PGA Tour - Changes For 2013 Season and Beyond

Changes For 2013 Season and Beyond

On March 20, 2012, the tour announced radical changes to the tour's season and qualifying process. Further details of these changes relating to the Fall Series were announced on June 26, with the remaining details announced on July 10. One of the final details received a minor tweak, effective for the 2013 season only, on September 11.

First, the 2013 season will be the last to be conducted entirely within a calendar year. The 2014 season will start in October 2013, shortly after the Tour Championship, and future seasons will start in October of the previous calendar year. Beginning with the 2014 season, the tournaments in the now season-opening Fall Series will award full FedEx Cup points.

As a result of the schedule change, the qualifying school will no longer grant playing rights on the PGA Tour, but will only grant privileges on the Web.com Tour (known as the Nationwide Tour at the time of the March announcement; the tour was renamed on June 27, 2012 in mid-season).

The criterion for retaining tour cards at the end of the season will also change. Through 2012, the top 125 players on the money list at the end of the PGA Tour season retain their tour cards. For the 2013 season only, the top 125 players on both the money list and the FedEx Cup points list at the end of the FedEx Cup regular season in August will retain their cards. The tour also said that it would decide at a later time whether to keep this aspect of the qualifying system in place in future seasons. Otherwise, the planned move by the tour to have the top 125 players on the FedEx Cup points list retain their tour cards will take effect with the 2014 season. The next 75 players on the points list, along with the top 75 on the money list of the Web.com Tour at the end of that tour's regular season, will be eligible to play a series of three tournaments in September known as the Web.com Tour Finals. The Finals field, however, is not expected to consist of all 150 players, as some of the PGA Tour players will still be exempt by other criteria, such as a tournament win in the previous two years. A total of 50 PGA Tour cards for the next season will be awarded at the end of the Finals. The 25 leading money winners during the Web.com Tour regular season will receive cards, and total money earned during the Finals will determine the remaining 25 card earners. For all 50 new card earners, their positions on the PGA Tour's priority order for purposes of tournament entry will be based on money earned in the Finals. College players who turn professional can enter the series if their earnings are equivalent to a top-200 PGA Tour or top-75 Web.com Tour finish.

In addition, the leading money winners on the Web.com Tour in both the regular season and Finals will receive automatic invitations to The Players Championship (note that if a golfer tops both money lists, only one Players invitation will be awarded).

Finally, two events held in Asia after the end of the PGA Tour's current regular season—the CIMB Classic, and the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championships event held in China—will become full PGA Tour events, with official prize money, for the first time. Although the PGA Tour sanctions both events, they currently do not have full status. Wins in the CIMB Classic are not classified as official PGA Tour wins, and HSBC Champions victories are official wins only for current PGA Tour members. Money earned in these events does not count as official PGA Tour earnings for any purpose.