Among some of the more interesting topics killing time at the weather-delayed Barclays was news from Wednesday’s Player Advisory Council meeting at Plainfield Country Club and a proposal that would dramatically change the way players earn PGA Tour cards.
According to one Tour player familiar with Wednesday’s meeting the circuit is still looking into the concept that would make the Nationwide Tour the primary avenue to membership.
The PAC was presented multiple variations of the proposal which would likely result in an end-of-year race for membership. The three-event swing would conclude at the Nationwide Tour Championship and combine the top of the Nationwide Tour money list, probably the top 75 to 100, and the bottom of the PGA Tour money list, somewhere between Nos. 126 and 200, playing for 50 Tour cards.
Q-School, the primary avenue to Tour membership for decades, would become a “feeder” tournament for the Nationwide Tour.
Wednesday’s meeting at Plainfield seemed to focus on how success would be measured during the end-of-year swing, particularly on how to accurately seed players competing on two different tours and whether the new race would use a FedEx Cup-like points system or earnings.
“They seem to be going forward with it,” said the player. “It’s still going to be tough to get passed.”
The season’s final Policy Board meeting will be held in October just after the Tour Championship and it seems unlikely the new system could be in place before the start of 2012 season.
