Big names could lose their tour cards as part of PGA’s Fall Series revamp

The business end of the golf season is a celebration for some but a knee-trembling time for others – will they hang on to their automatic playing privileges on the sport’s most lucrative tours?

The PGA TOUR has reimagined its own curtain call for the campaign with the Fall Series, a set of tournaments that will ultimately decide who retains their card and who has to seek employment elsewhere.

No longer an autumnal jolly up, now every single shot will count.

Taking Care of Business

For those who finished in the top 30 of the 2022/23 FedEx Cup standings, things are looking rosy.

Their tour card is locked up for next season, and places are guaranteed in the 2024 majors too. That’s why the golf odds from Paddy Power for The Masters have already been released, with a chunk of the field already confirmed. Rory, in his next bid for the elusive green jacket, is a +800 chance alongside Jon Rahm (+750) and Scottie Scheffler (+800).

Of course, others will have bigger fish to fry than the Fall Series. The United States are a slight favourites in the Ryder Cup 2023 betting, with their roster of players made up largely of those who finished inside that all-important top 30 this season.

ICYMI: @JustinThomas34. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/zpXpkJ7VjE

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) August 29, 2023

For those who ended the season in positions 31-50, there’s the bonus that they will be invited to play in the first two ‘Signature’ events of 2024 – and a chance to play for their slice of a huge $20 million purse each time.

All players that finish inside the top 70 of last season’s FedEx Cup standings are guaranteed their playing privileges on the PGA TOUR in 2024, but for those ranked 71st and lower, business is about to get very, very real during the Fall Series.

Brooks Koepka will represent Team USA in this year’s Ryder Cup (photo by LIV Golf)

End of an Era?

The Fall Series will comprise of seven events, starting with the Fortinet Championship (September 14-17) and running through to the RSM Classic on November 16-19.

All participants ranked below 70th will retain their FedEx Cup points from the main 2022/23 season, and now the object is to finish inside the top 125 places – that will guarantee a stay of execution on the PGA TOUR into 2024.

For those who finish 126th or lower following the conclusion of the RSM Classic, there are bad news – assuming they aren’t in one of the various exemption categories, they will lose their access to the PGA TOUR next season.

Congrats to Canada’s Adam Svensson on winning The RSM Classic for his first PGA TOUR victory 🏆 pic.twitter.com/p9gdwIGXV2

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) November 20, 2022

That could mean that the likes of Alex Noren, the ever-entertaining Harry Higgs, and four-time PGA TOUR winner Ryan Palmer are in serious jeopardy, while Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, Charley Hoffman, and Jimmy Walker are also exposed after using their career money list exemptions to secure another season in 2022/23.

Players ranked 126-150 after the Fall Series could, in theory, play some events on the PGA TOUR in 2024, but those opportunities would come after all other invitees have chosen to accept or reject their place in the field – meaning that they would be feeding off scraps.

All is not necessarily lost, however. The PGA is bringing back the Q-School event in December, with tour cards available to those who finish T5 or better in a 72-hole tournament played on the Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass. For those not able to achieve that, a season on the Korn Ferry Tour or perhaps the DP World Tour awaits.

Golf fans tend to be fixated on the best in the business – and for good reason. But it’s often in the scrap for survival on the top tours that some of the most captivating narratives emerge…