• Welcome To ShotTalk.com!

    We are one of the oldest and largest Golf forums on the internet with golfers from around the world sharing tips, photos and planning golf outings.

    Registering is free and easy! Hope to see you on the forums soon!

PGA Tour Changes

shep3470

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2009
271
0
Omaha, NE
I just read the tour is going to make changes. No more q-school. Season will start in October. Top 75 from Nationwide and 126-200 from PGA tour will play a 3 tournament playoff for their PGA card.
 

TheTrueReview

"Playing it straight"
Supporting Member
Jan 8, 2009
8,204
6,042
Country
Australia Australia
From memory, there may have been another thread about this.

Anyway, I don't like the change. It's seems like it's a made for TV stunt & will adversely affect an elite foreign player (eg. from the Euro Tour) who wishes to try for his US tour card. As if a current top Euro player is going to play the Nationwide tour for a year ...
 

BigJim13

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
Aug 13, 2006
11,840
3,154
Its long been known that players coming off the Nationwide Tour fare better than players going through Q School.

It may be a stunt but one that is likely needed. Does anybody watch golf in October? What tournaments are they talking about? I pretty much shut it off after the PGA anyway.
 

TheTrueReview

"Playing it straight"
Supporting Member
Jan 8, 2009
8,204
6,042
Country
Australia Australia
Its long been known that players coming off the Nationwide Tour fare better than players going through Q School.

It may be a stunt but one that is likely needed. Does anybody watch golf in October? What tournaments are they talking about? I pretty much shut it off after the PGA anyway.

A few questions flow.

1. Known by who? Please publish the stats that you're relying on.
2. Does anybody watch golf in October? Yes. Golf is a worldwide game.
3. I don't understand. Can you rephrase the question?
 

BigJim13

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
Aug 13, 2006
11,840
3,154
A few questions flow.

1. Known by who? Please publish the stats that you're relying on.
2. Does anybody watch golf in October? Yes. Golf is a worldwide game.
3. I don't understand. Can you rephrase the question?


1. have you never heard them say on any broadcast that the Nationwide Tour is a great way to prepare for the PGA tour? And how much better players do coming off the Nationwide than going through Q school? I could get stats, but don't care enough to.

2. I get it, it was rhetorical. NFL starts in August so pretty much golf is an afterthought here in the states, which is what we are talking about right? The PGA Tour is still the US tour?

3. Which tournaments are going to be the so called playoffs? Which 3 "late season" events?
 
OP
shep3470

shep3470

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2009
271
0
Omaha, NE
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #6
From memory, there may have been another thread about this.

Anyway, I don't like the change. It's seems like it's a made for TV stunt & will adversely affect an elite foreign player (eg. from the Euro Tour) who wishes to try for his US tour card. As if a current top Euro player is going to play the Nationwide tour for a year ...

I think there was another thread but if I remember correctly, it was just in the beginning stages, just being talked about. Today it was announced it was going to happen.
 

TheTrueReview

"Playing it straight"
Supporting Member
Jan 8, 2009
8,204
6,042
Country
Australia Australia
1. have you never heard them say on any broadcast that the Nationwide Tour is a great way to prepare for the PGA tour? And how much better players do coming off the Nationwide than going through Q school? I could get stats, but don't care enough to.

2. I get it, it was rhetorical. NFL starts in August so pretty much golf is an afterthought here in the states, which is what we are talking about right? The PGA Tour is still the US tour?

3. Which tournaments are going to be the so called playoffs? Which 3 "late season" events?

1. That's just waffle by the talking heads Jim. In other words, a matter of opinion. I'm not denigrating the Nationwide Tour. I just think the Nationwide Tour + Q School is a better system, rather than a made for TV stunt. Rio Ishikawa is being given conditional status next year because the US PGA Tour want him so badly. But that's an exception. Another elite foreign player (eg. top Euro tour player) who is already playing the big co-sanctioned events, may be required to play for a year on the Nationwide Tour. As if anyone would take a step down to do that.

2. Probably not. Two of its tour events are played in the United Kingdom and Malaysia.

3. Oh.
 

limpalong

Mental Ward Escapee
Supporting Member
Oct 18, 2006
13,821
13,653
I forgot!
Country
United States United States
If nothing else, the changes will initiate lively discussion between we who play this game. On one hand, baseball has survived well for decades utilitzing a minor league system. Play well in the minors, get called up to the majors, and see it you've got what it takes to remain there. Pro basketball/football utilizes college venues as their minor league system. Players are drafted into the upper tier, based upon their performance... not just in an NCAA tourney... but over the course of a couple of seasons. Will it work in golf? Honestly, I have my doubts.

I am no fan of Finchem. I believe he hurt the game of golf, selling out to The Golf Channel and not working hard to keep golf on ESPN, etc. It is difficult to understand his reasoning for elimination of Q-School. Due to the minimal purses on the Nationwide Tour, there is now a huge incentive for really good players to move to the European Tour of Japanese Tour. There is, also, now limited ability for good players to find a way onto the PGA Tour. It should be much easier/much more financially rewarding to play on the overseas tours.

The only way I see this working is to have the purses dramatically increased for the Nationwide Tour. For there to be any incentive to play in the 'minor league', you must be able to at least cover expenses. Today, not even the top Nationwide Tour players can do that.

Finchem is gambling with the future of the PGA Tour and is gambling with his own future. If this is the bust it appears to be on the surface, the game will take an even bigger hit in the next couple of years. If it works out... If this eliminates some of those who play well for a 6-week Q-School and go bust when they have to play week after week, he may come out a hero. If I were betting... I would have to put my money on this idea being a collassal fail and we see Q-School back 2 to 3 years down the line.
 

TEA Time

Grumpy Gilmore
Staff member
Admin
Mar 23, 2011
7,847
7,292
Portland, Oregon
Country
United States United States
Speaking before researching: I don't like the idea of removing Q-school. Does that mean the only way to get to the TOUR is through the Nationwide? And what happens when you do get there and don't make the top 125... you have to go back through the Nationwide again? Sounds like the Nationwide Tour is about to quadruple in size.

I'm with limpalong here. It appears to be a gamble, and I'd bet against Finchem.
 
OP
shep3470

shep3470

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2009
271
0
Omaha, NE
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #10
Speaking before researching: I don't like the idea of removing Q-school. Does that mean the only way to get to the TOUR is through the Nationwide? And what happens when you do get there and don't make the top 125... you have to go back through the Nationwide again? Sounds like the Nationwide Tour is about to quadruple in size.

I'm with limpalong here. It appears to be a gamble, and I'd bet against Finchem.

I'm not exactly sure. I just quickly skimmed the article. Sounds like they would have to go back through the Nationwide Tour. I think it also said they are working on getting a new sponsor, since I think this is the last year for Nationwide, and getting more money in the purse's.
 

BigJim13

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
Aug 13, 2006
11,840
3,154
From the article:

After the FedEx Cup regular season ends in August 2013, the tour will take the top 75 players from the Nationwide Tour money list, along with the players who finished No. 126 through 200 on the PGA TOUR money list, and have them play three tournaments. The top 50 will receive PGA Tour cards for the following season.

And more:

In the past, the top 25 Nationwide players would receive their cards along with another 25 or so handed out at Q-School. This method not only rewarded players who sustained a high level of play for months (Nationwide qualifiers), but also opened the door for the “Cinderella story” players who fought their way through Q-School. The system worked out fine for its purpose; but did it ensure the best possible players were on TOUR to begin a season?

Whats the issue with this again? Seems to make sense to me. If you dont get through the playoff you go back to the Nationwide tour. I don't think any "chances" to make the tour are lost. YOu can still Monday qualify, win a tournament, get exempted to the next tourney by playing well. What the tour is looking for is consistent play at the highest level and what better way then to play 3 tournaments?
 
OP
shep3470

shep3470

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2009
271
0
Omaha, NE
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #12
Playing well for 3 tournaments is not consistent, in my opinion. I bet a lot of the top college players are hating this change. They probably wanted a chance to go straight to the PGA Tour through Q-School.
 

BigJim13

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
Aug 13, 2006
11,840
3,154
Playing well for 3 tournaments is not consistent, in my opinion. I bet a lot of the top college players are hating this change. They probably wanted a chance to go straight to the PGA Tour through Q-School.

NO, but playing well for a year on the Nationwide Tour to get into the top 50 and then playing well for 3 more tournaments IS. There is still a chance to go right to the tour. If you're that good you can Monday qualify. I think what the unintended consquence may be is more top college players leaving school early to get onto the Nationwide tour earlier.
 

Augster

Rules Nerd
Supporting Member
Mar 9, 2005
1,473
23
Finchem has been trying to sell the former Nationwide Tour to a buyer for well over a year. Nationwide has said they will not be re-upping their sponsorship of the minor leagues.

Since Finchem couldn't find a buyer for the minor leagues, he needed to come up with something that he can sell. This is his solution. There will still be a minor league. There will still be a Q school. But now, doing away with the "Fall series" that have basically become tack-on events, they are going to have 3 weeks of real pressure golf with guys that have failed on the PGA during the year, and guys that have succeeded in the minors battling for cards for the following year.

Q school will only give out cards to the Nationwide.

All details will be revealed as the PGA Tour slowly pulls the numbers out of their asses. For example, who should be seated higher, #126 on the PGA Tour or #1 on the (former) Nationwide Tour? One guy failed all year but probably made $800,000 while the other succeeded all year but probably made $300,000. Which has more value and deserves a better shot at a Tour Card for the following year?
 

🔥 Latest posts

Top