While watching the PGA
Championship this week, the year's fourth and final major, I started to realize
the golf season and summer is almost over. Then I saw the PGA of America and
the PGA Tour have decided to drop the slogan “Glory's last shot” because there’s still much more excitement on the
horizon and it doesn't stop with the FedEx
Cup. We’re entering into a new era in golf where playoffs have become a very
serious business, we know about the 10 million dollar prize that awaits the
FedEx Cup champ. Starting this year we also have the Web.com finals, a four
event playoff to decide who receives 25 tour cards for the next season.
Followed by The Presidents Cup and the beginning of the 2014 PGA Tour season in
October, “Glory's last shot” seems like “Last Call” at midnight in a bar that closes
at 2 am.
In the past there was Q School, considered
golf’s hell week, which was a gruelling 108 hole, six round tournaments where
the top 25 and ties would earn PGA status for the following year. Q school was
one of my favorite events of the year. We saw past tour winners, standouts from
the NCAA’s and Tin- Cup-esque stories fighting for 25 tour
cards. Also you could earn a card
through golf’s minor leagues called the Web.com Tour, previously called the
Nationwide Tour & Nike Tour. The top 25 leading money earners received tour
status, after the finals normally held in October prior to Q school beginning.
Graduates of the Web.com tour, include major winners and household names in
golf. Names like Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, Bill Haas,
and Keegan Bradley. 
The new qualifying system called
the Web.com Tour Finals will be contested over four events, in which the top 75
money winners on the Web.com Tour and PGA Tour members placing between 126 and
200 on the FedEx Cup points list will be eligible. The top 25 on the Web.com
Tour money list heading into the Finals will receive PGA Tour cards, with the
remaining 25 cards to be awarded based on money earned in the Finals. It needs
to be noted these players are playing for priority placing as their status is
below the Top 125 which are eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs. That means a
player who finishes 3rd through the Web.com finals money list will
get into most events they would like, but the 45th finisher is
effectually 170th in tour priority and will miss many of the larger
events..
Important Dates:
Aug.22nd- FedEx Cup starts at The Barclays for the top 125
in FedEx Cup standings
Aug.29nd- Web.com Finals start at Hotel Fitness Championship
Sept.19th- PGA Tour Championship where a FedEx Cup winner is
decided
Sept.26th- Web.com Tour Championship where 50 tour cards are
awarded
Oct.3rd- The
President’s Cup at Muirfield Village between USA v. Internationals teams
Oct.10th- 2014 PGA season beginning at the Frys.com Open
Although I was a fan of Q School
and the stories of players struggling through six pressured packed days,
playing for their dreams only to be crushed or elevated. The Web.com Finals
will cause the cream to rise to the top, and for the fans we have more events
to see players’ competing for Glory.
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