings and fewer sponsorship opportunities. It is essential for players to manage their finances wisely and plan for the future, as the financial landscape of professional golf can be unpredictable.

Impact on player rankings and standings

Holding a PGA Tour card has a direct impact on a player’s rankings and standings within the golfing community. The rankings and standings serve as a reflection of a player’s performance and can greatly influence their career trajectory.

The Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) is the primary ranking system used in professional golf. It takes into account the results of players in various tournaments, including those on the PGA Tour. The higher a player’s ranking, the more prestigious tournament invitations they receive, as well as the potential for higher prize money. Holding a PGA Tour card provides players with the opportunity to accumulate OWGR points through participation in PGA Tour events, which can significantly impact their rankings.

In addition to the OWGR, the PGA Tour maintains its own ranking system known as the FedExCup. This ranking system determines the eligibility and seeding for the FedExCup Playoffs, a series of tournaments that culminate in the crowning of the FedExCup champion. Players with higher rankings in the FedExCup standings have the advantage of better playoff positioning and the opportunity to compete for the substantial prize money at stake.

Holding a PGA Tour card also allows players to earn valuable playing privileges in other professional tournaments around the world. Certain tournaments, such as major championships and World Golf Championships, have eligibility criteria that often prioritize players with higher rankings. By consistently performing well on the PGA Tour, players can secure coveted spots in these prestigious events and further enhance their rankings and standings.

Influence of PGA Tour cards on career opportunities

PGA Tour cards have a significant influence on the career opportunities available to professional golfers. They serve as a gateway to competing against the best players in the world and provide a platform for showcasing talent and skills.

With a PGA Tour card, players gain entry into a wide range of PGA Tour events. These tournaments attract media attention, sponsors, and a large fan base, offering players the opportunity to gain exposure and build their personal brand. The increased visibility can lead to endorsement deals, corporate partnerships, and potential sponsorships that can significantly enhance a player’s earning potential and career prospects.

Moreover, holding a PGA Tour card opens up avenues for career development and advancement. Players can gain invaluable experience by competing alongside established professionals and learning from their strategies and techniques. The intense competition and high-stakes environment of PGA Tour events push players to elevate their game, constantly improving their skills and increasing their chances of success.

Furthermore, the influence of PGA Tour cards extends beyond the immediate playing opportunities. They can also serve as a stepping stone to other golfing ventures, such as designing golf courses, becoming a golf analyst or commentator, or even pursuing a coaching career. The prestige associated with being a PGA Tour cardholder can open doors to various off-course opportunities within the golf industry.

In conclusion, holding a PGA Tour card brings financial implications, impacts player rankings and standings, and provides numerous career opportunities. Professional golfers must carefully consider the financial commitments associated with pursuing a PGA Tour card, while also recognizing the potential for financial rewards through sponsorship and endorsement deals. The impact on rankings and standings serves as a measure of a player’s success and can dictate their eligibility for prestigious tournaments and prize money. Lastly, the influence of PGA Tour cards extends beyond the playing field, creating avenues for career development and advancement within the golf industry.

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How hard is it to keep your PGA Tour card?

By whatshannenin May 20, 2012 in Tour Talk

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whatshannenin 25 posts

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You are wrong. Plenty of players on nation wide tour trying to get their card back.

Llortamaisey

It's really easy to keep your card for about 120 players.

And your point is based on personal experience?...vor is it possible you have no idea whatsoever how difficult it would be to be a touring pro?

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I'm pretty sure if you keep it in a lock box and only take it out when necessary, the chances of losing it would be, statistically, pretty low.

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[quote name='fua1' timestamp='1337489125' post='4944712'] You are wrong. Plenty of players on nation wide tour trying to get their card back. [/quote] That's their own fault. They didn't play good enough or choked. I'd say more often than not guys have the mentality they have to win and therefore they put too much pressure on themselves and choke. I don't think people are understanding the debate here, obviously there has to be people that lose their cards as there are more people on Tour than cards available. I don't see how making 20 of 30 cuts and finishing around T-30 or slightly better is all that difficult for someone clearly good enough to be out there. I'm not talking about winning or finishing in the top 10 on the Money list, I'm talking about keeping your job. The system is not designed that way, it's not a revolving door of players out there. If someone has a poor year, it's their fault, not because "the competition is so good" or "the courses are so hard". The competition didn't keep you from making the cut and getting a T-30, you did.

[quote name='xabia' timestamp='1337489955' post='4944748'] And your point is based on personal experience?...vor is it possible you have no idea whatsoever how difficult it would be to be a touring pro? [/quote] I played professionally for 4 years, worked on Tour, work with Tour players, know a lot of Tour players. This isn't about me or a pissing match. I didn't say I could do it. I said GUYS who ARE on the Tour shouldn't have a hard time staying there. The stats are right there and the money is right there. They totally mind F themselves trying to win and get caught up in all the other BS. For a Tour player to shoot 2 under par or as high as pus 3 for 36 holes on a normal PGA Tour course, not a major, with every advantage possible is supposed to be difficult? I don't see how. So they continuing that theory, how hard is it to shoot a couple under on the weekend and improve only slightly to get a T-30? Again we are talking about guys who can go super low-8 -9 -10 under in one round on these "hard" golf courses.

If you're as good, and as focused, dedicated and determined as Phil Mickelson; and you are fortunate enough to avoid serious injury, then keeping your PGA TOUR card is seemingly pretty easy. This is Phil's 20th full year on TOUR, and the worst money list standing he has ever had was 38th, in 2003. However, if you have the talent of Dicky Pride, and you are not as fortunate in avoiding injuries and physical ailment, then keeping your TOUR card can be very difficult at times. There are many factors involved in allowing a very talented golfer to continue to play consistently well year after year, not the least of which is the quality of physical health. A golfer's emotional state of being, which for some people can be very fragile at times, also plays a huge role in his ability to maintain a high performance level. And sometimes just the fickle nature of athletic skill can undermine even the most intense competitor. One day you have it, and the next day you don't. Too many factors at work to make a blanket statement like the OP's.

[quote name='PGArox' timestamp='1337491373' post='4944810'] If you're as good, and as focused, dedicated and determined as Phil Mickelson; and you are fortunate enough to avoid serious injury, then keeping your PGA TOUR card is seemingly pretty easy. This is Phil's 20th full year on TOUR, and the worst money list standing he has ever had was 38th, in 2003. However, if you have the talent of Dicky Pride, and you are not as fortunate in avoiding injuries and physical ailment, then keeping your TOUR card can be very difficult at times. There are many factors involved in allowing a very talented golfer to continue to play consistently well year after year, not the least of which is the quality of physical health. A golfer's emotional state of being, which for some people can be very fragile at times, also plays a huge role in his ability to maintain a high performance level. And sometimes just the fickle nature of athletic skill can undermine even the most intense competitor. One day you have it, and the next day you don't. Too many factors at work to make a blanket statement like the OP's. [/quote] I am glad you can see what I'm referencing when I say it's not so hard right? I mean it shouldn't be that hard, I think guys just make it harder than it needs to be. You make a good point about injuries, and I realize real injuries do occur, but does the PGA Tour cut you from a team like other sports? No, they give you a chance to come back out when healthy (another reason why it's designed to keep players out there) to make the now "known" number so again, this isn't all that unrealistic or difficult either ( for a PGA Tour player) I'm not saying a win but to keep your card and make $750k over the entire year when $5-6 MILLION is available each week, shouldn't be that difficult. This mental stuff and sometimes "convenient" injuries just means the guys who are getting it done have a cop out. (I'm not saying real injuries don't exist, but I know of some cases on the PGA Tour of a "convenient" injury a player milked for several years while he wasn't cutting it) It's amazing that when player's are playing good injuries hurt less and when the game is a little suspect it's excruciating pain.

[quote name='whatshannenin' timestamp='1337492313' post='4944842'] ...but to keep your card and make $750k over the entire year when $5-6 MILLION is available each week, [b]shouldn't[/b] be that difficult. This mental stuff and sometimes "convenient" injuries just means the guys who aren't getting it done have a cop out.[/quote] We can presuppose, but reality clearly demonstrates that, for some people; because of some things, not always in our control, this just isn't the case. I could enumerate any number of examples, but one leaps to mind right away. I won't mention the guy's name because he has already been through enough. A few years ago a big, talented long bomber of the ball burst onto the professional scene after a decorated amateur career. He was good enough to earn his PGA TOUR card, but unfortunate enough to battle against bipolar disorder and other mental health issues. This kid had all the talent in the world, but his inner psychological demons prevented him from properly harnessing his full potential. He lost his TOUR card. Keeping it was very difficult for him. Life happens, buddy. The stars don't always align. Sometimes what "should" be easy turns out to be extremely difficult.

Thrillhouse

it takes a lower level of ability to get a tour card than it does to keep a tour card. I know a bunch of guys who got through q school, made 200k in their only year out there, and have never been back. Insurance agencies and car dealerships in california and florida are packed with guys who played on tour for a year.

It's really another one of those threads where a young OP without proper frame of reference tries to judge how playing on tour is easy to do, or how Kevin Na drives shorter than 225. Keeping the card is hard in the same sense that making cuts is HARD. It's a dynamic system where half of people playing will miss the cut. Therefore half of all the players are somehow "dumb" or "bad." Same with money list, by definition some people will be out of 125. It will always be hard. Easy would be when you have a performance standard like passing PAT. You can say that is easy because you're just meeting an arbitrary number.

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[quote name='whatshannenin' timestamp='1337490405' post='4944774'] [quote name='fua1' timestamp='1337489125' post='4944712'] You are wrong. Plenty of players on nation wide tour trying to get their card back. [/quote] That's their own fault. They didn't play good enough or choked. I'd say more often than not guys have the mentality they have to win and therefore they put too much pressure on themselves and choke. I don't think people are understanding the debate here, obviously there has to be people that lose their cards as there are more people on Tour than cards available. I don't see how making 20 of 30 cuts and finishing around T-30 or slightly better is all that difficult for someone clearly good enough to be out there. I'm not talking about winning or finishing in the top 10 on the Money list, I'm talking about keeping your job. The system is not designed that way, it's not a revolving door of players out there. If someone has a poor year, it's their fault, not because "the competition is so good" or "the courses are so hard". The competition didn't keep you from making the cut and getting a T-30, you did. [/quote] How is finishing T30 so easy? If 140 players are in an event about half of them will make the cut and less then half of those will be in the top 30. The competition will keep most out of the top 30. These are the best players in the world. Until you win a major or have alot of career earnings it is not easy to just keep your card. You are not even close on this one, way off.

Neither is easy at all, but I'd say that it's easier to keep your card than to get it.

[quote name='xabia' timestamp='1337489955' post='4944748'] And your point is based on personal experience?...vor is it possible you have no idea whatsoever how difficult it would be to be a touring pro? [/quote] Me? Very personal. Besides my own cup of coffee I had, there are still several of my close friends and college teammates that play or caddie on the PGA Tour. For those players without permanent status, being inside the 125 cut-off is always a main goal going into every year.

[quote name='rafal' timestamp='1337506592' post='4945106'] It's really another one of those threads where a young OP without proper frame of reference tries to judge how playing on tour is easy to do, or how Kevin Na drives shorter than 225. Keeping the card is hard in the same sense that making cuts is HARD. It's a dynamic system where half of people playing will miss the cut. Therefore half of all the players are somehow "dumb" or "bad." Same with money list, by definition some people will be out of 125. It will always be hard. Easy would be when you have a performance standard like passing PAT. You can say that is easy because you're just meeting an arbitrary number. [/quote] Strong accusations of my knowledge considering we don't know eachother. Kevin Na does dink it out there, so that's factual as well. (even though it wasn't part of the discussion, I thought I'd set that straight) I'll say it again, only the player keeps themselves from keeping their card. If they just play like they are supposed to it's not that hard. No one is beating them out for a spot in a 40 yard dash or with a 100 mph fast ball. You control your own destiny and you have thirty-some events throughout the year to maintain it. There's a lot of second chances on the PGA Tour and too many sob stories of the competition being hard or the courses being hard. I have no sympathy for people who don't embrace the opportunities they have playing for more money in a week than some people will make in a lifetime. I am saying it's easy with the mindset that you don't have to win or "beat" someone" to do it. Cuts are way higher on the PGA Tour than Nationwide and yeah while the courses may be harder or setup harder, they are the World's best, shooting a couple under and getting a top 30 shouldn't be that hard. They make it hard with the excuses of competition, hard courses etc etc.

SadTrombone

[quote name='Tmiller72' timestamp='1337511540' post='4945168'] Neither is east at all, but I'd say that it's easier to keep your card than to get it. [/quote] This.

[quote name='minitour' timestamp='1337528436' post='4945900'] [quote name='Tmiller72' timestamp='1337511540' post='4945168'] Neither is east at all, but I'd say that it's easier to keep your card than to get it. [/quote] This. [/quote] At least someone sees my point. When I say easy, I mean in relation to Tour players. Just as a comment like this player is a poor chipper or putter, in comparison to Tour players is how those comments are meant to be taken. For example Robert Allenby and Tim Clark are poor chippers just as Vijay Singh is a poor putter. Now clearly we don't mean 20 handicapper bad, but for Tour standards they are.

Maybe said a better way: It's difficult to keep your card. But it's MORE difficulter to GET your card.

[quote name='whatshannenin' timestamp='1337529104' post='4945940'] [quote name='minitour' timestamp='1337528436' post='4945900'] [quote name='Tmiller72' timestamp='1337511540' post='4945168'] Neither is east at all, but I'd say that it's easier to keep your card than to get it. [/quote] This. [/quote] At least someone sees my point.[/quote] But this wasn't, and never has been, your point. You started this thread by declaring "it's easy to stay there if you're good enough to get there."

@PGArox You are correct, but they are basically agreeing with it. Not just anyone can get to the PGA Tour, therefore if you are good enough to be there, staying there shouldn't be that hard or as hard as it was getting there. It's especially going to be harder to get there, now, with qualifying only coming from the Nationwide Tour.

[quote name='whatshannenin' timestamp='1337488843' post='4944704'] I made this statement in another thread and I stand by it: "It is easy to stay there if you are good enough to get there. I don't care what anyone says, the PGA Tour is not designed to keep players from maintaining their cards. Now, do you have to play well? Yes. But clearly they are good enough so they have one responsibility and that's to play decent to good golf. With the money each week and not every week being a top level event with the world's best, I'd say it's pretty easy, IMO. It's harder to get onto the PGA Tour from the Nationwide, than it is to keep your card on the PGA Tour. " I'll add to it even further, the cuts on the PGA Tour usually range from -2 to +3 on average. So if you have a scoring average of 71 or better before the cut you should make nearly every cut. If you make the cut on Tour and finish last you win anywhere from $10-12k each week. Now someone pointed out that $750k was required to keep your card. There are roughly 40 events (now I know there are invitationals and majors, so it's probably closer to 32 or 33 normal field events) on Tour and if you just make the cut and finish dead last you will have made somewhere around $350-400k. That's if you finished dead last which is like next to impossible to do especially if you are making tons of cuts. If you hypothetically played 30 events and made 20 cuts and need to make $750K to keep your card.....that's only $35K a tournament.....a mediocre T-30 would get you that. I just don't see this being that difficult for a world class player to go out each week and shoot between -2 under and +3 with everything at their disposal such as flawless courses, world class instruction, world class fitness and nutrition, world class caddies, equipment tailored each and every week for different courses, favorable drops from grand stands and different rules than a normal person would face without the grand stands etc, spectators and marshals to deflect balls down trample rough and ensure there is never a lost ball. Getting there is hard, staying there isn't. When there is $200 million plus in prize money on the PGA Tour throughout the year it's hard to manage one good tournament and a bunch of mediocre ones to rack up $750K? Someone please try to tell me how I'm wrong in this theory..... [/quote] I think the situation you're describing applies more to established tour players than rookies. I have no personal experience, but being a first year pro sounds like it can be pretty tough - if you're not high enough on the priority list, its a struggle just to get into tournaments. You end up with a lot of extra travel - traveling to tournaments without a guaranteed spot, hoping someone WDs so you can get in as a alternate. Because you can't set a schedule, you end up having to play whatever events you can get into, instead of being able to pick courses that fit your strengths. You really have to play well in the limited chances you do have in order to qualify for even the first Fedex event. Combine that with learning all the "off course" stuff associated with being a PGA Tour member, and I think it can argued that keeping your card for the first year is at least as difficult as getting it in the first place.

Cameron Circle T

They're not pretty much agreeing with you. There is a big difference in the statement it is easy to do x and it is easIER to do x than y. Also, the poster that pointed out that the bar is constantly shifting makes a hugely valid point. You don't have a set number to go out and shoot. It's not like saying ok, if I shoot 4 70's I'm going to finish top 30 this week. You never really know how it's going to go. s*** happens in golf, even if it's not the players fault, an unlucky bounce here or there, etc. and you miss your number. And it's not like the guy who can only finish near number 30 is really psyching himself out to try to win. Likely he's worried about having to pay his caddie, feed his family, pay his expenses, etc. Just trying to make a cut is still a mentally taxing event...if you're really out there with caddies etc. you should know that. You also sort of imply that grandstands and a crowd and all these favorable things are there for all 140 guys in the field. I remember following a journeyman friend of mine for years when he was just a journeymen (won several times since), it was often just my family and me and whoever his playing partner's wife was. If his ball took a funny hop 270 yards out, there were maybe 3 to 4 people to try to find it, and no one to move boulders, climb trees etc. It's pretty true for all of the journeymen guys just trying to keep their cards and meet that 125 number. They don't have the phil or kuchar or rickie crowds to see a ball that was hit 30 yards offline land and crowd around it. The above poster also has a point, plus factor in the reshuffle and the fact that the system IS designed to have guys lose their cards or not get it back in full. Only 125 guys get to keep it, not sure how thats at all a system that is not designed to have people losing their cards. Again, not like the PAT where anyone who meets a benchmark gets to go on. Sure it is easier than having to play 6 rounds in the finals of q-school by sheer odds because you have more shots to get it done, but even for the guys that get there is it by no means "easy." Other than that, it's clear how this thread is going, so enjoy.

[quote name='cdnglf' timestamp='1337535047' post='4946278'] [quote name='whatshannenin' timestamp='1337488843' post='4944704'] I made this statement in another thread and I stand by it: "It is easy to stay there if you are good enough to get there. I don't care what anyone says, the PGA Tour is not designed to keep players from maintaining their cards. Now, do you have to play well? Yes. But clearly they are good enough so they have one responsibility and that's to play decent to good golf. With the money each week and not every week being a top level event with the world's best, I'd say it's pretty easy, IMO. It's harder to get onto the PGA Tour from the Nationwide, than it is to keep your card on the PGA Tour. " I'll add to it even further, the cuts on the PGA Tour usually range from -2 to +3 on average. So if you have a scoring average of 71 or better before the cut you should make nearly every cut. If you make the cut on Tour and finish last you win anywhere from $10-12k each week. Now someone pointed out that $750k was required to keep your card. There are roughly 40 events (now I know there are invitationals and majors, so it's probably closer to 32 or 33 normal field events) on Tour and if you just make the cut and finish dead last you will have made somewhere around $350-400k. That's if you finished dead last which is like next to impossible to do especially if you are making tons of cuts. If you hypothetically played 30 events and made 20 cuts and need to make $750K to keep your card.....that's only $35K a tournament.....a mediocre T-30 would get you that. I just don't see this being that difficult for a world class player to go out each week and shoot between -2 under and +3 with everything at their disposal such as flawless courses, world class instruction, world class fitness and nutrition, world class caddies, equipment tailored each and every week for different courses, favorable drops from grand stands and different rules than a normal person would face without the grand stands etc, spectators and marshals to deflect balls down trample rough and ensure there is never a lost ball. Getting there is hard, staying there isn't. When there is $200 million plus in prize money on the PGA Tour throughout the year it's hard to manage one good tournament and a bunch of mediocre ones to rack up $750K? Someone please try to tell me how I'm wrong in this theory..... [/quote] I think the situation you're describing applies more to established tour players than rookies. I have no personal experience, but being a first year pro sounds like it can be pretty tough - if you're not high enough on the priority list, its a struggle just to get into tournaments. You end up with a lot of extra travel - traveling to tournaments without a guaranteed spot, hoping someone WDs so you can get in as a alternate. Because you can't set a schedule, you end up having to play whatever events you can get into, instead of being able to pick courses that fit your strengths. You really have to play well in the limited chances you do have in order to qualify for even the first Fedex event. Combine that with learning all the "off course" stuff associated with being a PGA Tour member, and I think it can argued that keeping your card for the first year is at least as difficult as getting it in the first place. [/quote] You make good points, I'll agree with that. This isn't an "I'm right, you're wrong" debate. It's just a fun discussion to see what people think. I feel pretty strongly about my opinions as I have had a lot of experience with Tour players and circumstances. I just get fired up when people use excuses for not playing good enough to keep their card (excluding rookies with the points above) when every possible opportunity to succeed is right there for the taking. I'll add to the points above that people who have a "bad number" on the list of exempt players need to play decent enough to improve their number, they know what they need to do so it's not like an unusual circumstance there. Good golf keeps you on the Tour, bad golf and excuses are why you lose your card generally speaking. (obviously injuries and family crisis' etc can't be included here) I may be stating the obvious but too many times players think they got screwed or it's an unfair system and that is far from the truth, IMO.

[quote name='Cameron Circle T' timestamp='1337535674' post='4946318'] They're not pretty much agreeing with you. There is a big difference in the statement it is easy to do x and it is easIER to do x than y. Also, the poster that pointed out that the bar is constantly shifting makes a hugely valid point. You don't have a set number to go out and shoot. It's not like saying ok, if I shoot 4 70's I'm going to finish top 30 this week. You never really know how it's going to go. s*** happens in golf, even if it's not the players fault, an unlucky bounce here or there, etc. and you miss your number. And it's not like the guy who can only finish near number 30 is really psyching himself out to try to win. Likely he's worried about having to pay his caddie, feed his family, pay his expenses, etc. Just trying to make a cut is still a mentally taxing event...if you're really out there with caddies etc. you should know that. You also sort of imply that grandstands and a crowd and all these favorable things are there for all 140 guys in the field. I remember following a journeyman friend of mine for years when he was just a journeymen (won several times since), it was often just my family and me and whoever his playing partner's wife was. If his ball took a funny hop 270 yards out, there were maybe 3 to 4 people to try to find it, and no one to move boulders, climb trees etc. It's pretty true for all of the journeymen guys just trying to keep their cards and meet that 125 number. They don't have the phil or kuchar or rickie crowds to see a ball that was hit 30 yards offline land and crowd around it. The above poster also has a point, plus factor in the reshuffle and the fact that the system IS designed to have guys lose their cards or not get it back in full. Only 125 guys get to keep it, not sure how thats at all a system that is not designed to have people losing their cards. Again, not like the PAT where anyone who meets a benchmark gets to go on. Sure it is easier than having to play 6 rounds in the finals of q-school by sheer odds because you have more shots to get it done, but even for the guys that get there is it by no means "easy." [b]Other than that, it's clear how this thread is going, so enjoy. [/b][/quote] Good points, I like discussion. It's an online forum meant for discussion. I was just having this conversation with some people at the course and thought I'd see what people on the forum thought. I may be wrong or miscalculating the difficulty, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

[quote name='Cameron Circle T' timestamp='1337535674' post='4946318'] They're not pretty much agreeing with you. There is a big difference in the statement it is easy to do x and it is easIER to do x than y. Also, the poster that pointed out that the bar is constantly shifting makes a hugely valid point. You don't have a set number to go out and shoot. It's not like saying ok, if I shoot 4 70's I'm going to finish top 30 this week. You never really know how it's going to go. s*** happens in golf, even if it's not the players fault, an unlucky bounce here or there, etc. and you miss your number. And it's not like the guy who can only finish near number 30 is really psyching himself out to try to win. Likely he's worried about having to pay his caddie, feed his family, pay his expenses, etc. Just trying to make a cut is still a mentally taxing event...if you're really out there with caddies etc. you should know that. You also sort of imply that grandstands and a crowd and all these favorable things are there for all 140 guys in the field. I remember following a journeyman friend of mine for years when he was just a journeymen (won several times since), it was often just my family and me and whoever his playing partner's wife was. If his ball took a funny hop 270 yards out, there were maybe 3 to 4 people to try to find it, and no one to move boulders, climb trees etc. It's pretty true for all of the journeymen guys just trying to keep their cards and meet that 125 number. They don't have the phil or kuchar or rickie crowds to see a ball that was hit 30 yards offline land and crowd around it. The above poster also has a point, plus factor in the reshuffle and the fact that the system IS designed to have guys lose their cards or not get it back in full. Only 125 guys get to keep it, not sure how thats at all a system that is not designed to have people losing their cards. Again, not like the PAT where anyone who meets a benchmark gets to go on. Sure it is easier than having to play 6 rounds in the finals of q-school by sheer odds because you have more shots to get it done, but even for the guys that get there is it by no means "easy." Other than that, it's clear how this thread is going, so enjoy. [/quote] Good smackdown, thanks.

You want to know how tough it is on the PGA TOUR? We all saw how tricky and challenging the TPC at Las Colinas can be this week. It is by no means an easy course. Arjun Atwal shot rounds of 72-69-73-69. That's not bad golf by any stretch of the imagination. Arjun probably worked his tail off for those scores, and he was "rewarded" with a 56th place finish. Meanwhile, Greg Owen shot 67-71-70-71 and finished tied 29th. Both Owen and Atwal were right around par for the entire week. The difference between Owen's 29th and Atwal's 56th? Four strokes. Four measly strokes in four days, or one per round. Think about it: one stroke per round is the power lip-out we saw Phil suffer at #17. It's one drive which ends up in a divot, or catches the lip of a fairway bunker. One stroke per round is the one loose swing on an otherwise good day. It's the sudden gust of wind which knocks the ball down, and into a greenside bunker. Or it's the unfortunate kick which sends the ball into the trees instead of the rough. One measly stroke per round is HUGE on the PGA TOUR. This week it was the difference between Greg Owen's $40,439 and Arjun Atwal's $14,430. Nothing is easy on the PGA TOUR.

Nice concrete example.

[quote name='PGArox' timestamp='1337491373' post='4944810'] If you're as good, and as focused, dedicated and determined as Phil Mickelson; and you are fortunate enough to avoid serious injury, then keeping your PGA TOUR card is seemingly pretty easy. This is Phil's 20th full year on TOUR, and the worst money list standing he has ever had was 38th, in 2003. However, if you have the talent of Dicky Pride, and you are not as fortunate in avoiding injuries and physical ailment, then keeping your TOUR card can be very difficult at times. There are many factors involved in allowing a very talented golfer to continue to play consistently well year after year, not the least of which is the quality of physical health. A golfer's emotional state of being, which for some people can be very fragile at times, also plays a huge role in his ability to maintain a high performance level. And sometimes just the fickle nature of athletic skill can undermine even the most intense competitor. One day you have it, and the next day you don't. Too many factors at work to make a blanket statement like the OP's. [/quote] Completely the best answer by far (IMO). Yeah, getting on Tour is tough. Staying there for a year or two is (perhaps) slightly less tough ... but keeping a card for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years? Through injuries, and marriage and kids and the stuff life throws at you (in fact, everyone) ... that is a completely different story. It doesn't, maybe, appear that way - because we all know the names of the guys that have actually managed to do it ... they are familiar faces on the course. What isn't really noticed is the [i]large[/i] amount of guys that earn their cards because they had a great year or two in the Nationwide (or a great week or two at Q school) ... but miss half the cuts their first year, never finish above 50th the rest of the time ... never even show up on a camera during a tourney ... and quietly disappear before anyone even knows they were there. There's a number of real competitors ... the Strickers and Furyks of the Tour ... that can go a year or two without even winning a B event, but still keep their cards (though actually even Stricker lost his for a year or two). But for every one Furyk, there are 10 guys no one has ever heard of that had brief moments of glory ... got their card, and then disappeared. So I guess I cannot agree with a statement as generalized as the OP has made ... Saying it is "harder to get your card than it is to keep your card" is just way too vague. I might agree that it is harder to get your card than it is to keep your card - for a year or two. But keeping a card for 5 years, 10, 15? Through all the stuff that life throws at you? No ... I fear I believe that is immensely more difficult that putting a few great Q School weeks together.

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[quote name='PGArox' timestamp='1337553721' post='4947424'] You want to know how tough it is on the PGA TOUR? We all saw how tricky and challenging the TPC at Las Colinas can be this week. It is by no means an easy course. Arjun Atwal shot rounds of 72-69-73-69. That's not bad golf by any stretch of the imagination. Arjun probably worked his tail off for those scores, and he was "rewarded" with a 56th place finish. Meanwhile, Greg Owen shot 67-71-70-71 and finished tied 29th. Both Owen and Atwal were right around par for the entire week. The difference between Owen's 29th and Atwal's 56th? Four strokes. Four measly strokes in four days, or one per round. Think about it: one stroke per round is the power lip-out we saw Phil suffer at #17. It's one drive which ends up in a divot, or catches the lip of a fairway bunker. One stroke per round is the one loose swing on an otherwise good day. It's the sudden gust of wind which knocks the ball down, and into a greenside bunker. Or it's the unfortunate kick which sends the ball into the trees instead of the rough. One measly stroke per round is HUGE on the PGA TOUR. This week it was the difference between Greg Owen's $40,439 and Arjun Atwal's $14,430. Nothing is easy on the PGA TOUR. [/quote] Could they have played better? Was the opportunity there? Bad breaks alone kept Arjun Atwal or Greg Owen from playing better? They made the cut so the opportunity was there. It's up to them whether they play good golf, to me it should be pretty easy at that point especially after they make the cut and bad breaks happen to everyone. I don't know what they are thinking about other than playing good golf, especially when I'm not even referring to the tournament being on the line or winning. Play good golf you keep your card, they are professional athletes, this isn't too hard to grasp this. If you finish outside the top 150 you didn't play good and no amount of "bad breaks" were the cause. The above reference about guys worrying to "feed their families" this isn't the soup kitchen at the Salvation army, these guys lose their cards and make a half million.....come on.

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Money Matters

Inside the PGA Tour's new program that guarantees all exempt players will make a minimum of $500K

Rookie Cameron Young was able to make more than $6 million this season. But for first-timers less fortunate moving forward, the PGA Tour is guaranteeing they'll make at least $500,000.

Cliff Hawkins

ATLANTA — Much of the talk surrounding the PGA Tour in recent months has focused on figuring out ways top players can be compensated well enough to want to stick around and not be lured away by LIV Golf. But on Wednesday, tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a new financial incentive program geared not just for the tour’s biggest stars, but all its members.

For the 2022-23 season, all fully exempt tour players who compete in 15 tournaments will be guaranteed to earn $500,000 through the creation of the Earnings Assurance Program. For rookies and returning members to the tour, that money isn’t just guaranteed, but will be paid up front, with the players drawing against it during the season from their earnings.

“We believe it meets the challenging dynamic of how players manage and invest in their careers, and it's comparable to how other leagues approach their athlete compensation,” Monahan said when discussing the program during a press conference ahead of the Tour Championship.

MORE: PGA Tour adds more lucrative events, gets top players to commit to play together on regular basis

According to Monahan, any player making more than $500,000 will, obviously, accrue all the money they earn. And any player who comes up short of $500,000, the tour at the end of the year will pay the difference.

Typically, 215 to 220 golfers are fully exempt during the PGA Tour season. The tour is confident the majority of those players will surpass the $500,000 threshold. For that reason, Monahan said it was estimated the program would cost the tour between $2 million and $3 million to implement.

During the 2021-22 season, 163 players earned more than $500,000 on tour.

“I think what we're trying to do here is that, as you start a season and you plan for a season knowing the monies that you have to invest to compete … at the highest level,” Monahan said. “There are significant costs. So if you’re not able to play for whatever reason, you have that as a backstop. You know that that’s there for you.”

There were 28 rookies on the PGA Tour this season, led by the meteoric rise of Cameron Young. His seven top-10s this season include a third at the PGA Championship and a second at the Open at St. Andrews, which combined for $6.5 million in earnings through the BMW Championship.

MORE: Why the Player Impact Program will become even more important (and lucrative) in 2023

Down the list of rookies, however, there are six who did not earn $500,000 and thus would have been paid the difference: Paul Barjon, Dylan Wu, Curtis Thompson, David Skinns, Jared Wolfe and Joshua Creel.

The program, however, will benefit not just newcomers to the tour, but even some who already have had stand out careers. During the 2022-23 season, former FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker played 22 events but struggled with just two top-25 finishes. He wound up earning $352,198. Even a player like him, however, would be entitled to the $500,000 minimum, with the tour paying the remaining $147,802.

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Who is Collin Morikawa? PGA Tour member sits in second in 2024 Masters heading into final day

Collin Morikawa has positioned himself nicely heading into the final day of the 2024 Masters , as he aims for his first-ever green jacket.

REQUIRED READING: Masters replay: Scottie Scheffler tops leaderboard, Tiger Woods has his worst Augusta round

Morikawa, 27, currently sits in second place with a score of 6-under par heading into the final day at Augusta National, just one stroke behind leader Scottie Scheffler.

Morikawa had one of the best performances on the course on Saturday, shooting a 3-under 69 to move his total score to 210 on the tournament.

This year marks Morikawa's fifth appearance at the Masters, as he looks to win golf's top tournament.

Here's everything to know about Morikawa heading into the final day of the 2024 Masters:

REQUIRED READING: Jason Day says Augusta National asked him take Malbon vest off Friday at 2024 Masters

Who is Collin Morikawa?

Collin Morikawa is a 27-year-old professional golfer currently playing on the PGA Tour after turning professional in 2019.

Morikawa is currently the 20th-ranked golfer in the world, according to the Official World Golf Ranking.

Morikawa played college golf at Cal, even raising to the No. 1 ranking in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for three weeks in May 2018.

The Los Angeles native has six career wins on the PGA Tour, which includes the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 British Open. He began his PGA Tour career with 22 consecutive tournaments without missing the cut, which stands only second to Tiger Woods' streak of 25.

REQUIRED READING: Tiger Woods score today at Masters is his worst round in a major. What he shot at Augusta

Has Collin Morikawa won the Masters?

Collin Morikawa has never won the Masters, however, he has two consecutive top-10 finishes.

Morikawa finished fifth in 2022 and tied-for-10th in 2023, before placing himself at second heading into the final day of the 2024 Masters.

Collin Morikawa majors results

Collin Morikawa has two majors wins in his career, winning the 2020 PGA Championship in San Francisco, and the 2021 British Open.

Morikawa was briefly ranked the world's No. 2-ranked golfer in October 2021 after winning two majors.

Morikawa also has a tied-for-fourth finish at the 2021 U.S. Open and a fifth-place finish at the 2022 Masters.

Here's a look at how he has fared by year in golf majors:

2019: U.S. Open - T35

2020: Masters - T44, PGA Championship - Won, U.S. Open - Cut

2021: Masters - T18, PGA Championship - T8, U.S. Open - T4, The Open Championship - 1

2022: Masters - 5, PGA Championship - T55, U.S. Open - T5, The Open Championship - Cut

2023: Masters - T10, PGA Championship - T26, U.S. Open - T14, The Open Championship - Cut

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Who is Collin Morikawa? PGA Tour member sits in second at 2024 Masters

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Professional Golf Is at a Crossroads. How—and When—Will It Find a Resolution?

Nearly a year after the announcement that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would merge, pro golf is in a confusing place. The tours are still separate; government investigations are ongoing; players are defecting; and fans are lost. So where does the sport stand in 2024? And where is it going?

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Last December, after a professional golfer named Jon Rahm showed up on Fox News wearing a varsity jacket with the LIV Golf logo, a Reddit user going by the name Golfhood started a thread with the subject line: “I’m done with pro golf .”

Golfhood claimed to be a former mini-tour player who had been working in the golf industry for nearly 15 years. The game, to Golfhood, was a way to break free of everyday life for a few hours, talk trash with friends, and eat hot dogs at the turn. But the protracted power struggle between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia–backed LIV Golf over the future of the professional game had shattered that illusion of escape. The joy had been swept away by pointed debates about business and laws and ethics and politics and money … so, so, so much money. Golfhood watched Rahm make his announcement about defecting from the PGA Tour to LIV—after previously pledging his fealty to the PGA Tour and insisting he was in it “ for the love of golf ”—and saw yet another dude who had embraced hypocrisy for the paycheck.

“This is the first time in my life,” Golfhood wrote, “that I have felt like I don’t love golf anymore.”

Golfhood’s post received over a thousand replies, most of which agreed with the overarching sentiment. Some said they might still watch the major tournaments, such as this week’s Masters, but that they had no reason to watch week to week anymore; some said they’d rather watch women’s golf or amateur golf, which, to them, feel like purer products. Some mentioned that they had long ago severed the relationship between playing golf and watching golf—that their love of the game had become separate from their need for the sport .

“Just watch the big 4 [major tournaments] like the rest of us and then go be a weekend warrior,” someone replied.

Golfhood’s five-paragraph missive—punctuated with a plaintive “fuck”—captured the visceral frustration many are feeling with the sport these days, from the fans to the players to the media members who cover it on a daily basis. And it raised the same questions they’ve been asking for months, like: What the hell is even going on anymore? Will LIV and the PGA Tour ever actually merge? Is there even a right side and a wrong side anymore, or have morals and ethics been rendered irrelevant by the money? When does it end? How does it end?

And will we still care in the same way when it does?

“Everything in golf over the past two years has shouldered this existential weight that no one has been able to shed,” Joel Beall, a senior writer for Golf Digest , told me over email. “For the most part, golf’s stakeholders have taken fans’ attention for granted, assuming it will always be there because it always has been. … I don’t think fans are ignorant to the fact that professional sports are a business. It’s just that this business is also the passion of millions.”

Such is the state of professional golf leading into its most prestigious tournament: mired in arguments about laws and ethics and morality and politics as it faces down central questions about its future. How do we even know what this sport is anymore? And will we recognize what it eventually becomes?

Let us begin by cutting back to last June, which is when it seemed, for a time, like this whole conflict was ending. After more than a year of constant warring, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf appeared to reach a détente: PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced , alongside LIV Golf’s leadership, that the two bodies would merge to form one unified commercial entity. LIV players would eventually be invited to reapply to the tour; a binding framework had been agreed upon, they said, though the financial details had yet to be worked out. “How did we go from a confrontation to now being partners?” Monahan told the media . “We just realized that we were better off together than we were fighting or apart.”

This announcement was an utter shock to pretty much everyone involved, including many PGA Tour players themselves. Perhaps most of all Rory McIlroy, who had served as the face of the tour’s supposedly principled stand against a competitor backed by a Saudi regime that has a deeply problematic geopolitical history , including a paragraph-long list of what the State Department calls “significant human rights issues.” For months, McIlroy had fought against LIV’s very existence, against what he saw as the greed of the players who had sacrificed their personal ethics for an admittedly tremendous financial gain. If you make a decision “purely for money,” McIlroy said , it “doesn’t usually end up going the right way.” Over that time, McIlroy presumed the PGA Tour leadership was on his side.

And then, facing the prospect of additional player defections and up against a seemingly endless stream of Saudi money, it appeared as if the tour abruptly caved. Two entities that despised each other—LIV was born out of grudges that former tour pro Greg Norman, LIV’s CEO and commissioner, had carried against the tour for 30 years —would find a way to join forces. All the hard feelings would soon be papered over by a wall of cash. McIlroy, captured behind the scenes on Netflix’s reality series Full Swing , said he’d pretty much reached his breaking point with the tour. “Fuck it,” he said. “Do what you want to do.”

It felt, to many, like one of the most transparently cynical moments in the modern history of sports. “Bought,”’ wrote Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post. “That’s the only word for Monahan and his henchies on the PGA Tour policy board.”

Such was the condemnation. But then the actual resolution never came.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs opened an antitrust probe into the merger and held hearings last summer; Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal condemned it as an attempt by a “repressive” regime to “buy influence” in the United States. To this point, the investigation has been stymied by LIV’s backer, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which reportedly threatened to jail its advisers if they cooperated with the inquiry. The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the merger over antitrust concerns but has made no announcements on the subject since June. A late-2023 deadline to iron out the details of the merger passed with negotiations supposedly progressing , but nothing concrete was announced. And so, as the bargaining goes on, the struggle for leverage continues.

Rahm—one of the best players on tour—abruptly defected to LIV in December, potentially swinging the momentum of the ongoing negotiations in the direction of the PIF. The PGA Tour, in response, signed an agreement with a deep-pocketed group of American sports team owners and investors called Strategic Sports Group , seemingly trying to wrest back some power from LIV’s endless flow of cash. Monahan appeared at the Players Championship in March and gave an update on the merger that revealed nothing and was most notable for his prickly response to questions about Rahm’s departure. (“I’m focused on every single member of the PGA Tour,” he said .) Asked whether the PGA Tour could go on if the merger didn’t happen at all, Monahan said, “I guess I’ll answer that question if a deal isn’t concluded.”

Now, here we are in April, when we should be talking about the Masters. Instead, we’re still ensnared in speculation about various consortiums of ultrarich people hiding behind a jumble of acronyms—PIF, SSG—that don’t mean a damn thing to the vast majority of people who actually watch the sport. In short, Beall wrote in a March piece, “No one knows anything.”

“It’s like the worst soap opera ever,” says Don Heider, ​​chief executive of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

Last week, McIlroy told the publication Golf Monthly that he believes “we’re probably still quite a long ways from” a merger, if one happens at all. And the longer this push and pull for power and leverage and influence goes on, McIlroy said, the less sustainable this fractured landscape becomes for everyone, from players to sponsors to fans. In the meantime, it feels increasingly like there’s no normalcy to be found anywhere in men’s professional golf. There’s just the cynical view that another crumbling American institution sold out to the highest bidder.

Years ago, Lee McGinnis, a professor at Stonehill College who has studied the culture and fandom of golf, wrote a thesis about the notion of the golf course as a “sacred space.” “You consider the golf time that you have with your friends, your buddies, your associates to be sacred time,” McGinnis says. “There are certain norms you don’t violate in terms of etiquette.”

But over the course of the past couple of years, McGinnis says, that notion has been fractured. The sport’s trials have begun to encroach on the joy of the game. “For lack of a better term,” McGinnis says, “it feels dirty.”

Scroll down on Golfhood’s Reddit thread, and the vitriol is apparent: “I wouldn’t watch LIV even if every top 25 PGA player jumped ship,” one respondent says. “Fuck LIV and the people that own it,” says another. The presumption, among many of those fans, is that there’s no point even bothering to watch. Because what is LIV as an actual product, anyhow, beyond the noise? What does it aspire to be, beyond a money-driven construction?

The team format —13 groups of four, plus two wild cards, with a team championship tournament at the end of the season—has rung hollow. (With team names like Fireballs, Crushers, and RangeGoats, it comes across like a Ryder Cup for loudmouths.) And LIV tournaments themselves have no history. Most Americans don’t care about watching three rounds of golf in Singapore or Mayakoba on a course they know nothing about. David Berri, a professor of economics at Southern Utah University, compared it to the NFL’s employment of replacement players during the 1987 strike. “It was like, ‘What am I watching here?’” Berri says. “‘I’m not watching the Eagles. These aren’t the Eagles. These are just 50 guys you found up the street.’”

You might argue that Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka are not Shane Falco , and that would certainly be fair, but the larger point is that the whole concept still feels artificial . A more apt comparison might be Vince McMahon’s XFL: a brash challenger that deliberately and aggressively tried to shatter the sanctity of the sport in order to wedge its way into the culture. At least for now, it mostly seems to exist just to create chaos.

“Going to the LIV” event in Boston, McGinnis says, “I thought, Oh my gosh, this felt … Vegas-ish or Niagara Falls or something. It felt like, Oh my God, this is supposed to be really nice and pristine. … You get in there, and the pros are wearing shorts. It’s like, no, no, this isn’t some kind of a practice round that you hang out with your buddies. It didn’t feel professional.”

“It didn’t feel like a sanctioned event,” he continues. “It violated golf’s sacred spaces.”

The television ratings show how many people would still rather watch the PGA Tour: In February, LIV set a new viewing record of 432,000 people for its tournament in Mayakoba … which was roughly a third of the number of viewers who tuned in to a re-airing of the third round of the rain-shortened Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The vast majority of fans, at least, still don’t understand why or how LIV Golf should be a meaningful force in their lives.

“And that’s why, thus far, LIV Golf has not worked,” Beall says.

But the irony is that the PIF, in backing LIV, may not care about meaning. Not if it can buy that meaning. Not if it can merge its money with the PGA Tour’s legitimacy and, in so doing, perhaps legitimize itself to the world—without the need for the government that backs the PIF to alter its behavior. (This is a concept that experts refer to as “ sportswashing .”) The PIF can wait out the final terms for years if the merger continues to stall; it can focus on recruiting the next generation of young talent with lucrative contracts and keep toying with format and location. It can hang around and see if the fans eventually decide to follow its product. This is its leverage in these negotiations: money and time.

“It just appears to me the Saudis really want to be involved in this,” Berri says. “And the PGA [Tour] people are like, ‘We have to let them be involved because they have enough money to take the golfers away, but they also don’t have any ability to create something that replaces us.’”

It is common, in a politically and culturally fraught situation like this, to lose track of who’s right and who’s wrong. In a way, one fundamental answer to that question is simple, says Heider, the ethics expert at Santa Clara: While there is an argument to be made that a competing tour could be good for the players, the golfers who joined LIV made a poor ethical decision by knowingly joining a competing tour that’s tied to the Saudi government. Period. End of story. “If you’re a player,” Heider says, “you have to really hold your nose and understand that you’re taking money indirectly from a regime … [that’s done] all sorts of horrible things.”

Except it’s not the end of the story. If the players are acting unethically, what about the PGA Tour, which appears to be chasing reunification at all costs to discourage the very idea of competition? Here is where Jodi Balsam, a professor of clinical law at Brooklyn Law School and an expert in antitrust law, brings up the concept of a “natural monopoly.”

A natural monopoly is what we conceive of when we think of most professional sports, Balsam says. A natural monopoly means there is one dominant sports league, in which all of the best players compete against each other. As fans, that’s what we want; it creates the purest form of a meritocracy. But a natural monopoly, in terms of antitrust law, is not considered credible, because in the U.S., monopolies are still (theoretically) supposed to be illegal.

A natural monopoly “seems to be sort of a reflexive statement about any market in which a dominant existing firm is trying to block competitive entry,” Balsam says. “And to be fair to the golfers, if you’re measuring how competitive the market is in selling your services, you want many bidders.”

So what does that actually mean?

“Right now in professional golf,” Balsam says, “consumers’ and golfers’ self-interests are in conflict.”

The players who defected to LIV were chasing their own economic interests, which is what we would expect pretty much anyone else in any other industry to do. But these players also accomplished that goal by accepting money from the Saudi regime, which, Balsam says, “is not a rational economic actor.” And yet in every other industry, foreign investment is an acceptable way of growing a company. Why, Balsam asks, do we care that Saudi Arabia invested in golf but don’t care that it has also invested in corporations such as Uber and Meta ?

The answer, she says, is because sports are different. It’s because athletes represent these aspirational human ideals. It’s because, frankly, we expect more from them. And when people like Golfhood see that those athletes are just as susceptible to self-interest as the rest of us—when they see these impure concepts encroaching on something they hold in higher regard—it shatters people’s illusions. The burden of this civil war has increasingly shifted onto the consumer, who now has to endure a diluted product that’s been weighed down by the heaviness of geopolitics and whose interests feel increasingly marginalized. There is no escape from it. Not even at Augusta National.

Ideally, this week’s Masters would serve as a sort of Swiss summit, in which the best golfers in the world—regardless of their stance in this civil war—would convene in the placid setting of Augusta National Golf Club and compete for the right to drape themselves in the sport’s most sacred piece of bright green haberdashery. The Masters is itself a throwback, a tournament that, as Golf Digest ’s Jerry Tarde wrote in February, has a time-honored strategy of leaving money on the table in exchange for control and sustainability.”

But this year’s Masters is happening as golf is mired in a battle that symbolizes the opposite of that time-honored strategy—one that also resurfaces the issue of golf’s ugly past. “Golf in America is already viewed as an elitist, exclusive game,” says Beall, author of an upcoming book about this era in the sport called Playing Dirty . “Golf is in this position because of entitlement and greed. ... The sport has never been more detached from reality.”

You might argue that a certain detachment from reality is part of the Masters’ charm: The whole event is constructed as a kind of time warp, a step back into a more tranquil era in American life. But for all the cheap sandwiches and reasonably priced souvenirs that Augusta National sells during Masters week—for all the money it really does leave on the table—the club cannot obscure the fact that its insistence on control was why it did not accept a single Black member until 1990 and didn’t have a female member until 2012 . And the sport as a whole cannot erase a shameful history of exclusion; even now, a generation after Tiger Woods upended the status quo—and despite efforts to make change —there are still only a handful of minority professional golfers.

“Maybe golf has blinders on about the issues relating to individual rights and persecution of women and minorities because golf has not been as open historically to women and minorities,” Balsam says. “Now, that has certainly changed. And maybe what that means for the PGA Tour is that, in this partnership, they have to be even more vocal going forward about opening up the sport to everybody.”

If you think that sounds like a vision that is slightly detached from the brutal realities of the modern world, I can’t blame you. And neither can the writers who cover the sport on a regular basis, the ones who have witnessed golf’s grand vision of itself completely collapse. “It appears like most of golf’s central actors have cared more about getting paid or taken care of,” Beall says, “rather than where their actions could be taking golf as a whole.”

The origins of the modern PGA Tour date back to the late 1960s, when a group of pros including Jack Nicklaus, dissatisfied with the lack of control and with their cut of the television money from the PGA of America, chose to break off and form their own organization. At the time, the PGA of America oversaw 6,000-plus golfers, the vast majority of whom were teaching pros rather than touring pros. When the PGA of America refused to sanction a $200,000 event sponsored by Frank Sinatra, feeling it would conflict with the existing Bob Hope Classic, the players began an open revolt.

Over the course of a couple of contentious years, pro golf appeared to be crumbling. Arnold Palmer tried to play peacemaker and failed. Boycotts were threatened; a competing entity called American Professional Golfers Inc. began forming a splinter tour (something Max Elbin, then the president of the PGA of America, called “a thirst for power resulting possibly from too much prosperity”). And then in 1968, a settlement was reached . The modern PGA Tour split off from the PGA of America, which still oversees teaching pros and administers the PGA Championship. And the whole thing became a historical footnote, so much so that most of us don’t even know it happened.

Which made me wonder: Are we being overly histrionic about this whole thing?

“This is sort of the problem with being a sportswriter,” Berri, the economics professor, tells me. “I wrote an article years ago about strikes and lockouts and noted that strikes and lockouts don’t have any permanent effect on attendance when the strike ends. But when you listen to the sportswriters write about strikes and lockouts, when these things were happening, it was always, ‘The world is ending,’ and, ‘These strikes are going to ruin the sport permanently.’”

Maybe Berri is right. Maybe this thing will get resolved sooner rather than later, and maybe the next Tiger Woods will emerge and golf will cycle through another boom period, the way baseball did when the Mark McGwire–Sammy Sosa home run chase of 1998 briefly erased the anger over the 1994 strike (at least until we realized none of that was entirely real, either).

“That’s the thing about sports that is so weird compared to every other type of good people consume,” Berri says. “The fans are addicted.”

But this is also where golf is different: Fans like Golfhood and the thousands who responded to that Reddit post can still play the game without caring about the sport . As Beall—a sportswriter himself— wrote in a column for Golf Digest , “Fans don’t need the tour, but the tour sure as hell needs fans.”

It’s a small sample size, Beall says, but television audiences for recent tour events are shrinking , even as interest in playing golf has steadily grown since the pandemic . What if the merger takes place and the Saudis continue to act problematically on the geopolitical stage, and their very presence continues to tarnish the sport? What if the hard feelings between PGA Tour and LIV players still exist even after unification? What if the whole enterprise still feels dirty enough that it fundamentally alters the relationship between the sport and the game?

“This just feels like a huge turning point in pro golf as a product,” Golfhood wrote in that Reddit post. “No other sport is as intertwined between people who play it casually and the top players in the world.”

Maybe Golfhood is right. Or maybe Berri is right, and nothing is sacred anymore, because it never really was. Isn’t this how the addiction to golf works, anyhow? We cycle through periods of frustration and despair, we swear we’re done with it, we curse its very existence—and in the end, we just keep coming back.

Michael Weinreb is a freelance writer and the author of four books.

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For Masters rookie Eric Cole, golf really did run in the family

It is rare, but Masters Tournament rookie Eric Cole is hardly the first participant whose father preceded him at Augusta National Golf Club.

This is the 88 th  playing of the tournament, and Cole will be the 14 th  son to follow in his father’s footsteps. His dad, South African Bobby Cole, played in five Masters, the last one in 1978.

But none of the sons of former Masters participants who played in the tournament also had a mother who was a famous professional golfer, like Cole does.

In fact, when Cole won the PGA Tour rookie of year award last season, it came on the 50 th  anniversary that his mother, former Augustan Laura Baugh, was the LPGA Rookie of the year.

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“I think it's kind of a cool thing with my mom winning Rookie of the Year 50 years ago, kind of the 50th anniversary of that,” Cole said. “She won it when she was probably 18 or 19 if I had to guess.”

He was correct – she was 18. Cole was 35, making him the second-oldest rookie of the year on the PGA Tour; Todd Hamilton was 39 when he won it in 2004.

“Different path for me. But it’s just really special,” Cole said.

Eric’s dad, who is now 75, won 13 worldwide titles and once on the PGA Tour at the 1977 Buick Open. He held the honor of being the youngest British Amateur winner for 43 years. As a pro, he had top-three finishes in the 1974 PGA Championship and 1975 British Open.

His best Masters finish was a tie for 15 th  in 1975. He also played in 1967, 1972, 1976 and 1978.

High finishes are what Baugh was known for on the LPGA Tour.

Baugh, who turns 69 next month, started on tour in 1973 through 2000. She never won, but finished as a runner-up 10 times with a mind-boggling 70 top-10 finishes. She was among the most visible LPGA players through her TV and print ads for such products as Colgate’s Ultra Brite toothpaste and Wilson Golf.

Bobby Cole and Baugh married in 1980, divorced in 1985, remarried in 1987 and later divorced again. Their last child, Jamie Cole, is 26 and was born in the late 1990s. In all, they had seven children, starting with Eric.

Baugh and Jamie lived In Augusta from 2013 to late 2015, when Baugh ran a golf school in Evans.

Being the son of two accomplished professional golfers, which one impacted his game the most?

“I'd say probably my mom,” he said. “I spent a little more time playing with her growing up. But they've both helped a lot. Like at a younger age, as a junior, I played more with my mom and we kind of hit it similar distances. It's kind of like a learned a little bit more from her because of that.”

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When Eric was born in 1988, both parents were in the middle of their professional careers.

“I was always around them going to their tournaments and stuff from a young age. So I kind of saw what they did and thought that was something I wanted to do,” Eric said. “I've leaned on them for advice, whether it's golf course stuff or off-the-golf-course stuff, travel or where to play, what to do. So I've leaned on them a lot. They both have been an inspiration to me about how I kind of want to pursue this as my career.”

Eric started playing pro golf in 2009, becoming a dominant player on the minor league tours, winning 58 times.

“Anytime you win a tournament it's a good thing,” he said. “You can only beat the people you're playing against, so it feels good to win. You get a nice sense of satisfaction from it. It's something that translates, at least a little bit, on any stage.”

He never lost hope that he’d make it to the PGA Tour, especially with all his mini-tour victories.

“Yeah, I always wanted to play golf. I was pretty focused as a young person. I always wanted to do it. There was some doubt whether I was going to have any success there for a little while, but I always wanted to be a professional golfer. It's nice to be on the PGA Tour and on the biggest stage.”

He broke through in 2023, finishing in the top 30 of the Korn Ferry Tour money list in 2022.

“I played a lot of golf with guys who had success on tour, and when I would play with them at home or randomly throughout the year, I felt like my game stacked up pretty well,” Cole said. “I saw them having success, and it fueled me to think, 'If I just keep at it and doing what I'm doing, if I get the opportunity and end up getting there, I think that I can have success.'”

As a PGA Tour rookie last year, Cole had six-top five finishes, including runner-up finishes in the Honda Classic and the Zozo Championship. He was the only rookie to make it to the second round of the FedEx Cup playoff and the only rookie in the top 50 in the season-ending FedEx Cup standings.

As those high finishes piled up, his spot in the Official World Golf Ranking skyrocketed. From being ranked 384 th  at the start of 2023, he finished 39 th  at the end of the year, which is how he earned his spot in this year’s Masters.

During his time on the mini-tours, Cole became friends with Arnold Palmer through Sam Saunders, one of Palmer’s grandchildren. Saunders, who is a year older than Cole, played the PGA Tour in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. At times, Cole caddied for Saunders, even in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

Through Saunders, Cole says he played at least 50 rounds of golf with Palmer at his home in Orlando, Fla. Fittingly, the rookie of the year title that Cole won last year is called the Arnold Palmer Award. Palmer, a four-time Masters champion, died in 2016.

“The most memorable thing to me was just spending time around him, hearing some of his old stories about traveling the tour back in the day and some of those stories had my dad in them, which I thought was really cool,” Cole said. “It's the little stuff like that that when I think about him and growing up kind of means the most to me.”

• Category: Games

Free Play Days – Fallout 76, PGA Tour 2K23 and Classified France ‘44

Double header with Free Play Days! PGA Tour 2K23 and Classified France ’44 are available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday April 11 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, April 14 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.   

Additionally, Fallout 76 will be free for all Xbox members starting Tuesday April 11 at 12 pm ET until Tuesday, April 18 at 12 pm ET with Free Play Days for All. 

Game Pass Core will give players access to our advanced multiplayer network, a select collection of over 25 games to play with friends around the world, and exclusive member deals! Read more about Game Pass Core at Xbox Wire . 

How To Start Playing

Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on  Xbox.com . Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Keep The Fun Going

Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts, percentages, and title availability may vary by title and region.

Free Play Days (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate Required)

PGA TOUR 2K23

PGA Tour 2K23   Challenge the greatest players on the PGA Tour and find your glory in PGA Tour 2K23. Bolstered by a diverse cast of playable pros, featuring Tiger Woods, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, and many more! Take your swing to world-renowned, officially licensed courses, like Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No.2, or Torrey Pines. Create your MyPLAYER and fill your golf bag using the biggest brands in the industry. Express your creativity in the Course Designer mode, where you can construct your dream course and share it with the world.  

Classified: France '44

Classified France ‘44  Optimized for Xbox Series X|S Command an elite team of allied special operators in Nazi-occupied France wreaking havoc in the run up to D-Day in this ambitious turn-based tactics game. Take on the might of Germany’s war machine and launch daring raids in occupied territory. Can you do enough to ensure Allied victory? 

Free Play Days For All

Bethesda Softworks

Fallout 76  Play solo or join your fellow Vault Dwellers in a dynamic open-world adventure set in the Appalachian Wasteland. Fallout 76 is free to try now through April 18. 

Don’t miss out on these exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members!  Learn more about Free Play Days here  and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news. 

Boo Weekley reflects on contrasting victories in back-to-back years at RBC Heritage

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The first time I stepped foot on Harbour Town Golf Links, I fell in love with the place. I think it’s because it reminds me so much of the golf course I grew up on in Milton, Florida – Tanglewood Golf Club.

The thing about both courses is they have a lot of tight fairways and small greens, and you gotta hit it to a certain distance to be able to get the next shot because of the tree limbs overhanging the fairways.

Maybe that’s why the first two tournaments I played at Harbour Town, I won.

In 2007, I was coming off my final season on what was then known as the Nationwide Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour). I had played a full PGA TOUR season in 2002 but didn’t keep my card, so I went back to the Nationwide Tour from 2003 to 2006. Two second-place and two third-place finishes in 2006 got me to seventh on the money list, and back to the PGA TOUR I went for 2007.

With the RBC Heritage tournament an invitational, I didn’t get to play in 2002, but I was eligible when I returned to the TOUR. That’s right: The first time I ever stepped foot on the property was when I arrived for the 2007 tournament.

Of my two Hilton Head wins, the first one is probably more memorable basically because of what had happened a few weeks earlier in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I had a chance to win the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches in regulation, but I three-putted the 72nd hole — missing a 4-footer that would have won me the title. I then lost in a four-man playoff the next morning. As soon as I tapped in for bogey Sunday night, my son, who was not quite 6, came running onto the green saying, “You won, you won.” I had to explain to him that I didn’t. After I signed my scorecard, I picked him up again and met with the media. All I could say, and I wanted my son to hear it, was that I choked, and that’s what makes golf great — that sometimes you do choke, and it’s frustrating that you don’t hit every shot perfectly.

Boo Weekley reacts to missing a winning putt on the 18th hole at PGA National. (Marc Serota/Getty Images)

I think about that part of golf a lot and, well, the thing about Harbour Town is that you don’t have to hit the ball perfectly every time. You just have to know where to leave your ball. Golf is a game of misses. In golf, you can miss it just a little bit and still get away with it — and that’s what I did during my first win at Harbour Town. I played well enough to win the Honda and didn’t, so I figured let’s see what I can do in Hilton Head.

But that 2007 tournament was so unusual because of how the wind blew. A windstorm came through Sunday afternoon, and the officials had to halt play until Monday. Once I got to the course for the restart the next morning, there wasn’t much of a spectator gallery, only scattered people here and there. That’s when I noticed my buddies from the Nationwide Tour, a few of the staff members, and the guys from the Tour’s operations truck – "Goose" (Jeff Thomas), Pat Nichols and Tommie Sheridan. The Tour had played in Valdosta the day before, so because they were nearby and it was their day off, my buddies drove over to Hilton Head to watch.

That meant a lot to me.

Boo Weekley chips in for par at 71st hole of 2007 Verizon Heritage

Once we restarted the round, what they saw me do was chip in on 17 for par. After I flubbed a chip on my first try, I walked up to my ball. I was aggravated, so on my second chip, I only wanted to get it on the green and make a putt for bogey. Instead, I chipped in. Then on 18, I hit my second shot approach into the par-4 finishing hole, and I thought it was going to be pin-high. Instead, it rolled off the back of the green. Then I made things worse with a chip that hit on the downside of the green and rolled off on the other side of the green. I was afraid it was going to go into the hazard. I was definitely facing bogey again. But I got over there and saw I had a perfect lie.

I told my caddie, Joe Pyland, that if I could just land the ball right there over the top of a leaf that was on the green, with the way the wind was blowing, my ball would curl up there. Well, I landed the ball right where I wanted to, with the leaf as a guide, and my ball went into the hole. I had the clubhouse lead.

Boo Weekley hugs his caddie as he reacts to chipping in for a par on the 18th green during the final round of the 2007 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Ernie Els was playing behind me, and I knew he needed a birdie to tie me on 18. I went back out and stood behind the green after I signed my card, and I watched him finish. He hit a really good chip, and it made my heart beat a little faster. It fluttered a little bit. Yes, sir. But Ernie’s shot didn’t go in.

It really was unreal to win the way I did, chipping in twice. That was the first tartan jacket I won, and, of course, I returned the next year as the defending champion. I think most people know Heritage week starts Monday with a cannon shot, with the previous year’s winner hitting a ceremonial tee shot into Calibogue Sound.

To be able to do it is just awesome. Now I knew the tournament fired those cannons, but until I was on the tee right next to them, I didn’t realize how loud they were. When you’re standing right there, it’s loud, and it’s so loud that it scared me when I hit the ball — and I knew the boom was coming.

What I most remember about my second win was my mom was with me all week. She wanted to see me defend my title and see Harbour Town. I had all these good vibes coming in, and a lot of it had to do with what happened in 2007. I had my old (yardage) book, and I knew what I wanted to do off this tee and that tee, and I was now familiar with how the wind comes in off the water and that I needed to keep the ball under the trees so the wind doesn’t affect the ball. All that.

And, again, I love Harbour Town because so many of the shots, the bumps and runs around the green, are what I grew up hitting in Florida.

My second win was much more relaxing than my first — although I didn’t know it for the longest time.

I went into the final round with a three-shot lead over Anthony Kim, and I made the turn to the back nine five shots ahead of Anthony. Aaron Baddeley, who started the day five behind me, had only narrowed my lead to four strokes. Now, I’m not a big leaderboard-looker-atter. That’s not my cup of tea because all it does is add more stress to what I’m thinking. While I knew I was near the top of the leaderboard, maybe even ahead, I was worried because I made a bogey at 13 and another at 16, with two birdies in between. So, I was in really good shape even if I didn’t know that.

After I again missed the green with my approach on No. 18 on Sunday, I chipped up to 5 feet. I’m thinking, I had to make the putt to avoid going into a playoff if someone had come from behind. That’s when I went into my routine. I’m lining up my putt, reading it and going through everything like I usually do. I looked at Joe and said: “Whatcha see here? Left lip?”

He looks at me, walks behind me and says: “What are you doing?”

“That’s not what I asked you," I said. "What do you see here?”

He realized I thought I had to make the putt to win, and Joe says, “You dumbass, you got a three-shot lead. Just putt it.”

I put my ball down, removed my marker and putted, and I missed. I made bogey and still comfortably beat Anthony and Aaron.

Boo Weekley poses with the winner's trophy after winning the 2008 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

It was hard for me to believe I had repeated at Harbour Town. I felt like I was behind the whole week because I was missing so many putts. I took 31 putts in the first round but putted pretty good after that. But those 31 putts made me feel like I wasn’t putting well.

I won three times on the PGA TOUR, and at all three tournaments they gave me a tartan jacket, with two from the Heritage and one from Colonial (Charles Schwab Challenge). I have no idea where any of those jackets are. I have a big barn on my property in Jay, Florida, and I think they’re in there; the trophies, too, although I think my second Heritage trophy might be at my mom’s house.

I guess I need to work on putting those things together for display.

What makes me happy is there were two weeks almost two decades ago when I put my game on display for the fans in Hilton Head Island. That’s enough for me.