The PGA Tour announced on Thursday it will extend its exempt player membership into next season, meaning there will be no relegation or loss of status to tour pros falling outside the FedEx Cup top 125 at the end of the 2019-’20 campaign.
The decision for no one to lose their PGA Tour cards for 2021 comes after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled or postponed 13 events on the Tour calendar. In a statement, the Tour said the move was made following talks with the Tour’s Policy Board and the Player Advisory Council. Players in the tournament winner, career money and life member categories will retain their status for the 2020-’21 season as well.
The upshot means the elimination of Korn Ferry graduates for 2020-’21. In its statement, the Tour says it is establishing performance benefits to those who finish in the top 10 of the Korn Ferry points list at the end of the year, including eligibility for opposite-field events. The battlefield promotion, for those who win three times in a year on the Korn Ferry circuit, will remain.
There also will be a reduction of field spots available from Monday qualifying for the rest of 2020. Under the current system, four players gained entry to a tournament via Monday qualifying. That number will be cut to two. Additionally, the Tour said there will be some tournaments in which Monday qualifying may be eliminated altogether if a safe location cannot be found.
Other items from today’s announcement:
• The Tour has elevated the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. An alternate event the past two seasons, the event has been moved to the fall, and as it shares no date with a WGC tournament, the Corales Puntacana will award a full 500 FedEx Cup points to its champion.
• The 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions will include all winners from the 2020 calendar season, as well as those who qualified for the 2020 Tour Championship.
• Players who started on a medical extension during the 2019-’20 season have the option to restart the extension when the Tour resumes at Colonial on June 11.
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