Should/Will the PGA Tour Rule be changed?

[deasy55]

Currently on the PGA Tour if you have your card and then decide to give it up, you are limited to 10 events on the tour (including the majors and WGC events) for the next 5 years. This is compared to the 12 event limit for players that aren't members at all. Currently this affects 2 of the worlds top 4 players, Westwood and McIlroy. Both have stated they would play 12-13 times on the PGA Tour if they weren't restricted to 10 events. Should the rule be changed?

Another example of strict PGA Tour rules came in 1986 when Seve had failed to play the minimum of 15 events the previous year. He was banned from playing on the tour and had to warm up for The Masters by playing in a few mini tour events in America in the weeks beforehand

[iacas]

I think the PGA Tour tries to do too much to protect its members, and this is one of those things.

I think if you're in the top 25 in the world, you should be able to enter any event you darn well please. No limits. No "membership" required - leave that for award consideration or something else like that.

But I also think the top 75 on the money list should be exempt into the following year, not 125, so...

[Shorty]

From my reading, the rule was basically set up to keep Ballesteros out. That's what he though anyway, and it's hard to find fault with the argument, even though Seve was more than a little paranoid. This was before the touur had such an international flavour.

There was a sense then that the PGA Tour was for Americans and the members didn't like the idea of a foreigner coming over and cashing in and then heading back home. The PGA Tour has come a long way and the international flavour is very much a part of what makes it so exciting. I woud think that most of te lplayers see it as "the big tour" rather than the U.S. tour.

I would certainly think that it is in everyone's interst to have the likes of McIlroy being able to tee it up anywhere he likes, whenever he likes.

[Vermeer]

Originally Posted by deasy55

Currently on the PGA Tour if you have your card and then decide to give it up, you are limited to 10 events on the tour (including the majors and WGC events) for the next 5 years. This is compared to the 12 event limit for players that aren't members at all. Currently this affects 2 of the worlds top 4 players, Westwood and McIlroy. Both have stated they would play 12-13 times on the PGA Tour if they weren't restricted to 10 events. Should the rule be changed?

Another example of strict PGA Tour rules came in 1986 when Seve had failed to play the minimum of 15 events the previous year. He was banned from playing on the tour and had to warm up for The Masters by playing in a few mini tour events in America in the weeks beforehand

So Mcllroy is limited to 10 events even thro' he won the US Open?, and when being interviewed immediately afterwards responded to the question will he be playing on the PGA Tour he said as far as I can recollect, 'I guess so'.

[deasy55]

Yeah he's limited to 10 for the next 5 years unless he rejoins the tour or the Tour changes the rules.

Originally Posted by Vermeer

So Mcllroy is limited to 10 events even thro' he won the US Open?, and when being interviewed immediately afterwards responded to the question will he be playing on the PGA Tour he said as far as I can recollect, 'I guess so'.

[cdnglf]

One possible casualty is the status of the Players Championship. Westwood and McIlroy both skipped it this year, and with another new WGC event in the mix it seems likely they'll skip it again next year. Top Euros like Kaymer and Quiros essentially limited to a maximum of 3 non-major/non-WGC events, so they'll probably be thinking pretty hard about whether the trip to Sawgrass is worth it. If enough of these guys decide the Players isn't a priority, it will slip from being "second alone" after the majors to just another event.

[deasy55]

I'm not certain on this but the new WGC may be outside the PGA Tour season schedule and therefore may not actually count as an event for the tour.

Originally Posted by cdnglf

One possible casualty is the status of the Players Championship. Westwood and McIlroy both skipped it this year, and with another new WGC event in the mix it seems likely they'll skip it again next year. Top Euros like Kaymer and Quiros essentially limited to a maximum of 3 non-major/non-WGC events, so they'll probably be thinking pretty hard about whether the trip to Sawgrass is worth it. If enough of these guys decide the Players isn't a priority, it will slip from being "second alone" after the majors to just another event.