huge changes on PAG Tour schedule and qualifying

Tim Finchem, commissioner with the PGA Tour, announced Tuesday an idea that has been in the works for 14 months. Starting in 2013, the PGA Tour season can finish in late September in the Tour Championship, with all the following season officially starting a month later, in October. Rather than tour season fitting nicely inside a season, a wraparound schedule of October through September definitely seems to be what the new normal will look like.

Probably the most radical portion of modifications - that have been approved by the tour's policy board Tuesday morning - would be that the three-stage qualifying school, which has been a dreamer's road to life about the PGA Tour since its inception in 1965, don't award coveted berths towards the big tour.

Underneath the new system, those finishing high enough on the last stage of Q School will earn playing privileges for the season around the Nationwide Tour, a developmental circuit that has produced many stars and major champions.

Instead of roughly 25 qualifying school graduates joining the top 25 finishers for the Nationwide Tour as recipients of PGA Tour cards for the next season, a three-tournament competition, held Titleist 712 AP2 Irons simultaneously because the FedEx Cup playoffs, determines who retains and claims PGA Tour cards.

Much like other elements of modifications, some details still need to be exercised, but the three-event series is predicted to contain the superior 75 finishers for the Nationwide Tour money list, plus the next 75 on the PGA Tour money list (Nos. 126 through 200) who neglect to entitled to the FedEx Cup playoffs. Of these 150 players, the superior 50 finishers inside three-tournament competition is going to be awarded PGA Tour cards for an additional season.

Got all that? It's a confusing mouthful, to make sure. But the concept will depend on a simple notion: If you want to play on the PGA Tour, you'll probably need there from the Nationwide Tour.

The PGA Tour benefits a lot from a person going to the Nationwide Tour, said Finchem. He's an improved player. He's able to better compete. It can appraise the better player, as you are playing PGA Tour-type competition week in and week out more than a good period of time.

It also educates the ball player in what the PGA Tour is focused on, what the volunteers exist for, how our charitable focus works. While they are presented to the PGA Tour, they may be knowledgeable regarding the stuff that are important.
Any time you create a change, human instinct is Why are we changing You understand, whether or not this ain't broke, don't correct it. There's another way to look at things, that after things are going pretty much, that' time to have better. That's the philosophy we now have embraced.

One of many details left are what number of discount golf clubs events inside the tour's spring will be took part in the fall (you can find currently six Fall Series events, which typically neglect to attract many big-name players); the amount of FedEx Cup points go toward those winning the new-season fall events; and how the three-event series that will award the 50 PGA Tour cards will need shape, using a points-based seeding process being strongly considered.

The alterations, especially on the way the tour awards playing privileges, might force some players - international players or recent college graduates - to think about other options, since playing their way straight onto the PGA Tour through qualifying school will not be described as a possibility.

Original article PGA Tour unveils changes in schedule, qualifying from www.bostonglobe.com