Yes. Unless you once caddied on the PGA Tour, you have a better chance of scoring a hole-in-one than correctly answering the following question: How many different ways can a player qualify for exempt status on the PGA Tour?
Hint: Figuring out the formula can be more confusing than studying rocket science. And, consider this; the one constant in golf is that we never hear of a player announcing his retirement. The answer: 33.
With the 2011 Tour schedule more than half-way complete, let’s take a look at the twilight years of 49-year old Brad Faxon, for example. Is Faxon an official card-carrying member of the PGA Tour? And, if not, how did he get to tee it up in ten events, including the Traveler’s Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut June 23?
Once upon a time the pride and joy of the Ocean State had game, winning eight times between 1991 and 2005, with career earnings over $17 million. Although, Faxon never retired, he should have five years ago. His performance since 2007 has been pathetic, showing 76 events, while making only 15 cuts. Faxon, through 10 sponsor’s exemptions this season has failed miserably, missing every cut!
Brad Faxon’s career as a PGA Tour pro is over! Rump-swabs like Mistah Geary are in denial that their home-grown boy doesn’t play weekend golf on TV anymore for the big bucks. By the way, that TV commentary gig has also hit the skids. Tournament sponsors, such as Traveler’s, are playing the good old boys network by giving Faxon and other has-beens like Steve Elkington, David Duval, John Daly, Lee Janzen and Scott McCarron an exemption.
The PGA Tour Exemption system needs an enema! Why do they keep a system in place that allows players like Faxon to play every week when they have not earned any money in years? The current system prevents new PGA Tour rookies and fresh talent from getting into enough events to keep their card because they can’t play in 15 events in their first year on Tour.
Many players that earned their card the old fashioned way – through “Q” school – like James Driscoll and Billy Mayfair, or through Nationwide Tour top-25, like Jim Renner and Geoff Sisk, get bumped from weekly tournaments because of a complex system of category exemptions. Players in the top category get first crack at any tournament they want, then players in the next category get an opportunity and so forth.
The Tour issues 5-year exemptions for winning the PGA Championship, US Open, Players Championship, Masters and British Open. A 3-year exemption is earned by winning the Tour Championship and WGC event
And then a variety of one-years can be awarded for career earnings or medical reasons.
How disappointing is it to talented, younger players like Driscoll, Renner, Sisk who earned cards but are suddenly shut out of the system? When Brad Adamonis was on Tour in 2009, he got bumped out of more tournaments than he played, thus losing his status in less than a year. If you struggle to play in the required 15 tournaments, it’s a huge task to finish in the top-125 in earnings to keep an exempt status.
The PGA Tour should revise the system as soon as possible. There are 33 ways to acquire an exemption on Tour, but the bottom line is if you haven’t won recently, haven’t played well in the present year, or don’t have a legacy of great play to fall back upon, your career on Tour could be over quickly!
Total Tour purse money this year is almost $300 million. Wow! Thank you Tiger! Yes, the PGA Tour plays favorites because they can. Earning and maintaining an authentic PGA Tour card is arguably the most sought-after status of any sport and dream-come-true for most.
Now, along comes golf’s new wonder-kid, Rory McIlroy, and some startling news that conflicts with this argument. He wins the US Open to earn a five-year exemption and announces that he’s thinking about turning down the offer. OMG! What is golf’s hottest property thinking?
(Tom Gorman, a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, International Network of Golf and Golf Travel Writers of America, is a Boston-based freelance golf writer.)
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