Davis Love III: Controversial changes to PGA Tour are good

But there’s more. There’s less reliance on what a guy did five years ago and more on what he did last season.   

The biggest news is that only the top 100 players will be exempt for any year, instead of 125. Exceptions are for winners, who typically get a two-year exemption, and winners of majors who get longer exemptions to the PGA Tour. The measure is in FedEx points.

Davis Love III, who is in the field for the RSM because of his number of victories, was aware of the changes because he was on the policy board for a while.

“I think it's like slow play, the size of the fields and the exempt number of players has been around on Tour as long as I've been around,” he said about the topics involved.  “The question is, you know, how do we ‑‑ what number is the right number, and how do we get a guy that gets his card enough tournaments to play.”

Slow play gets noticed when fields can’t finish their rounds for a day and players have to come back the next morning to finish whatever round it was. Exemptions are usually not noticed except by people who can’t get into tournaments to play.

“Field size and getting players into tournaments has been a big deal for a long time, and I think now they've really solved that,” he said. “It solves a lot of problems for the younger guys, and it gives them an access.”

In announcing the changes, there was a quote from Adam Scott, PGA TOUR Policy Board Player Director Adam Scott, a member of the PAC’s Competitions Subcommittee.

“The PAC discussions were based on a number of guiding principles, including our belief that PGA TOUR membership is the pinnacle of achievement in men’s professional golf,” he said.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan added his thoughts on the modifications.

“Today’s announced changes build on the competitive and schedule enhancements incorporated over the last six years in seeking the best version of the PGA TOUR for our fans, players, tournaments and partners,” Monahan said.

As far as exemptions go, those in places 101 to 125 will have conditional status on the PGA Tour, which means that if there is space in a tournament for more players, and all of the top 100 who want to play are in the tournament, they can apply to enter. But they are not guaranteed a spot as they would be if they were exempt. It only applies to regular events, not Signature Events, not majors. 

Practically speaking, it may not change much for many players except that it’s hard for those who are not exempt to plan a schedule. They do not know if they will be able to play, but if they are number 126, 130, or even 135, they have a good chance of playing because fields will max out at 144 in many cases after daylight savings time begins.     

“Obviously, it's been a long time coming. Literally my first time on the board, that was an issue back then. So, I'm excited about it,” Love added. “If I was a young player, I would be happy to know if I got a card, I could get out there and play.”

What has happened in the past is that there were so many players who were exempt that it was very hard for newcomers, like those from the Korn Ferry Tour, to get into very many tournaments. They ended up going back and forth between the PGA Tour events they could get into and the Korn Ferry events.

Field size changes are as follows:

Open tournaments played on one course will have 144 players instead of 156; or a reduction to 120 or 132 as required by circumstances such as daylight.

THE PLAYERS Championship will move to a field size of 120 players from 144.

Tournaments that use multiple courses could keep 156 players, except for the Farmers Insurance Open. It will have 144 players. It is played in late January or early February.

Many are upset about the changes because the all-exempt top 125 has existed for so many years. However, the previous version was top 60, and that was replaced by top 125 in 1983. Those who did not finish inside that 125 number were not guaranteed a playing spot for the following year. 

Obviously, back in the day, more than 60 players participated in tournaments, but the PGA Tour only made guaranteed room for the 60. That led to a mad chase across the country for qualifying spots for each event. It was costly for those who did not have access. That led to the concept of all-exempt which is what exists today. This is mainly a size reduction of those who are exempt.

“Once on TOUR, members will have an equitable opportunity to retain their membership and qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. For our fans, this added competitive drama will in turn create stronger fields and leaderboards throughout the season,” said Tyler Dennis, PGA TOUR Chief Competitions Officer.

Love also thinks the fall is important to the PGA Tour as a whole and to those who aren’t at the top of the pecking order.

“If I'm asked to come and make a presentation to the board, the only thing I would say is don't lose sight of the fact that this was built to donate money to charity,” he stressed. “Yes we need playing opportunities, yes we need investment, yes we need bigger purses, better TV ratings, but it was built for charity and as long as we keep that ‑‑ it doesn't have to be the No. 1 thing, but as long as that's a big part of what we do, then the fall is important because, one, it gives playing opportunities, two, it drives charity dollars, and three, it eliminates competition from somebody else. If we just go away, somebody will take the spot.”

Love cited the years of the Silly Season as the reason for the importance of the fall.

“I remember back in the old, old days when the Tour ended, we went and played two or three tournaments in Japan, or the silly season that Freddie Couples dominated,” he said. “Why not give PGA TOUR players opportunities to play really good golf tournaments in the fall?”