In a press conference today at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced that the PGA Tour policy board has given the thumbs up for significant modifications to the current system of qualifying for the PGA Tour.The modifications or overhaul; if you will, places even more importance and spotlight on the Nationwide Tour, by making it the primary road for a player to earn his PGA Tour card.
With these modifications to the current system, all 50 PGA Tour cards will be earned through the Nationwide Tour.
The new system will have the final three events on the Nationwide Tour season combined with the PGA Tour to determine what players will earn their PGA Tour cards for the following season.
Meaning that the qualifying school, or Q-School as it is known, will direct players directly to the Nationwide Tour.
The 2013-14 PGA Tour season, will now begin in October of 2013. Concluding in late September 2014 at the Tour Championship.
With these changes, the 'Fall Series' events, will begin to earn FedEx Cup points in 2013 as well.
"We are excited to announce these significant changes, as we strongly believe that they will strengthen both Tours," said Tim Finchem.
"The Nationwide Tour, which has proven to be the most effective indicator of future success on the PGA TOUR, will now become the primary path to the TOUR starting in 2013 by awarding all 50 cards. And with the restructuring, those final three events will create a particularly exciting and dramatic finish to the season."
"In regard to the change to the start of the PGA TOUR season, the fall tournaments certainly will benefit by becoming part of the FedExCup season." Finchem continued.
"But the benefit also extends to FedEx, our telecasts of those tournaments and the understanding among fans that there's a true finality to the season, with the FedExCup and eligibility for the PGA TOUR concluding at the same time."
The final three Nationwide Tour events will be held during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. These events will include; top-75 players on the Nationwide Tour money list, players ranked 126-200 in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings as well as non-members meeting certain eligibility requirements.
The commissioner went on to say that all the details concerning the new changes have yet to be finalized.
Meaning the ranking/seeding system for determining the 50 PGA Tour cards, how many FedEx Cup points the 'Fall Series' events receive and other logistics have yet to be determined.
We are all witness to some of the biggest changes to the PGA Tour and worlds of professional golf in sometime.
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