Step's toward getting your "tour card"

[ChadH]

Hey guys,
I have google'd this and can't seem to find it. What are the steps to getting this infamous card?? What steps have to be taken to get on the PGA tour.

[Slingblade61]

Hi Chad, welcome to the site.

You didn't google very hard....I found this;

There are a number of ways to qualify. The first way is to attend qualifying school held every September at a variety of places in the country. This is 5 very difficult rounds of golf wherein only the top 30 or so will make it. These players pay their own way (approx $3000) and will compete against as many as 2 or 3 thousands others across the U.S. After each round, there is a cut eliminating many players. It is survival of the fittest! And once they are on Tour it is good for 1 year. A player can remain on tour for the next year by earning enough money to fall into the top 125 players on the money list.

Check with your club pro for particulars on events in your area.

[ChadH]

Well I tried. So, is that the only way? Thanks for finding that by the way Sling.

This is a great site, proud to be a part of it.

[Slingblade61]

I think Q school is your best bet.

Another way to get a Tour card is to play on the Nationwide Tour and win 3 events in a season or finish in the top 15 on that money list.

[obagain]

I would suggest at least a year on the nation wide tour. Q school can mean a very quick exit where a year on tour will give you a chance to make up for a bad start.

[Loop]

Or you can always try to enter to US amateur championship (if your USGA index is lower than 2), then win, and try to get sponsorship to play on the Tour.
Or enter one of the open like the US open or The Open (aka British).

[ChadH]

Well, I was actually thinking about the Nationwide but didn't know you could get your tour card if you won enough events on it. Given, I am only 21, I am going to try to walk on to the Auburn University golf team and finish college. Just trying to think of stuff in the future.

[Youngun5]

and how does one join the nationwide tour, or any other small tour like the nike/buy.com tour?

[Silver]

Nike = buy.com = Nationwide tour. Just name changes with sponsors.

(at least as far as I know)

[Loop]

You need to enter Q-School also for Nationwide.
Other than that, you can try Hooters Tour or something like that...
In the Futures Tour for women, the pay day is somewhat... abysmal...

[Augster]

I believe the easiest way to get on tour, if you have the game of course, is to Monday qualify.

Most tour events have the Monday qualifiers for $400. The 4 lowest scores qualify for the tournament that week.

Then win the tournament. That gives you a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Welcome to the PGA Tour.

If you did well in the tourney without winning, say a top 10 finish, you could always try to parlay that into sponsors exemptions.

Zach Johnson was doing Monday qualifying as recently as 2002.

I think winning a Monday qualifier would be a HELL of a lot easier than playing Q-school. The only problem is, when you Monday qualify and get it, you are playing for you tour life against the PGA Tour players.

But if you try this at a smaller tournament, the Greater Milwuakee Open or something like that, at least you wouldn't be up against the "top" names.

Or, as mentioned before, qualify against amatuer competition for the US Open, then win it. I think that gets you 10 years exempt on the PGA Tour.

But, for $400, you could theoretically Monday qualify, get in, win the tournament, and have the plans for your next to years taken care of. It'd be time to contact IMG and try to get some sponsors.

[bdcrowe]

Enter the USGA mid-amiteur, win it. You are then invited to the masters. Win it.