PGA Tour Card - How does it work?

[rayramano007]

Hello all,

New member and my first post here.
Recently Scott Gregory and Jack Singh Brar both announced they have turned pro after good performance at Walker Cup.
They both immediately went onto Reserve Lists for Portugal Masters 2017 and got place and played at Portugal Masters.

1. How come they are on Reserve and not in main list straightaway as they are pros now?
2. Does this mean they can also play any US PGA Tours they want now or they have to qualify or be invited?

Both of them are great prospects and I wish them well.
I just would like to understand what is the path to play in european and US PGA tours.

thanks

 

[Steve Bamford]

Not easy on the PGA Tour. As a rule for a young player, you need to qualify via the web.com Tour. Exceptional players like Spieth and Rahm of late have qualified via getting a sponsor's exemption start and then getting big results from the off; gaining membership via Special Member exemption based on FedEx Cup points they notionally earned. European's like Thomas Pieters and Tommy Fleetwood have also qualified this way via getting starts based on their OWGR Top 50 status and then earning Special Membership via their limited starts.

 

[Val]

Hello all,

New member and my first post here.
Recently Scott Gregory and Jack Singh Brar both announced they have turned pro after good performance at Walker Cup.
They both immediately went onto Reserve Lists for Portugal Masters 2017 and got place and played at Portugal Masters.

1. How come they are on Reserve and not in main list straightaway as they are pros now?
2. Does this mean they can also play any US PGA Tours they want now or they have to qualify or be invited?

Both of them are great prospects and I wish them well.
I just would like to understand what is the path to play in european and US PGA tours.

thanks

These guys will play the remainder of the year only on the main European tour on sponsors invites, if the earn enough money before the end of the season they'll keep their card for next year if not they'll have to go to Q School.

The PGA tour is a bit more complex, to get a tour card there you have to earn enough via sponsors invites or qualify via the web.com tour as there is no longer Q school for the PGA tour.

 

[OnTour]

Never knew that Q school had gone 😱 I guess a better way for the pros over 6 round shoot out 👍

 

[rayramano007]

Monday qualifiers is also a route for them to get in?
Golf is hard on its own plus these qualifiers makes it extremely hard!

 

[Val]

Never knew that Q school had gone 😱 I guess a better way for the pros over 6 round shoot out 👍

Been gone for a number of years in the US now

 

[jim8flog]

Never knew that Q school had gone  I guess a better way for the pros over 6 round shoot out 

There still is a Q school on the European Tour.

It's where those who finish between 100 and 150 (and others) go to have a chance of regaining status.

 

[Steve Bamford]

Been gone for a number of years in the US now

Yes the web.com is effectively the season-long 2nd division in the United States. You then get the web.com Playoffs, but we won't complicate matters. 50 PGA Tour cards are granted from the web.com Tour every season, rather than Q-School.

 

[Val]

Yes the web.com is effectively the season-long 2nd division in the United States. You then get the web.com Playoffs, but we won't complicate matters. 50 PGA Tour cards are granted from the web.com Tour every season, rather than Q-School.

I think it’s a really good system they use

 

[Foxholer]

I think it’s a really good system they use

It has both good and bad points imo!

On the one hand, it rewards consistency and dedication to the Web.com tour. On the other, it makes it very difficult for a very good, but not (recognised) superstar, non-US young golfer to get in! The may have to commit to the Web.com tour for at least 1 year - and the 1st year on any tour can be a struggle - in order to use that route!

I prefer the 'either/or' of the ET.

 

[Val]

It has both good and bad points imo!

On the one hand, it rewards consistency and dedication to the Web.com tour. On the other, it makes it very difficult for a very good, but not (recognised) superstar, non-US young golfer to get in! The may have to commit to the Web.com tour for at least 1 year - and the 1st year on any tour can be a struggle - in order to use that route!

I prefer the 'either/or' of the ET.

John Rahm?

If a good amateur turns pro he'll get sponsor invites and if he's that good (as Rahm proved) he could secure enough points to keep a card.

A year or 2 on the second tier probably does young pro's more good than bad, lots of Pro's have earned cards quickly and struggled afterwards, recent young guys like Tom Lewis spring to mind right away. Tommy Fleetwood is case and point of a year on the second tier being good foundations.

The either/or is a lot of pressure on a players livelihood, get 1 round wrong and you are out.

Both systems have their pluses, I prefer what the PGA tour do but horses for courses.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Andrew "Beef" Johnston did not commit to a full season on web.com.

He only played in the Final Series.

As for amateurs turning pro it is IMO better for them to play themselves on to the Tour ovér a period of time rather than relying on a performance for one week at Q School.

 

[Foxholer]

John Rahm?
...

I'd seem him and a few of other guys (Gouveia, Dunne, DeChambeau and Schniederjans), all of who are now right there, up pretty close as Amateurs a few years ago. All seemed pretty 'outstanding'! Likewise Andy Sullivan before he starred in europes win at Royal Aberdeen! Mind you, I'd have expected Lloyd Saltman to have done better than he did, so certainly not a divine 'talent spotter'!

I agree that a year on 2nd tier CAN work well (Gouveia is another example), but 'better' for 'stars' to have as many opportunities as possible imo.

Btw. By 'either/or', I actually meant 'both', as opposed 'one or the other'. Missing out through Qualifying doesn't preclude organising Invites. And there is always the Challenge Tour to 'fall back on' anyway. Succeeding in Qualificaton has its own pressure too - to pass the 're-rank' criteria'

 

[Deleted member 18588]

In 2014 Greg Eason turned pro joining the Canadian Tour where he did well enough to graduate to the Web.com at the first opportunity.

Initially it went well and he missed out on his PGA Tour card by one four foot putt.

This year he has finished 152 on the Web.com and will have to return to Q School for that tour.

At the time of turning pro he was 3rd ranked amateur in the world. A college mate of Gouveia.

Just shows how tough it is out there and how difficult it is to spot those who will make it as tour pro's.

 

[Steve Bamford]

In 2014 Greg Eason turned pro joining the Canadian Tour where he did well enough to graduate to the Web.com at the first opportunity.

Initially it went well and he missed out on his PGA Tour card by one four foot putt.

This year he has finished 152 on the Web.com and will have to return to Q School for that tour.

At the time of turning pro he was 3rd ranked amateur in the world. A college mate of Gouveia.

Just shows how tough it is out there and how difficult it is to spot those who will make it as tour pro's.

Very, very tough to flourish on the PGA Tour. To be fair to them though, with the rules as they are, if you are good enough, you can flourish. Cantlay a great example this term.