Ten players fighting to keep Tour cards this fall
As the PGA Tour heads to Napa, California, for this week’s Fortinet Championship, it will mark the first time in over a decade that the Tour is not beginning a new season.
Instead, the Fortinet will kick off a revamped fall that moving forward will be a continuation of the PGA Tour season, which will move back to a calendar-year schedule in 2024.
The top 50 players in FedExCup points following the Wyndham Championship locked up spots in all the signature events next year.
The top 70 qualified for the playoffs.
Now this fall, Nos. 71 and beyond will battle for priority – and in many cases, their full cards.
Players among the top 70 can still tee it up in the seven-event fall, with Nos. 51-70 having extra incentive in trying to lock up one of 10 spots into the first two, non-Sentry signature events of 2024, at Pebble Beach and Riviera (those will go to Nos. 51-60 in points at the end of the fall).
But for those players closer to No. 125 (fully exempt for 2024 and The Players) or No. 150 (conditional status for 2024), those names, provided they don’t have victory, career-money or other exemptions at their disposal, are fighting this fall to remain full members on the PGA Tour.
Here are 10 notables who have the most to play for over the next few months:
116. Peter Malnati: A current member of the PGA Tour’ Player Advisory Council, Malnati has played at least 20 events on the PGA Tour for eight straight seasons. But this season he’s notched just two top-10s, highlighted by a T-4 at Pebble Beach. He missed four of his last five cuts prior to missing the playoffs. He owns one career win (2015 Sanderson Farms).
124. Jimmy Walker: The 2016 PGA champ is playing on his top-50 career-money exemption this season after ending up No. 202 in points last season (the LIV defections actually moved him up nine spots on the career money list). He’s not cracked the top 150 in the past four seasons, though his PGA win has allowed him to keep his card while he's struggled with his game and health (he was diagnosed with Lyme disease shortly after that win at Baltusrol). This season has been Walker’s best since 2017-18 as he’s compiled six top-25s, though no top-10s.
130. Scott Piercy: Despite being a full PGA Tour member since 2009 and four-time winner, Piercy sits No. 69 in career money, so he doesn’t have the career-money lifelines at his disposal like other veterans. This season marked the first in which Piercy didn’t log a top-10 since 2013-14, when he played just 12 events because of an arm injury.
133. Troy Merritt: The two-time PGA Tour winner is in his 12th consecutive season on Tour. He was T-3 in Houston last fall, but that was his only top-10, and he’s also missed a career-worst 18 cuts, including 14 in a 15-week span at one point this season.
144. Russell Knox: Since losing his card after his rookie season in 2012, Knox has logged at least 20 events on the PGA Tour in 10 straight seasons. This season, however, he’s only managed three top-25s, the same amount as 2013, when he only played 11 times as a conditional member. He does boast two career wins.
150. Ryan Moore: The five-time PGA Tour winner is playing this season on his top-50 career-money exemption after notching just two top-25s last season. He has only three top-25s this campaign and he's hanging onto No. 150, but if he drops he’ll have to rely solely on his past-champion status in '24.
159. Doc Redman: Unlike the aforementioned players, Redman is not a PGA Tour winner, so should he fail to crack at least the top 150, the 2017 U.S. Amateur champion will have no status for next season. He has spent four seasons now as a PGA Tour member, though just two top-25s, including one top-10, has him way down the points list.
160. Dylan Frittelli: Just two years ago Frittelli was playing in all four majors and placing fifth at The Open. Now, he’s in the midst of a season in which he’s missed 22 of 29 cuts. He ended 2021 at No. 111 in the world rankings; he’s since slipped to No. 324. He has one PGA Tour win, at the 2019 John Deere.
165. James Hahn: In his 11th straight season as a full PGA Tour member – taking out his elbow-injury-plagued 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns – Hahn has one top-25 in 24 starts. He’s a two-time winner.
173. Robert Streb: His two-year exemption from his 2020 RSM Classic win is up, and the two-time PGA Tour winner has work to do is he wants to play a 10th straight season as a fully exempt member. He finished No. 126 in his rookie year, in 2013, but had a runner-up and one other top-10 the next season to regain his full card.
