20 wins on pga tour lifetime exemption

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Pga tour eliminates 15-season requirement for lifetime membership.

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The 2022-23 PGA Tour season promises to be a season in transition with the circuit overhauling everything from its schedule, with a move to a calendar lineup, to the creation of designated events with large purses and deep fields.

Players, fans and the media will spend the year dissecting the avalanche of changes – with the most notable arguably being an adjustment to the post-season fields with the number of players advancing to the playoffs reduced to 70 (FedEx St. Jude Championship), 50 (BMW Championship) and 30 (Tour Championship) – but there was one procedural adjustment to the Tour’s regulations that you might have missed.

When Dustin Johnson won the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship for his 20 th Tour victory he was quick to point out how important the milestone was for him.

“I definitely wanted to get to that 20 number. To get 20 wins obviously is a lifetime exemption on the Tour, so that’s a very big accomplishment,” said Johnson in Mexico before he was asked about the benefits of life membership, including an exemption from the Tour’s strength of schedule requirement. “I definitely was thinking about that.”

Johnson was later informed that under Tour regulations a player needed 20 victories and 15 seasons of membership to qualify for lifetime membership. The 2019 season was Johnson’s 12 th as a member, and he resigned his Tour membership last year (which would have been his 15 th season) after joining LIV Golf.

The irony for Johnson is that the Tour removed the 15-season minimum for lifetime membership starting in 2022. Although lifetime membership would have exempted him from the strength of field requirement, which forced players to add new events to their schedules each year, he almost certainly would have qualified as a “top player” and been required to meet the new 20-event mandatory participation requirement, which includes the 12 designated events, the majors, The Players Championship and three additional FedExCup events.

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The 20-win career on the PGA Tour could be rarer than ever as it gets harder to win

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Bubba Watson already has achieved more than he ever imagined. Two green jackets from the Masters. A World Golf Championship title in Shanghai. Six victories on the PGA Tour. And now he has raised the bar on what he hopes to accomplish before he's finished.

It doesn't sound like much, not compared with 79 wins by Tiger Woods, or Sam Snead's record of 82. Not even compared with 20 wins by Davis Love III.

"The global game makes it harder to win," Watson said after winning the HSBC Champions. "Ten wins for me personally, and any young player, that's the first goal. Because that number 10, we don't talk about it enough. Everybody in the field is so talented."

There was a time when 10 victories was good, but not even close to great.

The PGA Tour awards a lifetime exemption for 20 wins. Four active players on the PGA Tour have at least 20 victories — Woods, Phil Mickelson (42), Vijay Singh (34) and Love. But there are 33 others from previous eras who are in the 20-win club.

Maybe it's time to lower the bar.

"I think if you get to double digits," Hunter Mahan. "How many guys have that?"

It's not that long of a list. Ernie Els has 19 and Jim Furyk has 16. David Toms and David Duval are at 13 as they wind down their careers. Steve Stricker and Justin Leonard are at 12, while Zach Johnson and Adam Scott have won 11 times.

Rory McIlroy has nine wins on the PGA Tour, all against the strongest fields. Projections for Boy Wonder are higher, and they should. be. He's special, one of those players who come along every other generation or so.

As for the rest of them?

Maybe there's too much money in golf — 50 players earned more money in 2014 than Arnold Palmer did in his career — and it lessens the motivation to win. There was a time not long ago when it was harder to win because Woods wasn't leaving much for anyone else.

The more reasonable explanation is that these guys really are good. And there are more of them than ever before.

"It's hard to see a 40-time winner on tour now, isn't it?" said Geoff Ogilvy, who has eight career wins. "As good as (Jordan) Spieth is, 40 times! That's two times a year for 20 years. So there's less of that. The golf is better. But the winning, the piling up wins, there's less of that."

Fred Couples was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame with only 15 wins and one major. Mark O'Meara will be inducted this summer with a slightly better record — 16 wins and two majors. Can Furyk be that far behind with his 16 victories and U.S. Open title? And while money is not a great measure with inflation and TV money, Furyk's $60 million in career money trails only Woods, Mickelson and Singh.

Maybe there's a reason some administrator at the PGA Tour set the bar at 20 wins for a lifetime exemption. Except for the truly great ones, that club doesn't figure to get much larger. Love was the last player to get his 20th victory at age 44.

Matt Kuchar is fond of saying that no tour has ever held back a great player, and that principle applies. The great ones will accomplish exceedingly more, whether their names are Nicklaus or Palmer, Hogan or Snead, Trevino or Casper. Woods picked up his 20th career win in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach when he was 24. Mickelson was 31 when he won for the 20th time at the Bob Hope Classic two years later. Those two are elite.

The definition of great, however, is getting blurry.

"What's great in our generation? It's hard to say," Kuchar said. "It's a classic argument, and I'm not sure there is a right answer. ... We're really judge on majors, but 20 wins, the lifetime deal would be a cool feather in the cap."

Johnson doesn't get enough credit to have won 11 times (including the Masters) even though he lacks the kind of power that defines the modern generation. Leonard was like that a decade earlier. Asked what he would call a good career, Johnson lowered the bar to four or five victories.

"Just because it's so hard," he said. "There are some guys who won last year I haven't even met."

Someone will add to that total at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions this week. Johnson has the most victories of anyone in the field. Watson could win and bump his total to seven career wins, inching closer to his goal — or at least his next goal.

"I'm going to keep trying until I get to 10, and then I'll switch it from there," he said. "Or retire."

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What does "lifetime exemption" on the PGA Tour mean?

By dpark November 15, 2008 in Tour Talk

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This may seem to be a silly question, but with all the hoopla about DL III winning his 20th PGA tour event and getting a "lifetime exemption", I curious to know what exactly that entails and what the limits are.

For example, does he still have to play a minimum number of events each year (to keep his PGA tour card) or can he play just his favorite ones?

What is his status compared to someone who makes it through Q-school, vs someone who wins a major or the Players? Is he basically always guaranteed a spot in the field in any event he wants? (except for the majors of course which aren't run by the PGA tour)

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I don't believe that they need to play a minimum number of events per year any more, but I'm not sure.

Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are LM members of the TOUR.

Basically means that he never has to ever worry about going to q-school and if he wishes to play the Champ. Tour, he should have no problem making the transition! (As if there was a question with that anyway.)

I think he says in the top classification of players too.

Basically means that he will have an EASY coast to the Champion's Tour from now on!

Thw winners of the PGA Championship used to get lifetime exemptions. Before Jerry Barber died when he was in his 70's, he was playing in some tour events because he couldn't get into Senior Tour events.

No ... they do not have to play any number of tournaments, nor be anywhere on the money list. Basically, they are allowed into any PGA event they wish to play.   Note that lifetime membership is a very rare thing (only around 30 guys have won 20 or more on Tour in its entire history. A lot of them are dead). Palmer and Nicklas have it (though they certainly no longer play. The only active players that have it (other than DL III) are - I think - Vijay, and Phil, and Tom Watson (who really only plays the Champion's now).   Note that Tiger obviously has more than 20 wins, but that's only half of the requirement ... you also have to have been on the Tour for at least 15 years , and he didn't even join the Tour until 1996. (In context, his acvhievements seem almost inconceivable ... he's already third on the list of lifetime tournament wins, and is only around the halfway point of his career).

This is the stuff I was curious about. I could not find anywhere that there was a minimum number of years that someone had to play on the PGA Tour to qualify...

• 2 years later...

According to Wikipedia.... [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGA_Tour"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGA_Tour[/url] The PGA Tour also conducts an annual Qualifying Tournament (known colloquially as [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-School"]Q-School[/url]), a six-round tournament held each [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn"]fall[/url]; the top 25 finishers, including ties, receive privileges to play on the following year's PGA Tour. Remaining finishers in the top 75, plus ties, receive full privileges on the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_Tour"]Nationwide Tour[/url]. The top 25 money-winners on the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_Tour"]Nationwide Tour[/url] also receive privileges on the following year's PGA Tour. A golfer who wins three events on that tour in a calendar year earns a "performance promotion" (informally a "battlefield promotion") which garners PGA Tour privileges for the remainder of the year plus the following full season. At the end of each year, the top 125 money-winners on the PGA Tour receive a tour card for the following season, which gives them exemption from qualifying for most of the next year's tournaments. However at some events, known as invitationals, exemptions apply only to the previous year's top 70 players. Players who are ranked between 126–150 receive a conditional tour card, which gives them priority for places that are not taken up by players with full cards. Those players can also improve their status by going to the tour's qualifying school tournament, where those players can go straight to the final stage. Winning a PGA Tour event provides a tour card for a minimum of two years, with an extra year added for each additional win with a maximum of five years. Winning a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Golf_Championships"]World Golf Championships[/url] event or [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tour_Championship"]The Tour Championship[/url] provides a three-year exemption. Winners of the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_major_golf_championships"]major championships[/url] and [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Players_Championship"]The Players Championship[/url] earn a five-year exemption. Other types of exemptions include lifetime exemptions for players with twenty wins on the tour; one-time, one year exemptions for players in the top fifty on the [url="http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/current/014.html"]career money earnings list[/url] who are not otherwise exempt; two-time, one year exemptions for players in the top twenty-five on the career money list; and medical exemptions for players who have been injured, which give them an opportunity to regain their tour card after a period out of the tour. At the end of the season, the person leading the PGA Tour money list earns a five year exemption. Similar to other major league sports, there is no rule limiting PGA Tour players to "men only." In 2003, [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annika_S%C3%B6renstam"]Annika Sörenstam[/url] and [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzy_Whaley"]Suzy Whaley[/url] played in PGA Tour events, and [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Wie"]Michelle Wie[/url] did so in each year from 2004 through 2008. None of these three made the cut, although Wie missed by only one stroke in 2004.

hitsalittle

Seriously? From three years ago?

HeadonaStick

[quote name='hitsalittle' timestamp='1318893541' post='3685249'] Seriously? From three years ago? [/quote] I saw that too... at least it is still a good question. Unlike most resurrected topics.

What's in my bag.... https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/283808-i-have-to-come-clean-to-the-golfwrx-community/?tab=comments#comment-283774  

lol good thing you mentioned it was from 3 years ago, because I was confused with the whole Tiger w/15 years. This would be his 15th!

How many events did Tiger play last year? Im not a hater or anything but I always wondered if there was any ruling on Tiger not playing the minimum required events last year?

[quote name='Lairdyboy' timestamp='1318932511' post='3687213'] How many events did Tiger play last year? Im not a hater or anything but I always wondered if there was any ruling on Tiger not playing the minimum required events last year? [/quote] His status is different. He was out due to injury. Plus, with 72 wins, to include those 14 majors, his exempt status and money list position are moot points. If he wants to play somewhere, he's playing. No questions asked.

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whatshannenin

At his current pace, he won't be playing in the Accenture Match Play because he'll be outside the top 64 in the world. Never thought it would happen, but he's not going to get into any of the WGC events if he doesn't start playing better/more.

Frank-0-Sport

Greetings ... The PGA Tour's Life Member exemption is usable in all regular open PGA Tour events, plus some regular invitationals (Memorial, Arnold Palmer, Heritage, etc.). It can not be used in events like any of the Majors, the Players or the World Golf Championships. FYI - [url="http://www.pgatour.com/r/player_exemptions/index.html"][b]PGA Tour Exemption Categories[/b][/url] (Life Member is #17) While any player can earn The Life Member Exemption with at least 20 PGA Tour wins and 15 years as an active regular member, the exemption itself becomes available for usage by qualified players in a given calendar year -ONLY IF- if, during the previous calendar year, the player achieves a certain scoring average against the PGA Tour average. Oddly enough, this can be achieved in as little as a single official event. Tom Watson and Greg Norman have had Life Member status on a few occasions because of this quirky requirement. Watson himself has done it just by making the cut and then completing all 72 holes at either the Masters or the British Open. [url="http://www.swingone.com/blog/?p=184"][b]March 14 2009 Blog Article Explaining the Scoring Requirement for Life Member Exemption[/b][/url] If you wonder why qualified players like Lanny Wadkins and Johnny Miller do not appear under the Life Member Category, it is because neither man no longer plays in any PGA Tour event. In the very unlikely event that either one of them were to play just one PGA Tour event, make the cut, finish 72 holes and in the process meet the scoring average requirement, then they would earn Life Member Status for the next season. This is also true for the likes of Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson and -YES- Eldrick Tiger Woods, too! So, unless you can meet that quirky scoring average requirement, you -CAN NOT- use the Life Member Exemption. As it stands now, Tiger is unconditionally exempt thru at least 2014, as a multiple tournament winner -IE, the combination of his five-year exemption for winning the 2008 US Open and tournaments won in 2009. If he wins at least one non-major regular event each year thru the end of 2013 (when his 2008 US Open status expires), his unconditional status will be extended additional one year for each such win. I am not certain how Tiger's 2009 Fed Ex Cup win effects this process, if at all. As for Phil Mickelson, he is unconditionally exempt thru 2016 thanks to the combination of his 2010 Masters win and his 2011 Shell-Houston Open win. Like Tiger, if Phil wins at least one non-major event each year thru 2015 (end of 2010 Masters status), then Phils's unconditional status is extended one additional year for each such win. Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport

Lifetime members are number 17 in priority for getting into events. See here: http://www.pgatour.com/r/player_exemptions/index.html This actually lists by name who falls into each category.

why's Mickelson listed as category 2 instead of 1 when he's won the PGA in the last 10 years?

[quote name='schlyer' timestamp='1318995195' post='3691455'] At his current pace, he won't be playing in the Accenture Match Play because he'll be outside the top 64 in the world. Never thought it would happen, but he's not going to get into any of the WGC events if he doesn't start playing better/more. [/quote] I don't get the impression that he'd be heartbroken over missing out on the Accenture Match Play. Every time I've seen an interview, seems like he's only playing in that tourney every year because he's expected to. Not to mention that it's sponsored by Accenture, who dropped his sponsorship last year.

Greetings ... [quote name='bw2082' timestamp='1319134178' post='3697787'] why's Mickelson listed as category 2 instead of 1 when he's won the PGA in the last 10 years? [/quote] No particular reason, other than maybe to give notoriety to the Players Championship, which is purely a PGA Tour event, where as each of the four Grand Slam Majors are not. Incidently, the exemption should be listed as just five years and -NOT- 10, as the PGA Tour quit handing out 10-year exemptions after 1997. For whatever reason, the PGA Tour has not edited out references to 10-year exemptions, either on their exemptions web-page or in their annual PGA Tour Media Guide. In actuality, Mickelson is fully exempt thru 2016 for winning the 2010 Masters (a 5-year exemption) -AND- one 2011 event (Shell-Houston). Any time you win at least one event in any of the five years after the year in which a Grand Slam Major or the Players is won, you get a bonus year of prime exempt status. Another quirky thing that can't be explained -- On both the exemptions web-page and in the Media Guide, The PGA Tour ranks Fed Ex Cup and Leading Money Winner exemptions (each worth 5-years) -BELOW- those for the World Golf Championships and Tour Championship (all worth 3-years). Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport

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PGA Tour eliminates 15-year requirement to earn lifetime membership

Did you know the PGA Tour offers a lifetime membership to players who win at least 20 times in their careers?

It's true, and it's a great perk for players who have accomplished so much in their careers that the Tour feels they have earned the right to no longer be concerned with how they can maintain status later in their careers.

However, there had been a caveat to when players earned PGA Tour lifetime status . In order to claim that lifetime status, a player had to complete 15 seasons with full membership. Now, the PGA Tour is making lifetime membership a much simpler proposition.

The PGA Tour has removed the 15-year service requirement for lifetime membership. That means a player like Rory McIlroy , who earned his 20th PGA Tour win at the CJ Cup in 2021, now has lifetime membership available to him.

The perks go beyond having lifetime status on the PGA Tour. A player with lifetime membership is not subject to the PGA Tour's requirement that a player competes in a new event each year to help bolster field strength of other tournaments they don't frequent. The player also doesn't lose their status if they don't play 15 PGA Tour events in a season; they simply lose their voting privileges.

Unfortunately for Dustin Johnson , however, the rule change kicked in after he resigned his PGA Tour membership last year following his move to LIV Golf. Johnson had won his 20th PGA Tour event at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship. However, at that time, he had only played 12 seasons on the PGA Tour and needed to complete three more to secure lifetime membership. Now that he is no longer a PGA Tour member, he doesn't receive upgraded status automatically.

For McIlroy, however, his lifetime membership status conflicts somewhat with the realities of still being a popular top player. Since he won money from the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program last year, McIlroy is to compete in the PGA Tour's elevated events for which he is eligible -- that's to say, all of them. The elevated events include the Sentry Tournament of Champions, three elite invitational events (The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament), the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play, four rotating PGA Tour events, The Players, the four majors and the FedEx Cup playoffs. In total, a player has to commit to 20 tournaments on the schedule, and they have an out from one elevated event.

Of course, few players in PGA Tour history have even had the opportunity to earn lifetime membership. All told, 39 players have ever won at least 20 times in their careers. No other PGA Tour player under the age of 45 is within four wins of reaching 20 total titles.

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With Two More Wins, McIlroy Becomes Lifetime Exempt

By kathlene bissell | feb 5, 2021.

As Rory McIlroy continues his marathon seven tournaments in eight weeks plan, it’s interesting to note that he only needs two more PGA Tour titles to become lifetime exempt on the PGA Tour. In a standard year, the former world No. 1 would have no problem rattling off two titles.  He’s done that five times since 2010, having four wins in his best season.

The lifetime exempt category, which comes with 20 victories, means he could enter any PGA Tour event for the rest of his life, as long as it’s not an invitational. Of course, he will probably be invited to those.

McIlroy’s currently on 18 titles and has been stuck there since before COVID interrupted everything last spring. It’s hard to believe someone as young as he is could be closing in on a lifetime exemption. But he is that good. It would put him in the same category, PGA Tour-wise, as legends like Greg Norman and Hale Irwin.  He’d be four behind Dustin Johnson w ho blew right through 20 and leapt right up to 24, tied with Gary Player. Johnson is three years older than McIlroy so there’s plenty of time.

As we all know, McIlroy can get on hot streaks.  He can win a tournament and keep going and win another, even if he takes a week off now and again.  So, it’s possible, if his game rounds into form, that he could crack the 20 mark by the Masters.  His eight weeks will take him through The Players, where he’s the only person to defend the same title twice, thanks to COVID which cancelled his defense last year.

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There’s some method to his seven of eight madness.

“I feel like the more I play, the more I’ll get comfortable with my game and know where it is,” he said at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. “I just thought it was a good opportunity to sort of hit the ground running this week.”

Currently he’s playing the Waste Management Open for the first time.  The master plan, we presume, is to give him a chance to be tournament tough for the Masters.

“I think winning and being in contention and playing good rounds of golf, that’s the best way to prepare for going into major championships,” he noted about his new scheme.

He added Waste Management to his calendar because he was told it was a good fit for his game.  And, he added, he was already on the west coast, having just played the Farmers.

If driving is any indication of the state of his sharpness, he admitted to a 340-yard drive on the 10th hole of TPC Scottsdale in the first round of the Waste Management when the morning was still quite cool. So, he has taken advantage of his skill with the driver.

However, he and his caddie haven’t quite gotten the hang of playing for the valley effect on the greens at TPC Scottsdale. The valley effect means the land near the mountains north of town, where the course is located, falls off toward downtown Scottsdale.  It means putts will break in that direction, just as putts in the American Express used to break toward Indio. It’s not Indio that influences them.  It’s the Salton Sea which is 238.31 ft below sea level.  Indio is 16 feet below sea level. But the courses that used to be in the American Express when that saying came about were all closer to Palm Springs , which is at a much higher elevation than Indio.  About 500 feet higher, so no wonder the putts break that direction.

In Scottsdale, the golf course is at 1532 feet, and downtown Scottsdale is 1257 feet, so just as gravity pulls golf balls toward the Salton Sea at the American Express, gravity pulls golf balls toward downtown Scottsdale at the Waste Management Open. Golfers have to play for it because at the end of a putt, the ball will curve off in that direction.

This week, McIlroy faces a gaggle of very good players including a revitalized Brooks Keopka, an always dangerous Jon Rahm, the reincarnated Steve Stricker and plenty of others.

So, can he overcome the valley effect and stay away from prickly pear cactus the rest of this week and make it to victory No. 19? We are about to find out.

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Rory McIlroy: 20th PGA Tour title a 'huge achievement' and Ryder Cup reflection helped win CJ Cup

McIlroy after his one-shot victory over Collin Morikawa in Las Vegas: "I think for the last few months I was maybe trying to be someone else to try to get better and I sort of realised that being me is enough."

By Ali Stafford

Monday 18 October 2021 12:54, UK

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Rory McIlroy believes his emotional Ryder Cup experience helped him make a winning start to the PGA Tour season and claim a historic 20th victory at The CJ Cup.

McIlroy was making his first appearance since being part of Europe's record-breaking defeat at Whistling Straits last month, where the Northern Irishman lost his first three matches and was left in tears during a post-round interview after his singles victory.

The four-time major champion went into the final round at The Summit Club in Las Vegas two strokes behind Rickie Fowler, with a six-under 66 on Sunday enough to end the week on 25 under and finish a shot clear of closest challenger Collin Morikawa.

"It [the Ryder Cup] was huge, it really was," McIlroy said. "I was really disappointed with how I played. I get more emotional thinking about that than even thinking about this [CJ Cup victory]. Yeah, there was a lot of reflection the last couple weeks and this is what I need to do.

"I just need to play golf, I need to simplify it, I need to just be me. I think for the last few months I was maybe trying to be someone else to try to get better and I sort of realised that being me is enough and being me, I can do things like this."

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McIlroy is now one of just 39 players in PGA Tour history to win at least 20 titles, with the 32-year-old sitting tied-35th in the all-time standings alongside the likes of Greg Norman and Hale Irwin.

The 20th victory also guarantees McIlroy future Lifetime Membership on the PGA Tour, which will active once he has completed 15 years of participating on Tour at the end of the 2022-23 season.

McIlroy edges Vegas thriller

Morikawa enjoys fast finish

The CJ Cup: Final leaderboard

20 wins 'a big achievement'

"It's quite an achievement," McIlroy said. "I still need a couple more years on Tour to get that lifetime exemption, but at least I've got the wins. I was asked that question at the start of the week and it is a pretty big carrot.

"I think to get to 20 wins out here is a big achievement. I didn't know if it was going to be this week, but I knew if I just kept my head down and kept playing well and doing the right things, eventually I'd get there.

"I've been close to starting my season with a win before, I think I finished second or third like eight times, so to get a win, yeah, it's great. It feels really good, some validation of what I've done the last few weeks and just keeps me moving forward."

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How Can a Player Obtain a Lifetime Membership on the PGA Tour?

DORAL, FL – MARCH 11: Vijay Singh of Fiji hits shots on the practice range during the first round of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral Golf Resort and Spa on March 11, 2010 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)

With every win, players are usually awarded a PGA Tour season exemption. The more one wins, the more exemptions the golfer receives. However, the PGA Tour also has a lifetime membership – which has been awarded to a few players till now.

Now, while the process to get a lifetime membership is simple, one cannot say it is easy. Let’s take a look at how one can achieve lifetime membership, and how many players have achieved the feat.

How does one achieve a lifetime PGA Tour membership?

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According to the criteria, a player needs to win 20 co-sponsored PGA Tour events in their career, while being active for 15 years. When a player achieves both milestones, they become a part of the lifetime membership club. That means, irrespective of their result for the remainder of their career, they will not lose their PGA Tour status .

READ MORE: Source Reveals the Impact of Tiger Woods’ Kids in Helping Him Recover From the Accident

Interestingly, this does not mean a PGA Tour player can play in any event they want. The tour has a priority order, which says how the players on the PGA Tour will play most events. The players belonging to the PGA Tour lifetime category are No. 17 . They rank below the last five winners of all current major titles, winners of other PGA Tour events, and some other miscellaneous categories. Having said that, World Golf Championships events, invitationals, and many other events work with their own entry pattern.

PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 11: Vijay Singh of Fiji Islands reacts to a birdie putt on the 16th green during the final round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club on November 11, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

These criteria are usually over the PGA Tour priority system for that particular event. This, in turn, indicates that while one may be a part of the lifetime membership club a player might not have a packed schedule.

Players currently on the list are Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, and Tom Watson. Love III was the most recent player to earn the PGA Tour lifetime membership back in 2008. While Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are also eligible, they do not need it yet.

WATCH THIS STORY: Tiger Woods Massive Endorsement Deals

Dustin Johnson and the PGA Tour lifetime membership

USA Today via Reuters

Aug 28, 2021; Owings Mills, Maryland, USA; Dustin Johnson looks on from the first green during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

Starting his professional career back in 2007, Johnson has secured 24 PGA Tour wins till now. This includes 20 co-sponsored events, bringing him one step closer to obtaining a lifetime membership. “I definitely was thinking about that,” he said of the lifetime membership. “That was my biggest (concern) because I couldn’t find somewhere where I was going to add a tournament this year”. 

However, he needs to have played 15 active years to qualify. With 2022 being his 15th PGA Tour year, Johnson is bound to become the next player who will achieve this iconic feat.

Why is Jupiter, Florida, Known as the Capital of the PGA Tour?

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The Sand Trap

Golf News, Reviews, and Commentary

A Brief Look at the PGA Tour Exemption System

There are a variety of ways to acquire an exemption on Tour, but the bottom line is that you have to play well to get it at some point in your life. That time is now for many.

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Last week, at the Ginn sur Mer Classic in the developing region of Palm Coast, Florida, Ryan Palmer, who was previously on the “bubble,” (he was ranked 143 entering the week), secured himself a spot in the aforementioned 125 with a victory (and a two-year exemption, of course, for winning). Exempt status often seems to be a vague, mysterious, and perhaps sinister thing, even though the qualifications for such a status are laid out on the Tour’s website and the information is readily available to any seeker. In order to save you the trouble of additional navigation deeper into the recesses of cyberspace, a variety of ways (and a few exemplary individuals satisfying the various requirements) will be looked at here, along with any potential “exempt status drama” brewing in the final relevant tournament of the year (officially referred to as an “event cosponsored by the PGA Tour”).

The Big Tournaments Contrary to a certain opinion, Tiger Woods is not permitted to play on the PGA Tour just because he’s a very good golfer, people generally like him, and he makes the Tour a great deal of money. Under the current system, Woods would be exempt for a variety of reasons, but officially, he received an exemption for the 2008 season because of his status as “Winner of a PGA Championship or U.S. Open prior to 1970 or in the last 10 calendar years.”

As the web site points out, “each PGA Tour player has earned a position on the priority ranking system that will be used to select tournament fields.” Of the 33 qualifications for exempt status, “Winner of a PGA Championship…” is given top priority. This is also a five-year exemption, which is the longest given by the PGA. It’s interesting that top priority is placed upon winning the PGA’s Major, but when this is considered in light of the fact that the other majors hand out exempt status to their own tournament, and indeed to other majors, it seems to be a logical choice for top priority in the PGA’s system.

Following this, winners of the Players Championship, The Masters, and the British Open during the past ten years are granted an exemption. Members of this five-year exempt status entering the current year include Davis Love III, Zach Johnson and Ben Curtis. The next tier below this are winners of the Tour Championship, or any World Golf Championship event since 2005. The latter is the reason for David Toms’ exempt status entering this year.

It’s certainly not particle physics, but it’s easy to see why players generally designate between the Majors, the second level events (Players, Tour, WGC) and the remaining events of significance. It makes sense that a golfer is compensated more fully in the system for a victory in one of the more difficult tournaments, thus giving the golfer a better chance for further self-preservation by guaranteeing him tournament appearances for a longer period of time. As an example, Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton, respectively, are neither the highest earning nor the winningest golfers on Tour, but the magnitude of their wins has ensured them an exempt status for a period of ten years. However, it could be asked whether or not the PGA Championship is five times more difficult than the average event on Tour, which is what the decision to allow exemption for a period of 10 years versus only two seems to be suggesting.

The Regular Tour Events A bit further down the list of possibilities for exemption come winners in Tour-approved events within the past two years. Fred Couples may have earned the gross domestic product of several small countries in the Skins Game, but it doesn’t contribute to his exempt status for the 2008 season. Interestingly, he is insured this as a player “among the Top 25 in career earnings as of the end of the preceding calendar year” who “elect[s] to use this special exemption for a second year, provided that the player remains among the Top 25 on the career money list.” J.B. Holmes, Rory Sabbatini, Jonathan Byrd, and Charles Howell III all are exempt because of a victory during the previous two seasons.

Other Means of Exempt Status After a number of other less than common classifications, such as “Two international players designated by the Commissioner,” comes a rather interesting category: “Life Members (who have been active members of the PGA TOUR for 15 years and have won at least 20 co-sponsored events),” in other words, golfers who were formerly winning a number of tournaments but are now, essentially, past their prime. Tom Watson, a fan favorite and arguably one of the 15 greatest golfers of all time, is the only member of this category. Watson, of course, spends the majority of his time playing on the Champions Tour, where he is anything but past his prime, having won twice this year.

Next, the contentious and highly visible “Top 125 on previous year’s Official Money List.” Jose M. Olazabal, Tommy Armour III, and Shigeki Maruyama are exempt coming into this year for this reason. The chief drama surrounding a potential leap into the top 125 this week ought to be provided by Jeff Overton. Overton, who underwent an emergency appendectomy only weeks ago and is wearing a naproxen patch because of the immensity of the pain he is enduring, is teeing it up this week in hopes of maintaining — if not bettering — his 125th place status. We’ll return to a glance at players “on the bubble” this week, but the rest of the list awaits.

A few categories past medical exemptions – which allowed David Duval to play this year – comes another visible battle for inclusion in an exempt group. Membership in the category “Top 25 and Ties from the previous year’s PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament… and players 2-25 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list” allowed Chez Reavie and Kevin Streelman to compete on Tour this year. Reavie did not earn an exemption for 2009 with his victory at the RBC Canadian Open, however, as this is not a Tour cosponsored event. Following this are a number of “special” classes, including past tournament winners and “Veteran Members who have made a minimum of 150 cuts.”

Returning to players around the “125” number, a few names stand out. David Toms is perhaps the most notable. However, there’s no need to panic, golf fans. Toms is exempt through 2001 because of his status as a winner on Tour in the previous few years, even though he will no longer be exempt as a result of his 2005 victory at the Accenture Match Play Championship. Davis Love III, at 118, has recently increased the value of his stock with good play. Should he finish in the top 125, he won’t be forced to use an exemption based upon his place in the career money list. This may be a mere technicality, but the perception that he earned his exemption based upon good play recently, rather than past success, is surely worth something to the man and keeps him free (at least temporarily) of the “has-been” label.

Jason Gore is presently situated at number 136 on the money list. Having played well in previous years, Gore was comfortably situated in the top 125 on the list last year. He’s been invisible in 2008, save for a few weeks. Unless he rights the ship in Orlando this week, the man will be in trouble. Perched at number 131, Bob Tway also finds himself in an uncomfortable position entering the week. Regardless of these two individuals, the standout story is Overton, who has defied doctor’s orders in an attempt to keep his card.

There are a variety of ways to acquire an exemption on Tour, but the bottom line is if you haven’t won recently, haven’t played well in the present year, or don’t have a legacy of great play to fall back upon, you might find yourself in a very undesirable spot entering a tournament, as a few players do this week at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. Of course, a miracle victory by someone well outside the top 125 is always a possibility, and an assurance of exemption for the upcoming year.

14 thoughts on “A Brief Look at the PGA Tour Exemption System”

I’m guessing that if you add up all those who are exempt under the 33 criteria, you’d have more than can fit into a PGA Tour event field.

Can you do a follow up on how a player gets into a PGA Tour event based on how he got his exemption?

How many 2009 PGA Tour event starts would the guy who came 25th at Q School or 25th on the Nationwide Tour expect to get with their exemptions earnt in 2008?

Further to Mark’s question, can you explain what each exemption entitles a player to do? In other words, I thought some of the exemptions do not necessarily entitle a player to enter any tournament he wants (not talking about special invites like Masters, etc.) on the tour, but others do, and that some exemptions are limited as to number of tournaments. Also, how is the pecking order established?

I have never understood how all this is done.

Thanks for the comments. I would be more than happy to do a follow up on the subject and answer the questions you have posed. If anyone else has further inquiries, please post them here and I’ll try to include a response to all of them in a follow up article in a few weeks.

Thanks again,

I get the top 125 money list and the exeptions it provides a given player for the following year. What I do not get is when the commentator says it is important because the top 125 players can set their schedule for next year.

Another question I have is the same as TRAV’s, how are the pairings determined at each tournatment? Bill Haas never seems to play with Vijay, Tiger or Phil. If the threesomes were selected at random you would think he would end up playing with someone in the top 25 once in a while.

Finally, how are the tee times determined for the first two rounds?

And these aren’t enough questions to keep you busy, please let us know …..

“Reavie did not earn an exemption for 2009 with his victory at the RBC Canadian Open, however, as this is not a Tour cosponsored event.”

Yes it is, and yes he did earn a two year exmemption. I was at his winning press conference when he was asked about it.

hi just wondering when a player is lucky enough to win more than once in a season, how does the exemption work for each event, do they run concurrently or one after another

regards colm

same question as colm. if a player wins more than once in the same year how does the exemption work.do they run concurrently or consecutive.

also how do you earn a lifetime exemption?

Davis Love III scored his 20th PGA Tour victory last November. Why was he not in the field of this years Masters?

Because he won a Fall Series event after the Tour Championship. They don’t count for the Masters the same way a “regular season” win does.

Hope to answer some of these:

1. You get up to five additional years for multiple wins (ie if you win three times you get a 5 year exemption) 2. The top 50 golfers ranked in the world that play in each non invitationals get the preferred times and the rest are picked at random. 3. Jay Williamson (25th Q) got into 19 events as of 10/4 and Ricky Barnes (25th NW) got into 20 events. 4. Each non invite tournament is has 132 or 144 players. They are ranked by each of the 33 categories. In order for a PGA player to keep his card he must play in at least 15 events per year. The top 100 players average about 20. So the tournaments get probably 90-100 of the 1-19 exempt status players enter each week. That is done on the Friday before the tournament. Then there is a stand by list where you are ranked by priority. Each week, there is always a couple of people that commit drop out.

If a PGA player missed the 125 players for the year, however qualified and made it to play in a tournament.. What is his status for that year if he wins a tournament,

What is Billy Hurley III’s Past Tour Winner Status ?

What exemptions do you get for second or third in a major?

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Winning on the PGA Tour: What golfers get when they win a tournament

• First-place prize money, which exceeds $1 million at each non-opposite PGA Tour event. 
• Multi-season extension of playing privileges. A regular PGA Tour event extends a player’s Tour card for two years after the current season. The Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament and World Golf Championships provide a three-year exemption. Winning a major championship or The Players provides a five-year exemption. Winning multiple times in a year adds an extra year for each additional win with a maximum of five years.
• FedEx Cup points: 500 for a regular PGA Tour event, 550 for a World Golf Championship, 600 for a major championship or The Players.
• Spot in the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions
• Exemption into the next Masters Tournament
• Exemption into the next PGA Championship
• Exemption into the next Players Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Invitational.

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What does the 2024 PGA Championship winner get? Money, points, invitations, exemptions

Winning the 2024 PGA Championship will be an amazing moment in the career of a professional golfer.

The win will quite literally change their professional life in a variety of ways, including being more recognized, winning lots of money, getting into the highest-profile tournaments for years to come and so much more.

What does the 2024 PGA Championship winner get?

Money: The 2024 PGA Championship winner gets the $3,150,000 winner's share of the $17.5 million purse

Official World Golf Ranking points: The PGA Championship winner gets 100 Official World Golf Ranking points -- the most on offer in a single tournament, reserved only for the majors.

FedEx Cup points: The PGA Championship winner gets 750 FedEx Cup points -- the most on offer in a single regular-season tournament, reserved only for the majors and The Players.

Exemptions: The PGA Championship winner gets the perks a major championship winner gets : a five-season PGA Tour exemption (and a seven-season DP World Tour exemption), a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship, spots in several invitational tournaments, as well five-year exemptions into the Masters, US Open and British Open Championship.

Trophy: The PGA Championship winner gets to take the Wanamaker trophy home and have it in their possession until their next PGA Championship defense. They can purchase a 90 percent replica of the trophy to keep.

The post What does the 2024 PGA Championship winner get? Money, points, invitations, exemptions first appeared on Golf News Net .

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Points and payouts: Chris Gotterup secures exemption into PGA Championship, spot in The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship

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Without a prohibitive favorite at the Myrtle Beach Classic, an unexpected celebration was promised. That goes for its champion, too.

Chris Gotterup didn’t just break through for his first PGA TOUR victory, he galloped away from it, winning by six strokes at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.

The 24-year-old first-time TOUR member grabbed outright possession of the lead at the midpoint and didn’t relinquish it en route to 22-under 262 in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Gotterup was +5000 to win pre-tournament at BetMGM. That was tied for 17th-shortest in the field of 132 in the first-ever PGA TOUR stop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He’s the seventh first-time winner on the circuit in 2024. While this is his first season with a TOUR card, he’s not officially a rookie because he made eight starts during the 2021-22 season.

The B flight, aka runner-up honors, were shared by Davis Thompson (+2800) and PGA TOUR non-member Alistair Docherty (+30000). Docherty plays on the Korn Ferry Tour where he’s currently 97th on the points list. Sunday’s top 10 at Myrtle Beach will pay forward into an exemption in the RBC Canadian Open on May 30-June 2.

Tournament favorite Ben Griffin (+2200) finished in a four-way share of 16th place. At +2500 to win, Erik van Rooyen (T4) and Daniel Berger (T36) were tied for second-shortest among the outrights.

NOTE: Points and Payouts cites pre-tournament odds to win at BetMGM for all golfers who made the cut. For live odds, BetMGM .

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER today.

Rob Bolton is a Golfbet columnist for the PGA TOUR. The Chicagoland native has been playing fantasy golf since 1994, so he was just waiting for the Internet to catch up with him. Follow Rob Bolton on Twitter .

LIV Golf player Richard Bland makes senior major debut and ties for lead at Senior PGA Championship

By the associated press | posted - may 23, 2024 at 7:26 p.m..

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Richard Bland of LIV Golf is making his senior major debut and making the most of it. Bland played bogey-free at Harbor Shores for a 64. That gives him a share of the first-round lead with Richard Green on Australia in the Senior PGA Championship. Bland was eligible last year for a one-time exemption from a European tour win in the last five years. But he was playing a LIV Golf event that week. The PGA of America honored the exemption this year. Defending champion Steve Stricker and Mike Weir were in the group two shots behind.

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Every significant tournament held at valhalla golf club, host of the pga championship 2024, share this article.

The second men’s major championship of the year get underway next week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The PGA Championship last visited this historic track in 2014 when Rory McIlroy claimed his fourth major championship title — and his most recent. We’ll have to see whether the Northern Irishman can return to glory at the site of his last major triumph.

Valhalla has hosted several significant tournaments in its history, including the 2000 PGA Championship won by Tiger Woods in a playoff. Woods’ iconic walk-in putt while pointing to the hole is one of the most memorable moments of his career — which is saying a lot.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP :  How to watch  |  Tournament hub

Let’s take a walk through history and recap all the significant events held at Valhalla over the years.

1996 PGA Championship

Mark Brooks and Kenny Perry shake hands after Brooks won the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

• Winner: Mark Brooks (in a playoff)
• Score: 11 under
• Runner-up: Kenny Perry

Ten years after Valhalla opened — thanks to the vision of the Gahms, the course’s founding family — it finally had its first signature tournament. And what remains the signature win of Mark Brooks’ golfing career.

But it nearly was a storybook ending for the course, and the Bluegrass State: Kenny Perry, a Kentuckian, shot a 4-under-par 68 to end at 11 under for 72 holes. That earned him a spot in a sudden-death playoff with Brooks. On the first playoff hole, however, Perry’s tee shot went into the rough.

Brooks, who had birdied the 18th hole to force the playoff with Perry, birdied the 18th again to ruin Perry’s dreams — and likely those of many in attendance that August day — of winning a major in his home state.

It was the only major victory for Brooks, who won seven times on the PGA Tour and is a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.

Perry, who played at Western Kentucky, had 14 wins on the PGA Tour — but a major wasn’t among them. He had two other top fives in addition to the 1996 PGA playoff loss; Perry had a share of the 54-hole lead at the 2009 Masters but fell in a playoff to Angel Cabrera.

Since joining the Champions tour, Perry has won four major championships on the senior circuit.

2000 PGA Championship

Tiger Woods holds the trophy after winning the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. (Photo: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

• Winner: Tiger Woods (in a playoff)
• Score: 18 under
• Runner-up: Bob May

Woods entered the 2000 PGA as the undisputed No. 1 player in golf. May had never won a PGA Tour event.

Their vastly different résumés meant nothing during the final round of what then still was known as “Glory’s Last Shot” because of the PGA’s position as the final major of the year in those days. Woods, who already had the U.S. Open and Open Championship titles to his name that year (winning those two by a combined 23 strokes), had to birdie his final two holes in regulation to force a playoff with May.

The three-hole aggregate playoff — the first year of the format, switching from sudden death — delivered drama in spades.

It started with the aforementioned birdie putt from Woods on the 16th.

The pair each made par on the next hole, the 17th. On the final hole, No. 18, May’s birdie putt barely slid by the cup. Woods was able to save par after hitting into a greenside bunker, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 with three major victories in a calendar year.

Woods went on to capture the 2001 Masters to complete the “Tiger Slam” and become the first player in the professional era of golf (beginning with the formation of the Masters in 1934) to hold all four major championships at once.

2004 Senior PGA Championship

Hale Irwin poses with the trophy after his fourth time winning the Senior PGA Championship on May 31, 2004 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

• Winner: Hale Irwin
• Score: 8 under
• Runner-up: Jay Haas

In a rain-delayed Senior PGA Championship that ended on a Monday, Hale Irwin birdied the 18th hole to beat Jay Haas by one stroke. It was Irwin’s fourth Senior PGA Championship; only the legendary Sam Snead (six) won more. It also was Irwin’s 40th win on the senior tour, becoming the first player to reach that figure. (His 45 victories on the senior tour remained the standard until last year, when Bernhard Langer bagged No. 46).

Irwin, who led after each round of the 2004 Senior PGA, was 58 at the time of his win, making him the oldest victor of the event since 61-year-old Pete Cooper in 1976.

2008 Ryder Cup

USA captain Paul Azinger is sprayed with champagne after defeating the Europeans at the 37th Ryder Cup at the Valhalla Golf Club in 2008. (Photo: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports)

Score: United States 16½ – Europe 11½

Things couldn’t have been much bleaker for the U.S. team entering the 2008 Ryder Cup. For the first time in the history of the biennial event, Team Europe had brought home the cup three consecutive meetings. And the Americans were without the world’s top player, Woods, who sat out while recovering from knee surgery.

But thanks to U.S. captain Paul Azinger, the Americans didn’t taste defeat a fourth straight time.

Unlike previous men in his position, Azinger had four captain’s picks at his disposal instead of two. And he created a pod system for his team, with the 12 players divided into groups of three based on style of play and personality.

Azinger’s unconventional approach paid off: The U.S. ended the morning session of the opening day ahead 3-1 and up 5 ½ to 2 ½ when the afternoon matches wrapped up. By the close of Day 2, the U.S. led 9-7.

The red, white and blue ended Europe’s run of success in the event on the third and final day, taking a 16 ½ to 11 ½ victory on their home soil. Perry and fellow Kentuckian J.B. Holmes were members of the triumphant squad.

Jim Furyk’s 2-and-1 win over Miguel Angel Jimenez provided the clinching point for the U.S. team.

2011 Senior PGA Championship

Tom Watson holds the Alfred S. Bourne trophy after winning the 2011 Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

• Winner: Tom Watson (in a playoff)
• Score: 10 under
• Runner-up: David Eger

In yet another tournament at Valhalla decided after 72 holes were in the books, all-time great Tom Watson birdied the first playoff hole to edge David Eger. Both players had opportunities to win in regulation, but neither could sink their respective birdie putts on the 18th.

The lead swapped hands throughout the final day, with four players — Eger, Irwin, Watson and Kiyoshi Murota, who had a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds and placed solo third, just one shot out of the playoff — taking turns at the top.

With the victory, Watson set a (since-broken) record as the oldest player (61) to win a major since the senior tour was founded in 1980.

2014 PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy celebrates with the Wanamaker trophy after his one-stroke victory in the 96th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. (Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

• Winner: Rory McIlroy
• Score: 16 under
• Runner-up: Phil Mickelson

At the time Rory McIlroy tapped in his putt on the 72nd hole of the 2014 PGA Championship, it appeared the golf world had its most dominant player since Woods in his prime. It was McIlroy’s third win in as many starts, which also included the Open Championship and a World Golf Championship.

His Valhalla conquest was his second PGA Championship in three years, giving McIlroy four major titles at just 25 years old; the only others who had accomplished that feat were three of the game’s biggest names in Woods, Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus.

But since that victory, despite oh-so-many close calls, McIlroy has yet to win another major championship.

And on that day nearly a decade ago, as he raced to beat the darkness, McIlroy had to earn it.

McIlroy held off charges from Phil Mickelson (who shot a final-round 66, two strokes better than McIlroy) and Rickie Fowler (who tied for fifth or better in all four majors that year without a win). Those three, as well as Henrik Stenson, had at least a share of the lead on the back nine during the final round.

A 10-foot birdie putt on 17 extended McIlroy’s lead to two shots with one hole to play, but then controversy ensued: He hit his tee shot on the 18th while the pairing ahead, Fowler and Mickelson, still were in the fairway. Neither Fowler nor Mickelson could match McIlroy at 16 under.

As dusk set in, the Northern Irishman cemented his status as the world’s top-ranked golfer.

“I think I showed a lot of guts out there to get the job done,” McIlroy said after the win. “Today wasn’t easy. The guys came at me pretty quickly. I was waiting for something to click.”

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Here are all the LIV golfers in the PGA Championship

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Phil Mickelson has won two PGA Championships in his career.

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The first few days of the PGA Championship have focused mostly on the World No. 1 separating himself from the field and becoming a father, the World No. 2’s hot streak (and personal life), and a surprising shake-up on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

But come Thursday, the golf actually starts, and one player who has flown slightly under the radar just so happens to be the defending champion.

Brooks Koepka tees off at 8:47 a.m. ET on the 10th tee in the opening round alongside Max Homa and Jordan Spieth. Koepka enters the week coming off a win at LIV Golf Singapore two weeks ago, and he was confident in his Wednesday press conference at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

Koepka spoke about how sometimes during the season it can be difficult to focus on the tournament at hand — like if Augusta National is looming, for example — but in a follow up he was asked if that problem ever happens during major weeks.

“No,” he said. “I’m pretty locked in once I get here.”

We’d agree. Regardless of what Tour he’s on, Koepka still has been his world-beater-self come major weeks. After he struggled with injuries and form in 2022, his T2 at the 2023 Masters was following by his third PGA Championship victory.

Koepka is just one of 16 LIV players in the PGA Championship field. He’s joined by major-winners Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer. Last week, the PGA of America invited even more LIV players who weren’t already qualified. All of them accepted except for Louis Oosthuizen, who declined due to personal reasons.

Below is a list of the LIV players in the field, plus how each qualified.

The 16 LIV players in the PGA Championship

Dean Burmester, Special exemption

Bryson DeChambeau, 2020 U.S. Open winner

Talor Gooch, Special exemption

Tyrrell Hatton, T15 in 2023 PGA

Lucas Herbert, Special exemption

Dustin Johnson, 2020 Masters winner

Martin Kaymer, 2010 PGA winner

Brooks Koepka, 2023 PGA winner

Adrian Meronk, Special exemption

Phil Mickelson, 2021 PGA winner

Joaquin Niemann, Special exemption

Andy Ogletree, Top 3, International Federation OWGR

David Puig, Special exemption

Jon Rahm, 2023 Masters winner

Patrick Reed, Special exemption

Cameron Smith, 2022 Open Championship winner

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Major champ says pga tour misses guys like bryson dechambeau, patrick reed, 2024 charles schwab challenge thursday tv coverage: how to watch round 1, xander schauffele's 'uncommon' goal has jordan spieth buzzing, tiger woods sent 'awesome' text to xander schauffele after pga win, josh berhow.

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing , editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at [email protected].

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Full recap of Thursday and Friday at the PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler arrested by police before second round

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler was charged with assaulting a police officer outside Valhalla Golf Club hours before starting his second round at the 2024 PGA Championship.

Scheffler — who was also charged with third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic — was released by police just in time to take to the course for his tee-off time of 10:08am ET. He impressed with a five-under round of 66 that moved him into third, at nine-under for the tournament.

The Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections, who posted a mugshot of the 27-year-old, said he was booked in at 7.28am local time and released at 8.40am. Scheffler later described the incident as “a big misunderstanding”.

The start of Friday’s second round was delayed by 80 minutes because of an unrelated crash near the course . Louisville police said a shuttle bus had struck and killed a pedestrian outside the golf club. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg later named him as local man John Mills.

• YOU CAN FOLLOW live coverage of day three at the PGA Championship with us right here .

Xander Schauffele 36-hole leader at PGA Championship with Morikawa, Scheffler chasing

Xander Schauffele stepped onto the first tee Friday at Valhalla Golf Club after a historic first round at the PGA Championship. He shot a 9-under 62, giving him the 18-hole lead. It tied the men’s major scoring record, the lowest round in PGA Championship history.

Friday’s round for Schauffele didn’t smash records or set career-scoring bests. But it kept the 30-year-old atop the PGA Championship leaderboard heading into the weekend.

Schauffele shot a second-round 68, giving him the 36-hole lead. It’s the second consecutive week Schauffele led a tournament after 36 holes. Last week, Schauffele couldn’t secure the win, thanks to a dominant performance from Rory McIlroy.

The seven-time PGA Tour winner is looking for a different outcome this week, attempting to capture his first major championship.

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Watch out for Bryson

This is the second time Bryson DeChambeau has started a major with back-to-back rounds in the 60s.

The other was his win at the 2020 U.S. Open.

Koepka records 8 birdies in second round

It was a roller coaster second round for Brooks Koepka.

He shot a 3-under 68, which consisted of eight birdies.

But it also included three bogeys and a double.

Koepka sits at 7-under-par, five off the lead held by Xander Schauffele.

Tiger birdies 18 but misses cut

(Photo: David Cannon / Getty Images)

Tiger Woods finished the 2024 PGA Championship at 7-over-par.

He shot a 6-over 77 in his second round.

But Tiger finished the PGA at Valhalla, where he won this event in 2000, with a birdie on 18.

Woods hasn't made a cut at the PGA since 2020.

Schauffele shoots second-round 68

Best 36-hole score to par in PGA Championship history:

2019 Brooks Koepka, -12 (led by seven)

2024 Xander Schauffele, -12

Here comes Koepka

(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Brooks Koepka had a double bogey on the par-5 10th.

He's rallied with three birdies since, including one on the par-4 15th.

Koepka has seven birdies on the day and is four off the lead at 8-under-par.

What's at stake for Robert MacIntyre

Robert MacIntyre has never previously been in the top 20 entering the third round of a major.

Where PGA champions need to be after 36 holes

31 of the last 34 winners of the PGA Championship have been in the top 10 through 36 holes.

Over the last 30 years, 91 percent of men's major winners have been in the top 10 entering the third round.

McIlroy going in the wrong direction

Rory McIlroy, who won the PGA the last time it was staged at Valhalla, is going in the wrong direction.

After being 1-under-par through 11 holes, McIlroy records a double-bogey 6 on the par-4 12th.

He is 4-under-par for the tournament, eight back of the lead.

Needs a strong finish coming in to get back in the mix.

Inside the most bizarre day in major golf with the arrest of Scottie Scheffler

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The most shocking day in golf major championship history began with a tragedy, and saw Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 male player in the world, arrested, booked into a local jail and released in time to tee off.

It was just after 5 a.m. on a rainy Friday morning that police were called to the street outside of Valhalla Golf Club. A shuttle bus traveling down Shelbyville Road struck and killed John Mills, a local man working the PGA Championship for a tournament vendor.

The fatal wreck caused traffic to be shut down in both directions outside of Valhalla, which is hosting the major championship for the first time in a decade. Scheffler arrived at the scene an hour later, amid a steady rain and flashing police lights, seeking to enter the property and begin preparation for an 8:48 a.m. tee time for Round 2 of the PGA Championship. A police and security presence outside of a major championship routine is typical, even common. “I drive by cops like that probably 10 times a year,” one PGA Tour swing coach said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.

What happened next was anything but common. When Scheffler, traveling eastbound, attempted to move his vehicle into the westbound lane, according to the Louisville Police Department arrest report, detective Bryan Gillis attempted to stop the vehicle. The police report said Scheffler continued forward, “dragging Detective Gillis to the ground,” and noted that he suffered injuries that required medical treatment, as well as irreparable damage to his $80 uniform pants. Jeff Darlington, an ESPN NFL reporter assigned to cover the second golf major of the year, happened to be on the scene and watched it unfold, reporting that Scheffler’s vehicle moved 10 to 20 yards before coming to a final stop.

Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, said Scheffler was originally instructed to go in and that the officer directing traffic was not part of the event traffic detail. “So that’s where the miscommunication arose and that’s why we’re here,” Romines said Friday morning.

When Scheffler did stop, he lowered his window and the officer reached in, grabbed Scheffler’s arm and pulled the door open, Darlington reported. The officer then put Scheffler in handcuffs and pushed him against the car. As Scheffler was escorted toward a police car in the rainy dark, a video filmed by Darlington showed Scheffler turning to say, “Can you help?”

“You need to get out of the way,” another officer told Darlington. “Right now, he’s going to jail, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Schauffele drops a shot, lead is 1

Xander Schauffele makes his first bogey of the week.

The last player to go the first 36 holes of a PGA Championship without a single bogey is Hale Irwin in 1993.

Schauffele falls to 12-under-par, one ahead of Collin Morikawa.

Schauffele improves to 13-under-par

Xander Schauffele is now 13-under.

The lowest 36-hole score to par in men's major championship history is 14 under by Jordan Spieth at the 2015 Masters.

Will Zalatoris: Players discussed delaying, canceling PGA Championship second round

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A small group of players discussed not playing the second round of the PGA Championship as scheduled following the death of a pedestrian outside of Valhalla Golf Club, as well as the arrest of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

Will Zalatoris detailed the 20-30 minute conversation, which took place in the Valhalla locker room, to a small group of reporters after his round Friday afternoon. The group of unnamed players considered approaching the PGA of America about the cancellation or delay of Friday’s play, he said.

“Some of the guys were talking about, wondering if we should even play today,” Zalatoris said. “At one point there were a group of guys in the locker room talking about going to the PGA of America about it, but I think it was dead in the water in the locker room. It was bizarre. We just didn’t know … when Scottie was going to get out, any of the details.”

Tee times were delayed by one hour and 20 minutes on Friday after a shuttle bus struck and killed John Mills, who was working for a tournament vendor. The PGA moved the first tee times from 7:15 a.m. ET to 8:35.

Scheffler practicing, signing autographs

(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

During his Friday post-round news conference, Scottie Scheffler said that he was "going to go back to his normal routine." That includes having a meal, practicing in the afternoon, going to the gym before heading home and getting some rest before the weekend.

Well, the broadcast showed Scheffler practicing bunker shots and signing autographs for fans.

Scheffler shot a second-round 66.

Schauffele solo leader

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

Xander Schauffele is the solo leader at the PGA Championship.

He fires a 3-under 32 on the front nine, which includes a lengthy birdie on the 9th hole.

Schauffele makes the turn at 12-under-par, one shot ahead of Collin Morikawa.

Scottie Scheffler climbs PGA Championship leaderboard hours after arrest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Scottie Scheffler, the world’s most dominant golfer, rose up the leaderboard of the PGA Championship on Friday, hours after he was arrested while trying to navigate a traffic backup caused by a crash that killed a pedestrian outside Valhalla Golf Club.

In an extraordinary sequence of events over about three hours, Scheffler was handcuffed while arriving at the course before sunrise, booked while wearing an orange jumpsuit in downtown Louisville and driven back to the course with stunned crowds following his every move as his newly hired local lawyer told reporters that he would comply with an investigation into his interaction with a police officer who was directing traffic. Scheffler faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic.

Scheffler’s day on the course finally began at 10:08 a.m. ET, when he teed off nearly four hours after his arrest. He went on to shoot a 5-under-par 66, climbing into a tie for third on the leaderboard. Scheffler, who said he began stretching in a jail cell Friday in hopes of returning to Valhalla in time for his tee time, said after the round his head was “spinning.”

“It was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding,” Scheffler said.

Scottie Scheffler: A fan favorite

Following his second-round 66, Scottie Scheffler high-fived fans as he walked off the course to sign his scorecard.

Two spectators had T-shirts with Scheffler's face. One of the tees showed Scheffler's mugshot that the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections posted Friday morning when the World No. 1 was booked in downtown Louisville.

Scheffler was arrested Friday morning while trying to navigate a traffic backup caused by a crash that killed a pedestrian outside Valhalla Golf Club.

Scheffler: ‘I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell’

(Photo: Brian Spurlock / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Scottie Scheffler said he feels his head is “still spinning” after the sequence of events he experienced on Friday. He was arrested and handcuffed Friday morning while arriving at the course before sunrise, booked in an orange jumpsuit in downtown Louisville, then returned to Valhalla Golf Club and shot a second-round 66 at the PGA Championship.

Scheffler faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m., according to online court records, two days after the PGA Championship is scheduled to end.

Asked to encapsulate what transpired, Scheffler described his pre-round routine, which took place in jail.

“I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell that was a first for me,” Scheffler said after his second round.

Scheffler said his “main focus after getting arrested” was whether he could continue playing in the PGA Championship. He said that he was in “shock” when he got arrested and that he was “shaking for an hour,” trying to calm down.

While getting fingerprinted in jail, Scheffler said a police officer offered him a sandwich.

“Sure, I’ll take a sandwich, I didn’t eat breakfast yet,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler teed off at 10:08 a.m., nearly four hours after his arrest. He described Friday's round as “pretty good.”

“It was nice to be able to put together a solid round today for sure,” Scheffler said.

Tiger Woods cards second triple-bogey of round

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This isn’t pleasant to watch: Tiger Woods, a 15-time major winner, has carded his second triple-bogey seven in the space of three holes.

This time his game deserts him on the fourth, having also bogeyed the third. He’s now eight over — seven over for the round — and his hopes of making it to the weekend are long gone.