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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

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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
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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.

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College golfers can now earn PGA Tour cards before turning pro. Here's how

Michael Thorbjornsen smiles on the practice range during a practice round prior to the 122nd U.S. Open. The Stanford junior ranks first among amateurs in the PGA Tour's newly created PGA Tour Accelerated program that provides access to PGA Tour membership for college golfers.

Patrick Smith

For the first time, college and amateur golfers have a direct path to the PGA Tour based on their performance before turning professional. On Monday, at a regularly scheduled meeting ahead of this week’s RSM Classic, the PGA Tour Policy Board approved two measures providing new methods of access.

The first gives the top player in the final PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking full PGA Tour membership at the end of the college golf season in June. The change goes into effect next spring, allowing the No. 1 golfer in the 2022-23 ranking of college seniors— a spot currently held by Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg —to play as a fully exempt PGA Tour member through the end of 2023, including any fall events the tour conducts as it revises its schedule. Tour officials estimate the No. 1 player will be eligible to compete in 14 events starting with the RBC Canadian Open (June 8-11) and earn official FedEx Cup points.

MORE: Top college golfer explains why signing with agent now will pay dividends in spring

Additionally, the tour has created PGA Tour University Accelerated, a program for all college golfers that allows them to receive tour membership after earning a minimum number of points based off various performance benchmarks. Among them include earning national player-of-the-year honors, winning individual titles at various college and amateur tournaments, and playing in national team competitions and in PGA Tour events.

"Success at the highest levels of college and amateur golf has proven to be a strong indicator of a player's potential as a professional golfer,” Jay Moanahn, PGA Tour commissioner, said in a statement. “The first two classes of PGA Tour University alumni have shown us that these players are ready to compete and win immediately, and these two additions to the program further strengthen our commitment to college golf and will provide future stars with direct access to the PGA Tour.”

The changes are also seen as responses from the tour to keep top young players from being lured away by LIV Golf and its guaranteed contracts . This past summer, LIV signed reigning U.S. Amateur champion James Piot and a pair of college All-Americans in Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra and David Puig. In just his fifth start, Lopez-Chacarra won LIV Golf’s event in Bangkok, a claimed the $4 million first place prize money payout.

LIV also reported offered Texas senior Pierceson Coody, the No. 1 player in the 2022 PGA Tour University ranking, a lucrative contract that he said he turned down.

Ludvig Aberg, a senior at Texas Tech, is No. 1 in the latest PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking. If he holds the spot in the final ranking after June's NCAA Championship, he will earn a PGA Tour card for the remainder of 2023.

Octavio Passos

MORE: Why the PGA Tour needs to strengthen its ties to college golf

The adjustment in the PGA Tour University program, first implemented in the 2020-21 college season, doesn’t change the remaining rewards for players who finish in the top 20 of the final ranking in 2023. Nos. 2-5 will be exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour and into the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School while Nos. 6-10 receive conditional KFT membership. Nos. 6-20 also are exempt to play PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica and into the second stage of PGA Tour Q School. For the 2024 season and beyond, PGA Tour eligibility for PGA Tour University players has not yet been determined.

Tour officials noted that had the PGA Tour University ranking been in place prior to 2020, the players who would have ranked No. 1 would have included Jon Rahm (2016), Collin Morikawa (2019) and Sahith Theegala (2020).

Under the points structure created for PGA Tour Accelerated, three golfers since 2010 would have earned tour cards and been eligible to join the PGA Tour at the end of the college season: Patrick Cantlay (2012), Justin Thomas (2013) and Patrick Rodgers (2014).

Points for PGA Tour Accelerated can be earned with the following milestones:

• National college golf awards: Haskins, Hogan, Nicklaus D-I (3 points); top D-I freshman (2)
• Career-best World Amateur Golf Ranking: No. 1 = 5 points; No. 2 = 4; No. 3 = 3; No. 4 = 2; No. 5 = 1
• Tournament wins: D-I NCAA individual, U.S. Amateur, British Amateur (3 points); Western Amateur, European Amateur, Latin America Amateur, Asia-Pacific Amateur (2 points)
• Participation in a national team competition: Walker Cup (2 points); Palmer Cup, World Amateur Team Championship (1 point)
• Performance in official PGA Tour event or major championship (points accumulated for each of the following achievements): Made cut (1 point), top-10 finish (1 point), compete in major (1 point), made cut in major (1 point), top-20 in major (2 points)

The program begins retroactively, with the top three college players currently being Stanford junior Michael Thorbjornsen (12 points), Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent (10) and North Florida junior Nick Gabrelcik (4).

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

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• 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.

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.)

How to Become a PGA Member

There are two primary pathways that lead to PGA Membership: the PGA Professional Golf Management Program (PGA Associate Program) and the PGA Golf Management University Program * - the PGA Affiliate Program is a path which leads those not yet employed in golf into the PGA Associate Program 

The PGA Associate Program

To become a PGA Member, you'll need to become a registered Associate before completing the PGA Professional Golf Management (PGA PGM) Program–an award-winning educational program designed for aspiring PGA Professionals that focuses on the People, the Business and the Game.

The University Program

The PGA Golf Management University Program, accredited by The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), is a college degree program designed to attract and educate bright, highly motivated men and women to service all aspects of the industry and produce PGA Members.

The PGA Affiliate Program

Want to become a PGA Member, but not yet working in golf?  Begin in the Affiliate Program, to eventually become an PGA Associate and work toward PGA Membership.  This allows you to complete Level 1 of the award winning education program designed for aspiring PGA Professionals that focuses on the People, the Business and the Game.

2024 New LPGA/Epson TOUR/PGA TOUR Members obtain membership information and Class A-3 tour player application here . If you are a member of a TOUR Association or Board Approved International PGA Associations, Read more about reciprocity here .

How to Become a Professional Golfer

The term “golf pro” gets thrown around loosely these days.

In reality, you could decide to enter a tournament tomorrow as a professional, even if you don’t have any degree or playing experience. I would argue that a lot of high level amateurs could even beat a lot of “pros” on any given day.

But there is a big difference between a PGA Tour pro, a mini tour pro, a club pro, and a teaching instructor.

When it comes to being a professional in golf, you might be thinking,

• “Is it hard to become a golf pro?”
• “What are the different types of golf pros?”
• “What degree do you need to be a golf pro?”

Or, you might even wonder, “Is it too late to become a pro golfer?”

By the end of this post, you will understand what it takes to make it as a pro and more about working in the golf industry.

Understanding the Types of Golf Pros

Let’s start by breaking down the types of golf professionals. In general, there are:

• Teaching Pros
• Mini Tour Pros
• Non PGA Tour Professionals
• PGA Tour Professionals

Head Professional

Every golf club, private or public, has a head golf professional. These individuals run the operations of the golf course, manage employees (like the greenkeeping staff) and make sure things run smoothly. Some are even involved in course design .

Here is the process to becoming a golf professional.

Step 1: Become an Associate Pro

Before going straight from avid golfer to golf pro, you have to work your way up. The first step in the process is to complete the PGM Associate Program.

To become a member, everyone must:

• Pass a background check.
• Pass a written, qualifying test.
• Employed in an eligible position.
• Make it through the player ability test (PAT).

The written test is an overview of the game and requires a good amount of studying. It covers things like the rules of golf, history, and more. While the PGM also requires you to be employed in an eligible position (not necessarily in the golf industry). Examples include tournament director, hospitality, marketing, etc.

The hardest part of this process is the player ability test. The PAT is a 36-hole playing test where all your skills are tested in a one-day marathon of golf.

According to the PGA , “In order to pass the 36-hole PAT, you must achieve a 36-hole score within 15 shots of the course rating. For example, if the course rating is 72, the target score for the 36 holes would be 159 (72 x 2 – 144 +15 – 159).”

Less than 20% pass this test as nerves are high and let’s get real, it’s golf! Anything can happen.

Step 2: Climb the Ranks

After you become an assistant golf professional, then you can work your way up to head golf pro. There are more formal tests required and of course, golf clubs want you to gain experience for a few years as well.

Then, it comes down to finding the right gig, applying, nailing the interview process, and taking the reins as the head pro. From there, you can play in professional events, qualifiers, and even teach as well.

Teaching Professional

The next type of professional is known as a teaching pro. This may or may not be the same person at your local golf club. Some work full-time in the clubhouse, setting up tournaments, helping members, etc. and still teach too.

While other golf courses will have two different pros. One for the running of the club and one for the teaching side of the game.

A teaching professional has to go through the same process listed above. Additionally, they need to register for an apprentice position on the PGA website.

Then, they have to work through three levels in the PGA program and gain work experience as well. This can be earned through a college degree and working under a PGA professional.

Obviously, you also have to have a strong desire to help other golfers improve their game too. Being a teaching pro is much different from the operation side of things as you have to find clients, build relationships, and help them get results.

Also, just because you’re a head pro or teaching pro doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an elite player. Sure, you have to pass some playing tests and you won’t likely be a hack, but that doesn’t mean you can break par any given round.

While some pros definitely have a ton of game, a lot of them are solid players but don’t get out on the course a ton. Sadly, a lot of guys are so busy working and teaching, they don’t get much time to work on their own game. Or, they’re so “golfed out” that they don’t feel like hanging around their workplace much more than they need to.

Mini Tour Golfers

The next type of golf professionals are known as mini-tour players. Being a mini tour pro doesn’t require any degree, apprenticeship, or formal training. Instead, all you have to do is have a low handicap and register for an event near you.

Mini tours aren’t in every part of the country and tend to be in major cities to attract more golfers. Some of the places include:

• North Dakota

Depending on the tour, sometimes amateurs are allowed to compete and instead of winning money, they get credit or gift cards. If you’re an amateur golfer who wants to make it to the big leagues, mini tours are a great way to gain experience.

Professional Golfers

The next step up from the mini tours are professional golfers who compete on tours below the PGA Tour. These events are much larger than mini tour events and offer much bigger payouts as well.

Some examples include the Mackenzie Tour, PGA Tour China, Latin American Tour, and the Korn Ferry Tour.

PGA Tour Golfers

The final set of pros are professional golfers who competed on golf’s biggest stage, the PGA Tour. The best male competitors in the world compete on the PGA Tour. It’s the coverage that most watch each weekend and is the most elite players on the planet.

Did you know that the PGA Tour only has 125 full-time players each year?

That’s right, of all the thousands of highly qualified golfers, only 125 have full-time playing privileges on the PGA Tour. While only 125 have full-time playing privileges, there are hundreds more that compete based on past exemptions and sponsor exemptions too. On the flip side of that, usually the top 60 will qualify for golf’s major tournaments .

Make sure to read about Pro-Am golf tournaments .

For example, a player might lose his PGA Tour card one year but still have part-time privileges based on past exemptions. Or, a player could get a sponsor’s exemption to compete as well in certain events too.

How to Become a PGA Tour Player

Now that you have a better understanding of the different types of pros, let’s go through the process of becoming a PGA Tour professional. For so many players, this is the ultimate dream come true. It’s why so many players grind for years and in many cases, decades to make it on the biggest stage in the world.

But I’ll be the first to say, it’s not an easy path… far from it.

I know because I quit my corporate job in 2017 at 29 years old to chase the pro golf dream. I knew I was late to the party at nearly 30 years old, but I figured my dreams were worth a shot.

In the past few years, I’ve learned so much about the process and want to share the exact steps that it takes. Similar to becoming an elite player in any sport like basketball, baseball or football, there are only so many spots available.

For example, in the NFL, there are only 32 quarterback positions. With golf, there are only 125 spots that thousands of players want.

While the rest of the highly skilled players compete on smaller tours like the PGA Latin America, Canadian Tour, and Korn Ferry Tour.

Here is the step-by-step process to go from amateur golfer to PGA Tour player.

Step 1: Get Really Good

You might be thinking, duh, of course. But seriously, the more my game improves, the more I realize how far it is from PGA Tour form.

Here’s the thing, golf is wildly competitive and people are starting this game younger and younger. It’s up to you to have the discipline to find a coach, work endlessly on all parts of your game, avoid injuries, and not burn out. As you will see, this is easier said than done.

Step 2: Compete in Amateur Events

Once your game feels solid in friendly competition , it’s time to register for a formal amateur tournament . For example, in Arizona, I regularly compete through the Arizona Golf Association. Each state has something like this and makes it easy for golfers who want formal competitions to compete.

Each tournament is slightly different from the others. The venues change frequently, total cost varies, total number of days, and some have cuts as well. You want to confirm this before enrolling in every tournament.

Aside from local amateur tournaments, you can also join USGA events. These include tournaments such as the US Open, US Amateur, US Mid-Am, and US 4-Ball among others.

These tournaments bring the best players in the world together to compete at a national level. While some players are exempt from qualifying, most golfers need to go through local qualifying to make it to these prestigious tournaments.

For example, if you want to compete in the US Amateur, you need to compete in a local qualifier first. These are 36 hole events where only 2-4 (or so) players move on to the big event out of a field of 100 guys.

Once you get to the US AM, then there is a stroke play 36 hole event with a cut. After that, the match play portion begins. It’s quite a process, kind of like becoming a pro.

Amateur Golf 101

This is a brief overview of the process of registering and competing in amateur golf events. For most golfers, this is where most of them stay. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Tons of golfers from their teens to 60+ compete in amateur golf events their entire life. Formal events are a great way to test your skills, meet new people, play against great golfers, and compete at fun courses.

I’ve played in hundreds of days of amateur tournaments the past few years and can say it’s one of the best experiences out there. If you love the game and want to keep getting better, enroll in some local events to see how your game holds up in competition.

Unless you have a strong desire to become a professional, going from amateur to professional isn’t usually worth it. The tournament costs soar, the competition is even more difficult, and you can’t compete in amateur events as a pro.

Step 3: Give Up Your Amateur Status and Go Pro

If you made it to step three, you clearly want to make golf your career. If and when you consistently excel at amateur golf events, the next step is turning pro.

This is the step where most people get confused. Unlike other sports, there is no formal process to becoming a professional, as you aren’t drafted by a team.

You simply decide that you will compete as a professional golfer in events instead of an amateur. Unless you’re Tiger Woods at his “Hello World” press conference, it’s nothing crazy.

Instead, you find a professional event and register. As I mentioned, mini tour events are much more expensive than amateur events because they pay out players. This is another stage where a lot of guys get stuck as the competition increases drastically and making a profit isn’t easy.

Step 4: Go to Q-School

As you build your professional golf resume in the mini tours, the next step is to go to Q-school. In the past, the journey to the PGA Tour was much different from what it is today.

Now, to get to the PGA Tour, you have to first go through the Korn Ferry Tour. But in the past, you could register for Q-school, grind out six days of tournament golf (yes, six days), and could make it to the big leagues.

But as golf became more popular and competitive, so they had to adjust the process. Now, golfers must go to Q-school to earn a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour.

The Q-school process is quite a grind, too. It’s made up of four stages over the course of four months. That’s right, four months! I have some personal experience here as well and would love to share how it works…

Pre-Qualifying

The first step for most golfers is to go through the pre-qualifying stage. You can register as a professional or even compete as an amateur (although registration is the same price). In 2019, I registered as an amateur because I wanted to see how my game stacked up.

All you do is find a location that you want to compete in and enter your credit card information. It costs between $2,500 – $3,000 just for the event, not to mention travel and airfare costs.

Pre-qualifying is a 3-day, no cut event. Each venue selects a certain number of players and ties to move on to the first stage based on total size of the field.

For me, I registered for a site in Nebraska as the course looked fun and I wanted an adventure. The course was brutal; 7,000+ yards, high humidity, thick rough, and greens that rolled a 12 on the stimpmeter. After shooting 71-73-75, I ended up missing the first stage by two shots.

While I was disappointed, I can say it was one of the best experiences of my life. It taught me a ton about my game and learned how to play under pressure. But I also learned what a grind it was for so many and could see why so many guys burn out over time.

If you move on to the next stage, the process is very similar and happens in late September or early October. Register and pay for the first stage, which is also a 3-day, no cut competition. Expect competition to be even more competitive here!

If you move on to the second stage in late October or November, well done. There are only 3-5 sites for the second stage in the country and if you make it through, you get to finals.

Final Stage

Finally, in November or December each year, it’s the finals. This is a 4-day, no cut event where golfers grind it out. The goal is to finish in the top 25 spots to secure their spot on the Korn Ferry Tour.

If you finish 26-50, not all is lost though. You still get conditional status, which means you can play in a select number of events.

All in all, it’s a long process just to make it to the Korn Ferry Tour, let alone the PGA Tour.

Alternate Route

The Korn Ferry Tour is just below the PGA Tour and a lot of guys go back and forth. But if a player isn’t ready for the Korn Ferry Tour, they can go another route. This option is usually better than grinding it out on mini tours.

The alternate route is competing on another high level tour like the Mackenzie Tour (Canada), Forme Tour, PGA Tour China, or the PGA Tour Latino America.

A final alternate route is the Monday Qualifiers. You can check out a deep dive of Monday qualifiers here .

Step 5: Compete on the Korn Ferry Tour

Once you make it to the Korn Ferry Tour, then you need to compete and travel a lot. The goal is simple: make it to the finals and finish in the top 25 . If you do, you become one of the lucky guys to advance to the PGA Tour. If you finish between 25-50, you still get conditional status and will get a chance to make your PGA Tour debut as well.

Step 6: Become a PGA Tour Player

After you finish in the top 25 in the Korn Ferry Tour finals, you get your elusive PGA Tour card. For every player, this is one of the most important days of their lives. It’s the culmination of blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice to chase a goal.

Step 7: Stay on the PGA Tour

Getting to the PGA Tour is wildly impressive and requires more grit and determination than most people realize. But just because you become one of the lucky 125 players, doesn’t mean you get to stay there. You still need to play great golf and compete against the best players in the world, or you risk losing your card.

Some players last years, while others make it once and never make it back to the big stage. The truth is, high-level golf is a grind. The travel schedule is rigorous, the courses are super challenging, and let’s not forget, it’s golf.

Even for the best golfers in the world, the sport is extremely unpredictable. So many talented guys lose their cards because of too many missed cuts, injuries, and loss of confidence.

Winning an event really helps you stay in the picture. Each tournament comes with a big check, but the best part is the security from winning. For example, if you win an event like the Players Championship, you get:

• Five-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
• Three-year invite to play the Masters at Augusta.
• Three-year exemption to play in the Open Championship and PGA Championship.

But other guys make a comfortable living without winning often. A great example is Charles Howell III, who has only won three times but made a staggering 38 million dollars! Thanks to consistent top 10 finishes, he’s secured his future on the tour without winning regularly.

Final Thoughts

The road to the PGA Tour isn’t easy, but it’s a dream worth chasing if you love golf. Sadly, most players who go after this goal, never make it to the big stage.

My biggest piece of advice if you want to work in golf or chase the dream is to make sure you always love the game.

College golf burnt me out and I took six years off the sport that dominated my early life. But I fell back in love with it and have now played golf more than I could ever imagine.

Just remember, it’s a sport and should always be fun above all else. But if you love it like I do, then it might be worth pursuing a golf career or working your way up to compete with the best guys in the world.

Michael Leonard

Michael is an avid golfer of 25 years who played in high school, college, and now competes in Arizona amateur events. He is a full-time writer, podcast host of Wicked Smart Golf, and mental golf coach.

Earning A PGA Tour Card [Explained]

For many golfers, the ultimate dream is to become a PGA Tour player . It’s the place where the best golfers in the world are competing each week, trying to win the biggest prizes and the best tournaments.

But PGA Tour cards don’t come easily and you have to earn it. Some players are good enough to win 20 times and earn lifetime membership.

So how do you get a card for the PGA Tour? Here’s a quick look at the routes professional golfers have to go down to get their place and the PGA Tour card requirements.

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.

Table of Contents

Unlocking Professional Golf: The Significance of a PGA Tour Card

A PGA Tour card is what golfers earn so that they can play on the PGA Tour .

Although PGA Tour players do actually get a physical card, it’s more about the status they achieve by having one, which lets them compete on the biggest professional tour in golf.

A PGA Tour card gives players full playing rights for all events in the regular season , with the chance to get to the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the end of the year.

Some players who don’t have full playing status on the tour might have a conditional status which allows them to play in a few PGA Tour events a year.

The Road to Glory: Earning A PGA Tour Card

Golfers looking to get a spot on the PGA Tour can do so through a number of different routes.

The following methods are how to earn a PGA Tour card:

• Top 30 position on the previous season Korn Ferry Tour
• Top 10 position on the previous season DP World Tour
• Top 5 at Final Stage Q-School
• Number one ranking at end of PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking
• Earn enough points from sponsor exemptions
• Win a PGA Tour event or Major within a set amount of previous years

Korn Ferry Tour

The most common route for achieving a PGA Tour card is via the tour one-below the PGA Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour.

After a full season on the tour, the top 30 players at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals will be given a PGA card.

The Korn Ferry Tour features many great players from out of college, but also lots of pros that have had and subsequently lost a PGA Tour card . Therefore, the standard of golfer playing each week is extremely high.

Those who manage to finish in the top 30 at the close of the season will have a level of playing status on the PGA Tour for next season, based on the Priority Rankings.

Players on the Korn Ferry Tour also have the chance of earning automatic promotion to the PGA Tour by winning three Korn Ferry Tour events in one season.

A far from easy task if you ask me, but if you’re good enough to have three Korn Ferry Tour wins in a season, you’re certainly good enough to compete on the PGA Tour.

Ed’s T houghts ⛳

The Korn Ferry Tour route is one of the best ways to gain a PGA Tour card because it gives players a full season of playing, similar to what they can expect on the PGA Tour.

It’s far from easy, but at least it gives players who are good enough the experience of travelling and competing for decent-sized cheques each week.

One such player who has had struggles and seen success on the PGA Tour via the Korn Ferry Tour is Max Homa.

Homa played on the Korn Ferry Tour ( formerly Web.com Tour ) in the 2013-14 season, finishing up 17th in the season money list and earning a PGA Tour card for 2014-15.

After a solid first season on the PGA Tour, Homa lost his card in 2017 and had to return to the Korn Ferry Tour.

Going into the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Finals, Homa was lying 73rd in the rankings and needed a good few weeks to make a return to the PGA Tour, which he managed, eventually finishing 24th in the Priority Rankings.

The following season, Homa went on to win the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour and has since won multiple times, and has competed in the Ryder Cup for Team USA.

DP World Tour

More recently, the DP World Tour has become another route to the PGA Tour, with the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai rankings, not already exempt, gaining a PGA Tour card.

The leading European Tour is a top-level tour in its own right, with many of the best players in Europe and the rest of the world competing in some great events such as the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Now, as part of the Strategic Alliance, those players who are doing well on the DP World Tour can also test their games more regularly on the PGA Tour with a card.

The PGA Tour now holds qualifying for those players who either lost their tour card or want to earn one for the next season, offering the top five and ties a spot at the end of a very challenging qualification process.

The process consists of Pre-Qualifying, First Stage, Second Stage and Final Stage qualifying. Many players will have exemptions which will see them through to either the First, Second or Final Stages.

Over 1200 players start out hoping to earn qualification for the PGA Tour, but just five places are on offer.

Those looking to gain a place on the PGA Tour, not exempt at any stage, will end up having to play a total of 15 rounds of golf against some very strong competition.

Those who finish outside of the top 5 at the Final Stage will still gain a level of Korn Ferry Tour status.

PGA Tour University

The player ranked top at the final PGA Tour University Ranking will then be given a PGA Tour membership for the current season.

This gives the best player from the college game to get a head-start on the PGA Tour.

If they want to hang onto the card, however, they will need to have a strong finish in a few of the available events to ensure enough FedEx Cup points are earned and a top 125 place is achieved.

Sponsor Exemptions

Sponsor exemptions are a great way of gaining a tour card if no official playing status currently exists.

Usually, players can play in seven sponsor exemptions a season. With a few good results, a professional can earn enough points to secure their tour card for the next season on the PGA Tour.

This is obviously a good route for young players, perhaps straight out of college or who may have done well in a major as an amateur.

After reaching the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Jon Rahm received multiple invites to the PGA Tour in 2016, eventually earning Special Temporary Member status and then securing enough points as a non-member to get his PGA Tour card for the following season.

Win An Event

Perhaps the most obvious method of gaining a PGA Tour card is by winning an event on the PGA Tour or a major championship.

If you haven’t already got a tour card then to tee it up in a PGA Tour event you’ll either have to get a sponsors invite or go through the tournaments Monday qualifiers.

A standard PGA Tour win comes with a two-year exemption to the tour, whilst some elevated events such as World Golf Championships, the Memorial Tournament and the Tour Championship are worth a three-year exemption.

Those that win one of the major championships such as the Open Championship or the PGA Championship will get themselves exemption to both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.

Danny Willet, for example, managed to win the 2016 Masters which meant that he gained a PGA Tour card for the next five years.

Final Thoughts

There’s a few different methods to get a PGA Tour card, none of which are very easy.

It takes years of practice and plenty of incredibly good golf to become a PGA Tour pro, something only a few will ever achieve.

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2024 Memorial Tournament odds, field: Surprising PGA picks, predictions from model that's nailed 12 majors

Sportsline's proven model simulated the memorial tournament 2024 10,000 times and revealed its surprising golf picks.

The PGA Tour will contest its seventh of eight signature events when the 2024 Memorial Tournament begins on Thursday morning at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler finds himself in his usual position atop the PGA odds board, listed as the +360 favorite (risk $100 to win $360) in the 2024 Memorial Tournament odds. He has not finished outside the top 10 in any of his last 10 starts on the PGA Tour, and he has finished third in the last two years at Muirfield Village. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy is next at +800, while PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele is +900.

Defending champion Viktor Hovland, who beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff last year, is +1800. The reigning FedEx Cup champion finished third in the PGA Championship, but should you include him in your 2024 Memorial Tournament bets? Before making any 2024 Memorial Tournament picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine .

SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up almost $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure's model correctly predicted Scheffler would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and The Players Championship this season. McClure also included Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. That bet hit at +9000, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned nearly $1,000. And at the 2024 PGA Championship, the model correctly called Xander Schauffele's first major victory heading into the weekend. 

The model also predicted Rahm would be victorious at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022.

In addition, McClure's best bets included Nick Taylor (70-1) winning the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Jason Day (17-1) winning outright at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, and Rickie Fowler (14-1) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 12 majors entering the weekend, including the last three Masters and the 2024 PGA Championship. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now that the 2024 Memorial Tournament field is finalized, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard .

Top 2024 Memorial Tournament predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the Memorial Tournament 2024: Collin Morikawa, who was two strokes off the lead heading into the final round before withdrawing last year, stumbles this week and barely cracks the top five. Morikawa has gone winless in his first 13 tournaments in 2024 after picking up just one win in 25 events last year. He continues to make the cut and contend in most of his appearances, but he has been unable to get across the finish line. 

In fact, he has not finished better than T-3 (Masters) this season, and he missed the cut in the Memorial Tournament two years ago. He ranks outside the top 115 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting and driving distance, while also ranking 105th in greens in regulation percentage. The model does not like his chance of breaking his winless drought this week, even though he is among the 2024 Memorial Tournament favorites at +1400.  See who else to fade here .

Another surprise: Patrick Cantlay, a 25-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Cantlay is an eight-time PGA Tour winner who is still seeking his first win this season, but he has made the cut in all 12 of his events played.

He finished T-4 in the Genesis Invitational and T-3 in the RBC Heritage to go along with a T-22 finish at the Masters. Cantlay ranks inside the top 30 on the PGA Tour in scrambling, sand save percentage and one-putt percentage. He won the Memorial in 2019 and 2021 to go along with a T-3 at this event in 2022, so he has been one of the top performers at Muirfield Village.  See who else to back here . 

How to make 2024 Memorial Tournament picks

The model is also targeting three other golfers with odds of 25-1 or longer to make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model's picks here .

Who will win the 2024 Memorial Tournament, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the Memorial Tournament 2024 odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected Memorial Tournament leaderboard , all from the model that's nailed 12 golf majors, including the last three Masters and the 2024 PGA Championship.

2024 Memorial Tournament odds, field

Get full 2024 Memorial Tournament picks, best bets and predictions here .

Scottie Scheffler +360 Rory McIlroy +800 Xander Schauffele +900 Collin Morikawa +1400 Viktor Hovland +1800 Ludvig Aberg +1800 Patrick Cantlay +2500 Justin Thomas +2500 Wyndham Clark +3500 Tommy Fleetwood +3500 Max Homa +3500 Hideki Matsuyama +3500 Sahith Theegala +4000 Jordan Spieth +4500 Matt Fitzpatrick +5000 Byeong Hun An +5000 Tony Finau +5500 Sungjae Im +5500 Si Woo Kim +5500 Russell Henley +5500 Corey Conners +5500 Cameron Young +5500 Tom Kim +6000 Sam Burns +6000 Jason Day +6000 Sepp Straka +6500 Keegan Bradley +6500 Will Zalatoris +7000 Shane Lowry +7000 Billy Horschel +7000 Denny McCarthy +7500 Brian Harman +7500 Tom Hoge +8000 Harris English +8000 Alex Noren +8000 Christiaan Bezuidenhout +9000 Stephan Jaeger +10000 Robert MacIntyre +10000 Kurt Kitayama +10000 Akshay Bhatia +10000 Mackenzie Hughes +11000 Lucas Glover +11000 Justin Rose +11000 J.T. Poston +11000 Thomas Detry +13000 Taylor Moore +13000 Rickie Fowler +13000 Davis Thompson +13000 Chris Kirk +13000 Ben Griffin +13000 Austin Eckroat +15000 Taylor Pendrith +18000 Patrick Rodgers +18000 Andrew Putnam +18000 Adam Schenk +18000 Adam Hadwin +18000 Lee Hodges +20000 Jake Knapp +20000 Davis Riley +20000 Cam Davis +20000 Adam Svensson +20000 Victor Perez +25000 Seamus Power +25000 Nick Taylor +25000 Nick Dunlap +25000 Mac Meissner +25000 Eric Cole +25000 Matthieu Pavon +30000 Chris Gotterup +30000 Brendon Todd +30000 Emiliano Grillo +35000 Matt Kuchar +40000 Pierceson Coody +60000 Peter Malnati +60000 Jackson Koivun +100000 Brandt Snedeker +200000  

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Grayson Murray’s parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide

A golf television broadcast is played at the broadcast tent showing a photo of Grayson Murray during the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, May 25, 2024. Two-time PGA Tour winner Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the tournament. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

FILE -Grayson Murray holds the trophy after winning the Sony Open golf event, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning, May 25, 2024 at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial(AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE -Grayson Murray hits off the 18th tee during the first round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Thursday, April 20, 2023. Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning, May 25, 2024 at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

A golf broadcast by CBS is played on an empty stage at the media center showing a photo of Grayson Murray during the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, May 25, 2024. Two-time PGA Tour winner Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the tournament. (AP Photo/LM Otero

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan pauses while speaking about the death of PGA player Grayson Murray during the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan walks away from the microphone after talking about the death of PGA player Grayson Murray during the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

FILE -Grayson Murray celebrates winning the Sony Open golf event, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning, May 25, 2024 at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org .

Grayson Murray’s parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event. The family asked for privacy and that people honor Murray by being kind to one another.

“If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement released by the PGA Tour.

Murray, a two-time PGA Tour winner, spoke in January after winning the Sony Open in Honolulu about turning the corner in his life, his golf and battles with alcoholism and mental health. He died Saturday morning.

Murray had to go through the Korn Ferry Tour to get his PGA Tour card back. And then he birdied the last hole at the Sony Open to get into a playoff, and made a 40-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole for an emotional win.

“It’s not easy,” Murray said immediately after winning. “I wanted to give up a lot of times. Give up on myself. Give up on the game of golf. Give up on life, at times.”

Murray tied for 43rd last week in the PGA Championship, which enabled him to hold his position among the top 60 to earn a spot in the U.S. Open next month at Pinehurst No. 2 in his native North Carolina.

He shot 68 in the opening round at Colonial. The next round, he was 5 over and coming off three straight bogeys when he withdrew citing an illness.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said he spoke with Murray’s parents about halting play at Colonial and they insisted the golf tournament continue.

Monahan flew to Fort Worth, Texas, to be with players. Many of them wore black-and-red pins on their caps Sunday in honor of Murray. Those are the colors of the Carolina Hurricanes, his favorite NHL team.

“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone. It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare,” his parents shared in their statement.

“We have so many questions that have no answers. But one. Was Grayson loved? The answer is yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and — it seems — by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed.

“Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now.”

Grayson was a raw talent after taking up golf at age 8. He won his age division three straight years at the prestigious Junior World Championship in San Diego. But he struggled to fit in at college, going to Wake Forest, East Carolina and then Arizona State.

His first coach was Ted Kiegel in North Carolina, who like so many others was devastated.

“Words cannot express the tragedy of this moment,” Kiegel said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. “Grayson came from something that was ordinary and made it EXTRAORDINARY. ... He burned bright for the 30 years he gave us.”

Murray won as a 22-year-old rookie at the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky, and frustration began to set in as he didn’t improve as quickly as others whom he routinely beat as amateurs.

He was always open about depression and anxiety, and his bouts with alcohol. One of his darker moments was at the Sony Open in 2021 when he was suspended for an incident in a Hawaii bar. Murray took to social media to say, “Why was I drunk? Because I’m a (expletive) alcoholic that hates everything to do with the PGA Tour life and that’s my scapegoat.”

He also accused the tour of not giving him proper help, which the tour denied.

Monahan said Saturday at Colonial that he called Murray right after that posting and subsequently spent a lot of time with him.

“I think one of the elements of his legacy is his resiliency,” Monahan said. “So you think of going back to 2017, winning the Barbasol Championship, going back and forth between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour. ... self-assessing, coming back, becoming in his own eyes a stronger human being, and then winning three times in the past year.

“To me, that’s a level of resiliency that is extraordinary.”

When he won on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, Murray talked about his parents having “been through hell and back basically for the last six years for me fighting some mental stuff.”

“Everyone has their battles,” Murray said a year ago. “Sometimes people are able to hide them and function, and sometimes you’re not. I think our society now is getting better about accepting that it’s OK to not be OK. I’ve embraced that mentality. I’m not ashamed that I go through depression and anxiety.”

He also used social media to reach out to others dealing with similar issues in a sport where losing takes place far more than winning.

Murray said in January after he won the Sony Open that he often felt like a failure who had wasted his talent.

“It was a bad place, but like I said, you have to have courage,” he said. “You have to have the willingness to keep going. Lo and behold, that’s what I did, and I’m here, and I’m so blessed and I’m thankful.”

He saw that Sony Open victory — which got him into the Masters for the first time — as the start of a new chapter. He said he had become a Christian and was engaged to Christiana Ritchie. He said in January the wedding had been planned for late April.

“My story is not finished. I think it’s just beginning,” Murray said in Hawaii. “I hope I can inspire a lot of people going forward that have their own issues.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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Grayson Murray, Winner of Two PGA Tour Titles, Dies at 30

Murray, who was outspoken about his depression and alcohol abuse, had begun a comeback after several volatile years, winning this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii.

By Emmett Lindner

Grayson Murray, the professional golfer who won two PGA Tour titles and was outspoken about his battles with depression and alcohol, died on Saturday. He was 30.

His death was confirmed in a statement on Saturday by the PGA Tour. He died by suicide, according to a PGA Tour statement that was released on Sunday on behalf of his parents.

“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” the statement said. “It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world.”

After a successful 40-foot putt to win the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, Murray rose to 46th in the Official World Golf Ranking, a career high. The event marked the height of a comeback run after several volatile years as Murray struggled with his mental health.

In a news conference after winning the Sony Open, Murray said that for a time he would drink during tournament weeks.

“Best thing and worst thing that ever happened to me was winning my rookie year, but also feeling like I was invincible,” he said. “I’m a different man now, and I would not be in this position right now, today, if I didn’t put that drink down eight months ago.”

He added that he had attended rehabilitation for a month. “I hope I can inspire a lot of people going forward that have their own issues,” he said. Murray had failed to gain PGA Tour status for several months last year after a series of off-course events mirrored a decline in his play.

An alcohol-related incident at a hotel bar in Hawaii in 2021 led to his suspension from the PGA Tour. Afterward, he posted to social media.

“Why was I drunk?” he wrote, adding that he was an “alcoholic that hates everything to do with the PGA Tour life and that’s my scapegoat.”

The golfer Phil Mickelson, who has struggled with a gambling addiction , responded at the time on social media , saying “If I can help in any way I’d be happy to.”

This year, Murray played well enough to qualify for the Masters Tournament and P.G.A. Championship. On Friday, he withdrew from the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, citing an illness.

Grayson Murray was born on Oct. 1, 1993, in Raleigh, N.C., according to an ESPN biography. Mr. Murray is survived by his parents, Eric and Terry, and his brother, Cameron, and sister, Erica, according to the statement.

He attended Wake Forest, East Carolina and Arizona State Universities, and at 16 he became the second-youngest player to enter the Korn Ferry Tour, according to the PGA Tour.

He continued to gain prominence, playing in the U.S. Open at the age of 19 and clinching a win at the 2017 Barbasol Championship, sinking a five-foot putt for a one-stroke victory.

After losing his PGA Tour card for the 2023 season, and following an angry outburst directed at Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, he seemed to have found his swing again. He won two Korn Ferry Tour tournaments last year, regaining his PGA Tour eligibility, and finished in the top 10 at two events.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

Because of an editing error, the headline on an earlier version of this article misstated the winning record of Grayson Murray. He won two PGA Tour titles, not tours.

How we handle corrections

Emmett Lindner writes about breaking and trending news. He has written about international protests, climate change and social media influencers. More about Emmett Lindner

Family says PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray died by suicide

• ESPN News Services

The parents of professional golfer Grayson Murray on Sunday said the two-time PGA Tour winner died by suicide Saturday morning.

"We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone," Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement. "It's surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It's a nightmare.

"... Life wasn't always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now."

Grayson Murray, 30, withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial after the 16th hole of Friday's second round in Fort Worth, Texas. The PGA Tour cited the reason as illness.

"We have so many questions that have no answers. But one. Was Grayson loved? The answer is yes," his parents said in their statement. "By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and -- it seems -- by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed.

"We would like to thank the PGA Tour and the entire world of golf for the outpouring of support. Please respect our privacy as we work through this incredible tragedy, and please honor Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else."

Many players competing at Colonial on Sunday wore black-and-red pins on their caps in honor of Murray. Those are the colors of the Carolina Hurricanes , his favorite NHL team.

"Obviously it was pretty difficult to come play golf," said Scottie Scheffler , who tied for second at Colonial. "But like his parents said, he would have wanted the tournament to continue."

Murray spoke about alcohol and mental health in the past, saying he used to drink during tournament weeks as a rookie because he knew he had talent and believed he was invincible. He made a massive turnaround this year and won the Sony Open, hitting a wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the final hole to get into a playoff and winning it with a 40-foot putt.

"It took me a long time to get to this point," Murray said in January. "That was seven years ago, over seven years ago. I'm a different man now. I would not be in this position right now today if I didn't put that drink down eight months ago."

He also won the Barbasol Championship as a 22-year-old PGA Tour rookie in 2017.

Murray, who was No. 58 in the world ranking, was coming off a tie for 43rd in the PGA Championship last week at Valhalla. He also made the cut in his Masters debut, finishing 51st, and was in the field for next month's U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Murray, who grew up in North Carolina, was among the most talented juniors in the country. He won the prestigious Junior World championship in San Diego three straight years and earned the Arnold Palmer Scholarship at Wake Forest.

His first coach was Ted Kiegiel in North Carolina, who like so many others was devastated.

"Words cannot express the tragedy of this moment," Kiegiel said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. "Grayson came from something that was ordinary and made it EXTRAORDINARY. ... He burned bright for the 30 years he gave us."

Murray wound up going to three colleges, lastly at Arizona State.

Murray said when he won the Sony Open in January that he had been sober for eight months, was engaged to be married and believed his best golf was ahead of him. He was appointed to the PGA Tour's 16-member player advisory council the same month.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who flew to Texas on Saturday, said grief counselors were on site at the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour event.

"To be in the locker room, to see the devastation on the faces of every player that's coming in, it's really difficult to see. And really just profound," Monahan said during the CBS broadcast Saturday.

"Grayson was a remarkable player on the PGA Tour, but he was a very courageous man, as well. And I've always loved that about him, and I know that the locker room is filled with people that really will take that away when they think about Grayson."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

RBC Canadian Open

Hamilton Golf & Country Club

Hamilton, ON • CAN

May 30 - Jun 2, 2024