I just wanted to know how many or how do you get a sponsor's excemption. I know top 125 from previous year, top 20 nationwide, q school grads, previous major champs, past winners get in tourneys. But what about someone like Bill Haas? How many tournament's does he get excemption since he never got his card? Does the money he earns on tour this year count? What if he wins a tournament this weekend or a tournament this year, does that give him his card for this year and next? Just wondering ..... Thanks in advance.
Ask Mark Rypien. He shot a 90 something at the Kemper Open back in the early 90s. Everyone was cool with it. No one cried for the fringe tour player, said that Mark should go win some amateur events first or complained about shameless publicity stunts...... and neither did I. Actually I think I followed his group for a hole or two. I was first interested, then amused, not threatened, aghast, or anything like that. It added to my enjoyment of the tournament.
Rypien wasn't the first or the last unqualified, untalented male to receive a sponsor's exemption.
Lets face it. Sponsor's Exemptions only became an evil thing when a couple of exceptional women dared to accept them.
Sorry Alpod22, didn't mean to attempt a thread-jacking...... jcgolfpro, can you help him out? From I've seen you post in the past and from what I've read, the sponsor of a given tournament can invite just about anyone they please, though they only have a limited number of them.
I know that Sony invites Japanese Tour professionals. Other sponsors tend to invite a local College stud or just a local area professional. I believe that Fred Funk (University of Maryland Golf Coach) used to receive exemptions at Avenel, Phil Mickelson: most Arizona tournament invites, Tiger: SOCAL tourney invites, David Toms: Louisiana invites, Ken Green: Hartford Invites, Billy Andrade & Brad Faxon: New England area invites, etc.
These things seem very parochial but that is out the window with Michelle Wie's drawing power. MANY tournaments have opened their doors to her. Until now she (& BJ?) have not accepted any other (than Sony's) PGA Tour invites.
Last edited by jimmigan : January 26th, 2005 at 09:04 PM.
Alpod, I believe one can only receive a maximum of 7 sponsor's exemptions in a given year on the PGA Tour. I believe top 10s automatically get you into the next event without the need for an exemption, but I may need backup on that one. Also, if he were to earn as much money as the person who finished 125 on the money list this past year, he would earn his card for the remainder of the year. The money he wins counts toward the money list like everyone else's. And yes, if Bill wins this week or something, he's got the 2 year exemption like everyone else gets for a win.
In order for a player's earnings to be counted on the TOUR's Official Money List, said player must be a TOUR member.
Droogs,
How did Mickelson become a Tour Member in July of 1992? He never played the Hogan Tour and didn't go to Q-School. He received a bunch of Sponsor's Exemptions from 1988 to Mid 1992 but evidently remained an amateur until July of '92 because he wasn't credited with any earnings even though he actually won a tournament in '91 and had decent showings in a handful of others:
19th at the 1990 Northern Telecom Tucson Open
29th at the 1990 US Open
32nd at the 1991 Phoenix Open
46th at the 1991 Masters
Then in July of 1992 he earns his first check for coming in 38th at the Centel Western Open. Is that because he chose to become a PGA Tour Member at that particular time and by virtue of his previous finishes when he was a sponsor's exemption, immediately qualified for his Tour Card?? Tiger's progression was that he turned pro (e.g. became a PGA Tour Member?) THEN used sponsor's exemptions to earn his PGA Tour Card.... If that's the case, it's slightly differenct than what Phil did. OR did Phil's previous finishes as an amateur NOT factor (e.g. count) toward how he earned his Tour Card? If that's the case, than he earned his Tour Card exactly how Tiger did..... via sponsor's exemptions in the 2nd half of the season. I guess you can be a Tour Member (e.g. able to earn $$) without having a Tour Card? Is that technically jcgolfpro's status?
Though in Tiger's case if he had waited, he could have theoretically earned his PGA Tour Card by virtue of his '97 Masters victory without the aid of a sponsor's exemption since his US Amateur victory gained his entrance into that event. BUT he had already earned his Tour Card the previous year, I assume, based on the $$ he made as a Sponsor's Exemption.
Last edited by jimmigan : January 27th, 2005 at 12:42 PM.
Mickelson won a tournament as an amateur, so when he turned pro he was able to use his automatic exemption for being a winner
So he won that tournament as an amateur/sponsor's exemption/non PGA Tour Member and therefore he didn't earn any $$ but it did qualify him for his PGA Tour Card the moment he turned pro..... assuming that was within a certain timeframe.
How did Mickelson become a Tour Member in July of 1992?
Jimmigan, to be technically correct, Phil turned pro in July of 1992, but earned his TOUR membership only after fulfilling certain specific qualifications.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmigan
...but evidently remained an amateur until July of '92 because he wasn't credited with any earnings even though he actually won a tournament in '91 and had decent showings in a handful of others.
Correct, Jimmigan. As an amateur Phil would not have been paid for his placings on the PGA TOUR.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmigan
...or did Phil's previous finishes as an amateur NOT factor (e.g. count) toward how he earned his Tour Card?
Correct, Jimmigan. His previous finishes, as an amateur, were not a factor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmigan
I guess you can be a Tour Member (e.g. able to earn $$) without having a Tour Card? Is that technically jcgolfpro's status?
Jimmigan, if you consult the PGA TOUR's player exemption regulations, you'll find that there are varying degrees of exempt status, each with a specific time frame or shelf life, as it were.
Furthermore, jcgolfpro is not a PGA TOUR member. He is a PGA Professional, meaning he has a certain status with the PGA Of America...a separate entity from the PGA TOUR.
And, lastly, always remember this: The rules and regulations governing which players are eligible to have their PGA TOUR earnings reflected on the TOUR's Official Money List were changed sometime around the year 1999...I can't remember exactly. Before that time, non TOUR members' earnings, in official PGA TOUR events, were counted on the TOUR's money list. This is no longer the case.
I appreciate the feedback from everybody. At least now I have a better understanding of each player's current status on tour. Thanks for the links and info droogy33. Very informative.
2003: Made the cut in 29 of 31 starts and...Lost to Mike Weir in a playoff at the Nissan Open after Weir birdied the second extra hole. Was second- and third-round leader, and held three-shot lead heading into Sunday, but finished with 2-over 73 to tie Weir at the end of regulation...Grabbed first-round lead at the Memorial Tournament with an 8-under-par 64, finished T27...Posted first career top-10 at a major with a T10 at the PGA Championship. Clinched 10th and final spot on 2003 Presidents Cup team with PGA Championship finish...Held the 36-hole lead at the Bell Canadian Open and was two back through 54 holes. Closing round of 74 dropped him into T14...Ended the year on a high note with his second runner-up finish at the TOUR Championship. Finished two back of Vijay Singh in Atlanta in 2002 and three back of Chad Campbell in Houston in 2003...Earned a spot on The Presidents Cup for the United States. 2002: Followed a successful rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season, thanks to a victory and ninth-place finish on the season money list with $2,702,747...Picked up his first career victory in his 68th TOUR event at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill. Began final round two strokes behind leader Brandt Jobe and final-round 67 gave him the two-stroke victory...Tied Waialea CC course record with a second-round 62 on way to his first top-10 finish of the season, a T4 at the Sony Open in Hawaii...Tied Riviera CC record with front-nine, 7-under 28 in third round of Nissan Open for a 64 and eventual T6...Made his first appearance in the Masters Tournament, local favorite finished T29...Runner-up to Vijay Singh in season-ending TOUR Championship. Held second-round lead. Only player in field to post four rounds in the 60s and finished season with 16 consecutive rounds in the 60s. 2001: Rookie of the Year. Earned his 2002 PGA TOUR card by playing TOUR events via sponsor exemptions. Earned Special Temporary Member status for the second consecutive season...Ranked first in PGA TOUR non-member earnings with $1,520,632. Earnings would have ranked 33rd on TOUR official money list...Five top-10s on the season...First top-10 came at the BellSouth Classic, a T6...Lost in sudden-death playoff at Greater Milwaukee Open to Shigeki Maruyama. Birdied six of last seven holes of regulation to shoot 64 and force playoff but bogeyed first sudden-death hole as Maruyama made birdie. 2000: Earned Special Temporary Member status in only six events after turning professional on June 26. Made the cut in seven of 11 official TOUR events...Best effort of the season came at the John Deere Classic, a solo third...Week before turning professional, turned in a second-place finish at the Greensboro Open, the highest amateur finish in Nationwide Tour history. Amateur: 2000 NCAA champion as a junior at Oklahoma State. Winning total of 23-under-par set NCAA Championship scoring record...Two-time first-team All-American...Recipient of Jack Nicklaus and Fred Haskins Awards...Big 12 Champion and Big 12 Player of the Year in 2000...Represented United States at 2000 Palmer Cup...1996 AJGA Player of the Year...Three-time first-team AJGA All-American...Captured 1996 Rolex Tournament of Champions.
If this adds anything to this debate, I don't know, but I never claimed to be smart
January 26th, 2005, 05:51 PM
(the "peek" would be me!)
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