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Money Matters

Inside the PGA Tour's new program that guarantees all exempt players will make a minimum of $500K

Rookie Cameron Young was able to make more than $6 million this season. But for first-timers less fortunate moving forward, the PGA Tour is guaranteeing they'll make at least $500,000.

Cliff Hawkins

ATLANTA — Much of the talk surrounding the PGA Tour in recent months has focused on figuring out ways top players can be compensated well enough to want to stick around and not be lured away by LIV Golf. But on Wednesday, tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a new financial incentive program geared not just for the tour’s biggest stars, but all its members.

For the 2022-23 season, all fully exempt tour players who compete in 15 tournaments will be guaranteed to earn $500,000 through the creation of the Earnings Assurance Program. For rookies and returning members to the tour, that money isn’t just guaranteed, but will be paid up front, with the players drawing against it during the season from their earnings.

“We believe it meets the challenging dynamic of how players manage and invest in their careers, and it's comparable to how other leagues approach their athlete compensation,” Monahan said when discussing the program during a press conference ahead of the Tour Championship.

MORE: PGA Tour adds more lucrative events, gets top players to commit to play together on regular basis

According to Monahan, any player making more than $500,000 will, obviously, accrue all the money they earn. And any player who comes up short of $500,000, the tour at the end of the year will pay the difference.

Typically, 215 to 220 golfers are fully exempt during the PGA Tour season. The tour is confident the majority of those players will surpass the $500,000 threshold. For that reason, Monahan said it was estimated the program would cost the tour between $2 million and $3 million to implement.

During the 2021-22 season, 163 players earned more than $500,000 on tour.

“I think what we're trying to do here is that, as you start a season and you plan for a season knowing the monies that you have to invest to compete … at the highest level,” Monahan said. “There are significant costs. So if you’re not able to play for whatever reason, you have that as a backstop. You know that that’s there for you.”

There were 28 rookies on the PGA Tour this season, led by the meteoric rise of Cameron Young. His seven top-10s this season include a third at the PGA Championship and a second at the Open at St. Andrews, which combined for $6.5 million in earnings through the BMW Championship.

MORE: Why the Player Impact Program will become even more important (and lucrative) in 2023

Down the list of rookies, however, there are six who did not earn $500,000 and thus would have been paid the difference: Paul Barjon, Dylan Wu, Curtis Thompson, David Skinns, Jared Wolfe and Joshua Creel.

The program, however, will benefit not just newcomers to the tour, but even some who already have had stand out careers. During the 2022-23 season, former FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker played 22 events but struggled with just two top-25 finishes. He wound up earning $352,198. Even a player like him, however, would be entitled to the $500,000 minimum, with the tour paying the remaining $147,802.

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5 Perks Of Winning A PGA Tour Event

There's more than just a trophy on offer for those who manage to win on Tour...

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Winning on the PGA Tour is what most professional golfers dream about, but it's a feat easier said than done. To fend off more than 100 other golfers over four gruelling days and 72 long holes is something many professionals don't achieve in their careers.

To be a solid pro doesn't require winning. Many players go through their careers without a win but make a very comfortable winning as a rank-and-file Tour player who consistently keeps their card.

However, for those fortunate enough to come out on top in a Tour event, there are plenty of rewards that go far beyond the big cheque and a fancy trophy awarded to you on Sunday afternoon.

Here are a few of the perks you get for winning on the PGA Tour...

What Does A PGA Tour Win Get You?

A nice cash prize.

Perhaps the first, and most obvious, perk is a nice winner's cheque. Prize purses on the PGA Tour have been going up for a number of years to the point where there is quite a lot on offer in every event. 

In 2023, for example, the smallest winner's cheque on offer came at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship where the winner took home $1.17 million. Meanwhile, at the top end of the scale is the FedEx Cup Tour Championship, which sees the winner take home the end-of-season trophy and a cool, $18m bonus.

As well as that cash prize, players also get a healthy amount of FedEx Cup points - 500 for a regular Tour event - which gives them a helping hand towards making the lucrative end-of-season playoffs.

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Tour card extension

For many players, however, the most important thing about winning on the PGA Tour is the multi-season extension of playing privileges. A regular PGA Tour event win extends a player's Tour card for two years after the current season, meaning they don't have to make the top 125 in the FedEx Cup in those seasons to maintain full playing privileges for the following year.

Kurt Kitayama earned a three-year Tour exemption after winning the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Should a player win The Arnold Palmer Invitational, Genesis Invitational or Memorial Tournament they earn a three-year exemption, while a victory at a Major Championship or The Players grants you a five-year extension. Winning multiple times in a year adds an extra year for each additional win with a maximum of five years able to be accrued in one season.

A new year’s trip to Hawaii

Rahm won The Sentry in 2023

Played on Maui at Kapalua's Plantation Course, the Sentry takes place in January and is the first event of the Tour's calendar year. Formally known as the Tournament of Champions, the competition is still largely reserved for those who have won on Tour the previous year. 

Changes to the 2024 season mean that, from now on, the top 50 players from the prior year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs will also qualify for the event but a win on Tour is a sure-fire way of punching your ticket to the event.

More tournament invites

It's not just entry to the Sentry Tournament of Champions that a PGA Tour win guarantees you. A winner on Tour also has a spot in the field at the next Players Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament.

Furthermore, with the revamped 2024 format, a win on Tour will gain you an invite into all of the remaining 'signature' events in the calendar year. These eight signature tournaments are limited-field events, with bigger, guaranteed prize money and points. Some are also no-cut events.

Major exemptions

And the cherry on top for any winner on Tour is a guaranteed exemption into two of the four Major Championships - the next Masters as well as the next PGA Championship. Furthermore, if a player is fortunate enough to win an event that is listed on the Open Qualifying Series, they will gain entry to that year's Open Championship. 

In 2024, there are four PGA Tour events in the qualifying series - The Arnold Palmer Invitational the Memorial Tournament, the RBC Canadian Open and the John Deere Classic - with the winners of each gaining a spot in the Open field later in the year. 

Ben joined Golf Monthly having completed his NCTJ in multimedia sports journalism at News Associates, London. He is now a freelance journalist who also works for The Independent, Metro, UEFA and Stats Perform.

Scottie Scheffler leads by a single shot going into the final round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town

By Jonny Leighfield Published 21 April 24

Sparks was well known for her long-time role as the host of Golf Channel's reality series 'Big Break'

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What Are the Requirements for a PGA Tour Card? 6 Ways to Earn One

Here are 6 ways to earn a PGA Tour card

• DESCRIPTION Ben Martin becomes Tour Bound
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In a lot of ways, getting a PGA Tour card is like winning the lottery. The path is simple, but the odds are against you. If you beat those odds, however, the payout is handsome.

To play as a member on the PGA Tour, you must have a PGA Tour card. Players earn their card by accomplishing one of several requirements. Here’s a breakdown of just how to earn a PGA Tour card, and six ways to snag one.

1. PGA Tour Q-School

PGA Tour Q-School used to be a direct path to the PGA Tour. Then Q-School stopped giving players PGA Tour cards, giving them status on the Korn Ferry Tour instead, where they could play for spots on the PGA Tour over the course of an entire season. But now, just like in years past, players can earn a PGA Tour card through Q-School and head straight to the PGA Tour. However, only the top five finishers from the final stage of Q-School earn PGA Tour cards and get to head directly to the PGA Tour.

Korn Ferry Tour: Strategies to Qualify and Challenges to Expect

2. Korn Ferry Tour Points

The most direct path to the PGA Tour is through the Korn Ferry Tour. While gaining Korn Ferry Tour status is no breeze in itself, once there, players have multiple avenues to earn their PGA Tour card.

There are 30 PGA Tour cards up for grabs through the Korn Ferry Tour each year. The top 30 players from the Korn Ferry Tour's season-long standings after the KFT Championship earn cards.

Getting into the Korn Ferry Tour is a process in itself, which can be accomplished through Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School , or via the Forme Tour , Mackenzie (Canadian) Tour, or the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

3. Korn Ferry Tour Three-Win Promotion

Korn Ferry Tour players can jump directly to the PGA Tour through an exemption known as the Three-Win Promotion . This promotion is exactly what it sounds like, after three Korn Ferry Tour wins in one season, a player gains his PGA Tour card.

The three-win promotion has proven to be a tough route to the big tour, as only 12 players have accomplished the feat since 1997.

4. PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership

Players can bypass the Korn Ferry Tour and jump straight to the PGA Tour by gaining PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership, then parlaying that into a PGA Tour card.

The PGA Tour reserves a small number of spots each week for non-Tour members through sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers. Non-members who compete in PGA Tour events through these avenues and perform well enough can earn Special Temporary Membership by accumulating the amount of FedExCup points equal to the player who finished 150th on the FedExCup list the previous season.

Once a player has accepted Special Temporary Membership, they can accept unlimited sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events and can earn their card by finishing in the top 125 of the FedExCup points list during the regular season.

Without Special Temporary Membership, non-members can only accept up to seven sponsor exemptions and compete in up to 12 PGA Tour events in a season.

Players on a Special Temporary Membership are not eligible for the FedExCup playoffs.

5. PGA Tour U Gets College Golfers to the PGA Tour

Through PGA Tour U , the PGA Tour has removed some hurdles for the top collegiate players who begin their transition into the professional ranks when their amateur careers end.

Top collegiate players in the final year of their college careers earn ranking points based on their performance in the NCAA Division I championship, PGA Tour events, major championships, and the Dubai Desert Classic. At the end of the season, five PGA Tour University first-team and second-team honorees are identified, along with 10 PGA Tour University third-team players. 

The top player earns PGA TOUR membership for the rest of the season, plus the followig season. The top five players earn Korm Ferry Tour membership for the rest of the season, a spot in the Final Stage of Q-School, and the opportunity to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events throug the following season.

Nos. 6-10 earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status for the current season, an exemption into the North American portion of the PGA TOUR Americas schedule, and an exemption into Second Stage of Q-School.

The 10 third-team honorees get exemptions to the North America Swing of the PGA TOUR Americas and exemptions into the Second Stage of Q-School.

6. Win a PGA Tour Event or Major Championship

The fastest way to earn a PGA Tour card is also the least likely. Anybody who wins a PGA Tour event gets an immediate two-year PGA Tour exemption. This means that any non-member who gets into the field at a PGA Tour event via a sponsor exemption or Monday qualifier, and goes on to win that event, gets their PGA Tour card.

While yes, this path is extremely rare, it's exactly what Nick Dunlap did in 2024. He entered a PGA Tour event, the American Express, as an amateur, and despite the astronomica odds, won the tournament. Shortly after, Dunlap took advantage of his two-plus year PGA Tour exemption by turning pro.

Major champions get even more luxury, securing a five-year exemption to both the PGA Tour and European Tour. Three of the four major championships each year reserve spots for amateur players , meaning that theoretically an amateur could win the Masters, U.S. Open or Open Championship and secure their PGA Tour card for the next five years.

Benefits of a Tour Card

By having a PGA Tour card, a golfer can play in PGA Tour events. Many players also receive sponsor endorsements and advertising contracts. The PGA Tour card provides the player the opportunity to win large purses in tournaments . Players who make the cut in routine PGA Tour events generally cash at least a five-figure check, with that amount increasing with higher-stature events and major championships.

In 1965, the first PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (called Q-School) was held and John Schlee won the event. In 1968 and 1969 and from 1975 to 1981, there were two tournaments each year.

Until 2013, Q-School was used to grant membership to the PGA Tour. From 2013 to 2023, Q-School served as a gateway to the Korn Ferry Tour, with PGA Tour Cards handed out through the Korn Ferry Tour regular season and finals.

Misconceptions

Many people think that if a player holds a PGA Tour Card, he can play in any event on the PGA tour. However, new PGA tour players are eligible for tournaments but players commit to tournaments based on their priority ranking. Players with lower priority rankings can only play an event when it's not already full by the time they have a chance to commit.

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A Brief Look at the PGA Tour Exemption System

There are a variety of ways to acquire an exemption on Tour, but the bottom line is that you have to play well to get it at some point in your life. That time is now for many.

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Last week, at the Ginn sur Mer Classic in the developing region of Palm Coast, Florida, Ryan Palmer, who was previously on the “bubble,” (he was ranked 143 entering the week), secured himself a spot in the aforementioned 125 with a victory (and a two-year exemption, of course, for winning). Exempt status often seems to be a vague, mysterious, and perhaps sinister thing, even though the qualifications for such a status are laid out on the Tour’s website and the information is readily available to any seeker. In order to save you the trouble of additional navigation deeper into the recesses of cyberspace, a variety of ways (and a few exemplary individuals satisfying the various requirements) will be looked at here, along with any potential “exempt status drama” brewing in the final relevant tournament of the year (officially referred to as an “event cosponsored by the PGA Tour”).

The Big Tournaments Contrary to a certain opinion, Tiger Woods is not permitted to play on the PGA Tour just because he’s a very good golfer, people generally like him, and he makes the Tour a great deal of money. Under the current system, Woods would be exempt for a variety of reasons, but officially, he received an exemption for the 2008 season because of his status as “Winner of a PGA Championship or U.S. Open prior to 1970 or in the last 10 calendar years.”

As the web site points out, “each PGA Tour player has earned a position on the priority ranking system that will be used to select tournament fields.” Of the 33 qualifications for exempt status, “Winner of a PGA Championship…” is given top priority. This is also a five-year exemption, which is the longest given by the PGA. It’s interesting that top priority is placed upon winning the PGA’s Major, but when this is considered in light of the fact that the other majors hand out exempt status to their own tournament, and indeed to other majors, it seems to be a logical choice for top priority in the PGA’s system.

Following this, winners of the Players Championship, The Masters, and the British Open during the past ten years are granted an exemption. Members of this five-year exempt status entering the current year include Davis Love III, Zach Johnson and Ben Curtis. The next tier below this are winners of the Tour Championship, or any World Golf Championship event since 2005. The latter is the reason for David Toms’ exempt status entering this year.

It’s certainly not particle physics, but it’s easy to see why players generally designate between the Majors, the second level events (Players, Tour, WGC) and the remaining events of significance. It makes sense that a golfer is compensated more fully in the system for a victory in one of the more difficult tournaments, thus giving the golfer a better chance for further self-preservation by guaranteeing him tournament appearances for a longer period of time. As an example, Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton, respectively, are neither the highest earning nor the winningest golfers on Tour, but the magnitude of their wins has ensured them an exempt status for a period of ten years. However, it could be asked whether or not the PGA Championship is five times more difficult than the average event on Tour, which is what the decision to allow exemption for a period of 10 years versus only two seems to be suggesting.

The Regular Tour Events A bit further down the list of possibilities for exemption come winners in Tour-approved events within the past two years. Fred Couples may have earned the gross domestic product of several small countries in the Skins Game, but it doesn’t contribute to his exempt status for the 2008 season. Interestingly, he is insured this as a player “among the Top 25 in career earnings as of the end of the preceding calendar year” who “elect[s] to use this special exemption for a second year, provided that the player remains among the Top 25 on the career money list.” J.B. Holmes, Rory Sabbatini, Jonathan Byrd, and Charles Howell III all are exempt because of a victory during the previous two seasons.

Other Means of Exempt Status After a number of other less than common classifications, such as “Two international players designated by the Commissioner,” comes a rather interesting category: “Life Members (who have been active members of the PGA TOUR for 15 years and have won at least 20 co-sponsored events),” in other words, golfers who were formerly winning a number of tournaments but are now, essentially, past their prime. Tom Watson, a fan favorite and arguably one of the 15 greatest golfers of all time, is the only member of this category. Watson, of course, spends the majority of his time playing on the Champions Tour, where he is anything but past his prime, having won twice this year.

Next, the contentious and highly visible “Top 125 on previous year’s Official Money List.” Jose M. Olazabal, Tommy Armour III, and Shigeki Maruyama are exempt coming into this year for this reason. The chief drama surrounding a potential leap into the top 125 this week ought to be provided by Jeff Overton. Overton, who underwent an emergency appendectomy only weeks ago and is wearing a naproxen patch because of the immensity of the pain he is enduring, is teeing it up this week in hopes of maintaining — if not bettering — his 125th place status. We’ll return to a glance at players “on the bubble” this week, but the rest of the list awaits.

A few categories past medical exemptions – which allowed David Duval to play this year – comes another visible battle for inclusion in an exempt group. Membership in the category “Top 25 and Ties from the previous year’s PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament… and players 2-25 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list” allowed Chez Reavie and Kevin Streelman to compete on Tour this year. Reavie did not earn an exemption for 2009 with his victory at the RBC Canadian Open, however, as this is not a Tour cosponsored event. Following this are a number of “special” classes, including past tournament winners and “Veteran Members who have made a minimum of 150 cuts.”

Returning to players around the “125” number, a few names stand out. David Toms is perhaps the most notable. However, there’s no need to panic, golf fans. Toms is exempt through 2001 because of his status as a winner on Tour in the previous few years, even though he will no longer be exempt as a result of his 2005 victory at the Accenture Match Play Championship. Davis Love III, at 118, has recently increased the value of his stock with good play. Should he finish in the top 125, he won’t be forced to use an exemption based upon his place in the career money list. This may be a mere technicality, but the perception that he earned his exemption based upon good play recently, rather than past success, is surely worth something to the man and keeps him free (at least temporarily) of the “has-been” label.

Jason Gore is presently situated at number 136 on the money list. Having played well in previous years, Gore was comfortably situated in the top 125 on the list last year. He’s been invisible in 2008, save for a few weeks. Unless he rights the ship in Orlando this week, the man will be in trouble. Perched at number 131, Bob Tway also finds himself in an uncomfortable position entering the week. Regardless of these two individuals, the standout story is Overton, who has defied doctor’s orders in an attempt to keep his card.

There are a variety of ways to acquire an exemption on Tour, but the bottom line is if you haven’t won recently, haven’t played well in the present year, or don’t have a legacy of great play to fall back upon, you might find yourself in a very undesirable spot entering a tournament, as a few players do this week at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. Of course, a miracle victory by someone well outside the top 125 is always a possibility, and an assurance of exemption for the upcoming year.

14 thoughts on “A Brief Look at the PGA Tour Exemption System”

I’m guessing that if you add up all those who are exempt under the 33 criteria, you’d have more than can fit into a PGA Tour event field.

Can you do a follow up on how a player gets into a PGA Tour event based on how he got his exemption?

How many 2009 PGA Tour event starts would the guy who came 25th at Q School or 25th on the Nationwide Tour expect to get with their exemptions earnt in 2008?

Further to Mark’s question, can you explain what each exemption entitles a player to do? In other words, I thought some of the exemptions do not necessarily entitle a player to enter any tournament he wants (not talking about special invites like Masters, etc.) on the tour, but others do, and that some exemptions are limited as to number of tournaments. Also, how is the pecking order established?

I have never understood how all this is done.

Thanks for the comments. I would be more than happy to do a follow up on the subject and answer the questions you have posed. If anyone else has further inquiries, please post them here and I’ll try to include a response to all of them in a follow up article in a few weeks.

Thanks again,

I get the top 125 money list and the exeptions it provides a given player for the following year. What I do not get is when the commentator says it is important because the top 125 players can set their schedule for next year.

Another question I have is the same as TRAV’s, how are the pairings determined at each tournatment? Bill Haas never seems to play with Vijay, Tiger or Phil. If the threesomes were selected at random you would think he would end up playing with someone in the top 25 once in a while.

Finally, how are the tee times determined for the first two rounds?

And these aren’t enough questions to keep you busy, please let us know …..

“Reavie did not earn an exemption for 2009 with his victory at the RBC Canadian Open, however, as this is not a Tour cosponsored event.”

Yes it is, and yes he did earn a two year exmemption. I was at his winning press conference when he was asked about it.

hi just wondering when a player is lucky enough to win more than once in a season, how does the exemption work for each event, do they run concurrently or one after another

regards colm

same question as colm. if a player wins more than once in the same year how does the exemption work.do they run concurrently or consecutive.

also how do you earn a lifetime exemption?

Davis Love III scored his 20th PGA Tour victory last November. Why was he not in the field of this years Masters?

Because he won a Fall Series event after the Tour Championship. They don’t count for the Masters the same way a “regular season” win does.

Hope to answer some of these:

1. You get up to five additional years for multiple wins (ie if you win three times you get a 5 year exemption) 2. The top 50 golfers ranked in the world that play in each non invitationals get the preferred times and the rest are picked at random. 3. Jay Williamson (25th Q) got into 19 events as of 10/4 and Ricky Barnes (25th NW) got into 20 events. 4. Each non invite tournament is has 132 or 144 players. They are ranked by each of the 33 categories. In order for a PGA player to keep his card he must play in at least 15 events per year. The top 100 players average about 20. So the tournaments get probably 90-100 of the 1-19 exempt status players enter each week. That is done on the Friday before the tournament. Then there is a stand by list where you are ranked by priority. Each week, there is always a couple of people that commit drop out.

If a PGA player missed the 125 players for the year, however qualified and made it to play in a tournament.. What is his status for that year if he wins a tournament,

What is Billy Hurley III’s Past Tour Winner Status ?

What exemptions do you get for second or third in a major?

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Winning on the PGA Tour: What golfers get when they win a tournament

• First-place prize money, which exceeds $1 million at each non-opposite PGA Tour event. 
• Multi-season extension of playing privileges. A regular PGA Tour event extends a player’s Tour card for two years after the current season. The Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament and World Golf Championships provide a three-year exemption. Winning a major championship or The Players provides a five-year exemption. Winning multiple times in a year adds an extra year for each additional win with a maximum of five years.
• FedEx Cup points: 500 for a regular PGA Tour event, 550 for a World Golf Championship, 600 for a major championship or The Players.
• Spot in the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions
• Exemption into the next Masters Tournament
• Exemption into the next PGA Championship
• Exemption into the next Players Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Invitational.

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The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of PGA of America Golf Professionals who work daily to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

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What do players get for winning the PGA Championship?

Rory McIlroy lifts the Wanamaker Trophy at the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

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Winning any major will bestow upon its winner a lifetime of prestige and a permanent spot in history . However, there’s more to winning than just being able to hoist the trophy above your head; the winner of the 2020 PGA Championship will also receive a litany of additional benefits.

Things like this:

• The grand prize of $1,980,000, 18% of the $11,000,000 purse
• A smaller, replica version of the Wanamaker Trophy (they get to keep this one)
• 600 FedEx cup points (the winner of the FedEx Cup at the end of the season is awarded $10 million)
• 100 Official World Golf Ranking points
• Eligibility to participate in the PGA Championship for life
• Automatic invitation to play in the Masters , U.S. Open, Open Championship and Players Championship for the next five years
• Guaranteed membership on the PGA Tour for the next five years
• Guaranteed membership on the European Tour for the next seven years

Not a bad haul. Dustin Johnson leads the field by one heading into the final round on Sunday at TPC Harding, but two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka is just two strokes back and looking for his fifth career major title.

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From tour status to majors, what american express win means for amateur nick dunlap.

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Nick Dunlap has a decision to make about his future, now that t he amateur is a PGA Tour winner.

With his victory on Sunday at The American Express , Dunlap earned, among many things, an exemption on the PGA Tour through the 2026 season. But all that is headed Dunlap’s way over the next few years depends on if and when he decides to turn professional.

Here’s a look at what this history-making triumph means for the 20-year-old college sophomore.

• Dunlap can’t retroactively declare himself a professional, so he doesn’t collect anything from the AmEx purse. The $1,512,000 winner’s check goes to runner-up Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

FedExCup Points

• Since he wasn’t a PGA Tour member at the start of the week, Dunlap doesn’t earn the 500 FEC points for the win. Those don’t get transferred, either. Bezuidenhout gets second-place points.

PGA Tour Membership

• Dunlap can take up PGA Tour membership at any point this season.
• His membership lasts through the 2026 season.
• If he does not accept membership during the 2024 season, he has 30 days following the completion of the season to turn pro and take up membership for the 2025 season.
• If he does not turn professional before the end of that offseason window, he would have to wait until the conclusion of the 2025 Tour season to take up membership (with the same 30-day timeframe leading into 2026).
• If Dunlap does not turn pro and take up Tour membership, he can still participate in full-field events out of the tournament winners category, subject to nonmember regulations (maximum of 12 tournaments).

Signature Events

• Tournament winners are eligible for signature events but must be Tour members. Dunlap would have to turn pro and take up Tour membership to participate in the remaining seven signature events this season.
• If he accepts membership ahead of the 2025 season, he will be eligible for the ’25 Sentry.
• Dunlap currently has exemptions into the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open, courtesy his 2023 U.S. Amateur victory. His exemptions into the Masters and The Open are dependent on his staying an amateur (the U.S. Open allows the U.S. Am champ to play even as a pro).
• If he does turn professional, however, he would be exempt into the Masters and the PGA Championship as a PGA Tour winner.

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PGA Tour, DP World Tour announce stunning new exemption guidelines

The DP World Tour, now more than ever before, appears to be acting as a feeder tour for the PGA Tour across the pond.

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Before Tiger Woods burst onto the scene in the late 1990s, the European Tour—now the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons—competed head-to-head against the PGA Tour.

Both circuits had amazing talent, with the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam, Sir Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, and Colin Montgomerie leading the European charge.

But times have changed.

The DP World Tour is now a feeder tour to the PGA Tour, and Monday’s announcement boldens that claim.

Beginning with the 2024 season, full membership on the DP World Tour is available to players who finish in positions 126th to 200th in the 2023 FedEx Cup Fall points list.

Furthermore, affiliate membership of the DP World Tour is available to any other PGA Tour player who participates in any Race to Dubai tournament during the 2024 season.

The Race to Dubai is the DP World Tour’s equivalent of the FedEx Cup.

Affiliate members and non-members will now appear on a new ‘Non-Member Race to Dubai Points List’ following the first tournament where they earn points.

Should affiliate members play more than four qualifying events on the DP World Tour, they will earn a spot in the DP World Tour playoffs.

Meanwhile, those who finish the FedEx Cup fall ranked 125th and above will obtain PGA Tour cards for the 2024 season.

“When we announced our Strategic Alliance with the PGA Tour in November 2021, one of the prime objectives was to give as many opportunities as possible to members of both Tours, and this is another perfect example of how this is working,” said David Howell, the Chairman of the DP World Tour’s Tournament Committee.

Sure, more opportunities will exist for more players, but the DP World Tour will house those who could not qualify for the PGA Tour.

Those PGA Tour players ranked between 126th and 200th in the FedEx Cup fall standings who take up full membership will play from a newly created category within the 2024 DP World Tour exemption category list.

Only five players from this category can play in a DP World Tour event in any given week—meaning only five PGA Tour players can enter a DP World Tour field.

That will help protect current players on the DP World Tour, but it does not protect the European circuit’s top talent.

The top 10 players on the DP World Tour’s 2023 Race to Dubai rankings—not otherwise exempt—will earn PGA Tour cards for the 2024 season.

So, the best of the DP World Tour will head to the PGA Tour, meaning it will be deprived of its top talent.

Here are the top 10 players in the rankings—not otherwise exempt—following Adrian Meronk’s win at the Andalucia Masters :

• Adrian Meronk (Poland)
• Ryan Fox (New Zealand)
• Victor Perez (France)
• Min Woo Lee (Australia)
• Alexander Björk (Sweden)
• Robert MacIntyre (Scotland)
• Ryo Hisatsune (Japan)
• Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark)
• Joost Luiten (Netherlands)
• Marcel Siem (Germany)

What is great about this list is that 10 different countries are represented. Yet, these players will be plucked from the DP World Tour.

Ballesteros is likely rolling over in his grave, but the DP World Tour faced no other options. They have been strapped for cash—only turning a profit on years in which Europe hosts the Ryder Cup . Hence, the strategic alliance that was announced a couple of years ago.

Of course, there are ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund on the future of professional golf.

Nobody knows what the sport will look like in 2025, but in 2024, the writing on the wall is clear that the DP World Tour is the minor league affiliate of the PGA Tour.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.

Next Up In Golf

• RBC Heritage: Hurricane Scottie Scheffler deferred thanks to inclement weather
• Nelly Korda’s history-making win at Chevron Championship breeds flawless reactions
• Nelly Korda joins Annika Sorenstam in history, wins 5th straight at Chevron Championship
• Billy Horschel wins PGA Tour event amid historic finish, but there’s a catch
• Brian Harman moves past brazen media session, closes “frustrating” RBC Heritage strong
• RBC Heritage: Wyndham Clark unlucky rocket off a tree ruins nuclear round

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Billy Horschel goes to Dominican Republic. He returns a PGA Tour winner again

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Billy Horschel went to the Dominican Republic for the first time in search of momentum and came away with a PGA Tour victory he sorely needed Sunday.

Horschel ran off four straight birdies on the front nine to get in the mix, began to pull away with an eagle on the par-5 12th hole and closed with a 9-under 63 for a two-shot victory in the Corales Puntacana Championship.

“This game of golf is so fickle,” Horschel said. “You can put a lot into it and not get everything you want out of it. I knew ... I had the ability, I had the talent. I had to continue to believe the good stuff was going to come to the forefront.”

Horschel, who started the final round three shots behind, all but sealed it with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.

Wesley Bryan, trying to go wire-to-wire, was bogey-free with four birdies and still only one shot behind late in the round. But right after Horschel made his final birdie, Bryan missed a par par putt from just outside 2 feet and fell three behind.

Bryan birdied the 18th for a 68 and was runner-up, which will get him into the AT&T Byron Nelson in two weeks. He was playing on a sponsor exemption. Kevin Tway shot 69 and finished third.

Horschel finished at 23-under 265 and earned $720,000.

He won for the eighth time on the PGA Tour and the first time in nearly two years. This gets him into the PGA Championship next month, and he likely will be in the next $20 million signature event at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Those are the tournaments Horschel, a former FedEx Cup champion, was used to playing. The opposite-field events are seen as a chance for younger players to get their first win. In the case of Horschel, it was crucial to get some confidence back.

He delivered one of his best closing rounds when he needed it — the four straight birdies starting on the par-3 second hole, a 31 on the front nine, the eagle on No. 12 to seize control and no bogeys over the last 30 holes of the tournament.

It was nearly a year ago at the Memorial that Horschel, the defending champion at Muirfield Village, shot 84 and was near tears talking about how low his confidence had fallen. He missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time since 2012.

He had shown signs this year with a pair of top 10s, and now has a victory for validation. Along with getting into the PGA Championship at Valhalla, he is assured of starting next year at Kapalua in The Sentry.

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Billy Horschel books PGA Championship spot with Corales Puntacana Championship win on PGA Tour

A final round of 63 saw Billy Horschel secure victory in the Corales Puntacana Championship; the 37-year-old's first win on the PGA Tour for two years ensured he will be in the field for May's PGA Championship; watch the PGA Tour and every men's major live on Sky Sports

Sunday 21 April 2024 23:00, UK

Billy Horschel secured his place in next month’s PGA Championship with victory in the Corales Puntacana Championship.

The 37-year-old ran off four straight birdies on the front nine to get in the mix, began to pull away with an eagle on the par-five 12th hole and closed with a nine-under 63 for a two-shot victory in the Dominican Republic.

Horschel, who started the final round three shots behind, all but sealed his triumph with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.

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"This game of golf is so fickle," Horschel said. "You can put a lot into it and not get everything you want out of it.

"I knew...I had the ability, I had the talent. I had to continue to believe the good stuff was going to come to the forefront."

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Wesley Bryan, trying to go wire-to-wire, was bogey-free with four birdies and still only one shot behind late in the round. But right after Horschel made his final birdie, Bryan missed a par putt from just outside two feet and fell three behind.

Dressed to impress 🏆 @BillyHo_Golf | @CoralesChamp pic.twitter.com/GX3yb6ZwVK — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 21, 2024

Bryan birdied the 18th for a 68 to finish as runner-up, which will get him into the AT&T Byron Nelson in two weeks. He was playing on a sponsor exemption. Kevin Tway shot 69 and finished third.

Corales Puntacana Championship leaderboard

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Horschel finished at 23 under and earned $720,000, winning for the eighth time on the PGA Tour and the first time in nearly two years. Along with earning him a PGA Championship spot, he likely will be in the next $20m signature event at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Those are the tournaments Horschel, a former FedEx Cup champion, was used to playing. The opposite-field events are seen as a chance for younger players to get their first win. In the case of Horschel, it was crucial to get some confidence back.

Billy Ho went low 💥 @BillyHo_Golf ties the course record on Sunday en route to a win @CoralesChamp . pic.twitter.com/w03IawHi12 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 21, 2024

He delivered one of his best closing rounds when he needed it - the four straight birdies starting on the par-three second hole, a 31 on the front nine, the eagle on hole 12 to seize control and no bogeys over the last 30 holes of the tournament.

It was nearly a year ago at the Memorial that Horschel, the defending champion at Muirfield Village, shot 84 and was nearly in tears talking about how low his confidence had fallen. He missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time since 2012.

He had shown signs this year with a pair of top 10s, and now has a victory for validation. Along with getting into the PGA Championship at Valhalla, he is assured of starting next year at Kapalua in The Sentry.

You can stream the best golf, including the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, DP World Tour and every men's and women's major in 2024, through NOW. No contract, cancel anytime.

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The perks of winning the US Open: Tournaments, exemptions, what the winner gets

There are a lot of perks that come with winning the US Open in golf.

Aside from the US Open first-place prize money , which is $3.6 million, or 18 percent of the total purse, a US Open winner earns entry into the US Open for 10 years, entry into the other three majors for years to come, as well as PGA Tour exemptions and other goodies.

Let's lay out all the benefits of winning the US Open, showing what the US Open winner gets

The perks of winning the US Open: What a US Open winner gets

• Prestige, obviously -- you're in a limited company of players to ever win the US Open
• The US Open trophy : US Open champions get a trophy that is theirs to keep for a year as champion and return ahead of the next US Open, a replica of which they can purchase and keep
• Lifetime exemption: You're in the US Open for the next 10 years
• Other major exemptions: You're in the Masters, Open Championship and PGA Championship for five years
• The Players exemption: You're in The Players Championship, which has the biggest purse in golf, for five years
• You get a 5-year exemption on the PGA Tour for winning a major, and you can pretty much set your schedule for two years
• You get a spot in the Tournament of Champions
• You get 100 Official World Golf Ranking points, which pretty much locks up a spot in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for 18 months, no matter what
• You get 600 FedEx Cup points
• You get big Ryder Cup points if you're an American or European player

About the author

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2024 Invited Celebrity Classic final results: Prize money payout, PGA Tour Champions leaderboard and how much each golfer won

T he 2024 Invited Celebrity Classic final leaderboard is headed by winner Paul Broadhurst, who topped the PGA Tour Champions leaderboard this week with a win on the 2024 PGA Tour Champions schedule at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.

Broadhurst won the tournament after it was shortened to 36 holes from a scheduled 54 holes after Saturday play was rained out in Texas.

In the final day of action on Sunday, Broadhurst shot 66 to post 11-under 131, which was good enough to beat David Toms by a shot.

Y.E. Yang and Thomas Bjorn finished in a tie for third place at 8-under total.

Broadhurst won the $330,000 winner's share of the $2,200,000 purse.

Invited Celebrity Classic recap notes

Broadhurst wins the seventh PGA Tour Champions title of the year, getting into the winner's circle again on the 50-plus tour.

The money Broadhurst -- and every player in the field -- earned is converted into Charles Schwab Cup points, with every dollar converted into two points during the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs.

There is no cut on PGA Tour Champions-run events, including the major championships they run. Every pro who finished the tournament was paid.

The 2024 PGA Tour Champions schedule continues next week with the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Georgia.

2024 Invited Celebrity Classic final leaderboard, results and prize money payouts

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Scottie Scheffler on verge of RBC Heritage win, would be fourth in 5 PGA Tour events

Scottie Scheffler’s season of excellence continued Sunday at the RBC Heritage.

He’ll just have to wait until Monday for the win. Play was called due to darkness at the event at Harbour Town Links in Hilton Head, S.C., with Scheffler five strokes ahead and three holes to play. There was a 2 1/2 hour weather delay from 4:28 p.m. until 7 p.m. that forced the PGA Tour into a Monday finish.

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Scheffler is seeking to become the first since Bernhard Langer in 1985 to follow up a Masters win with a win the following week (Langer also won at Harbour Town). Gary Player in 1978 and Jimmy Demaret in 1950 also accomplished the feat. An RBC Heritage win would also be Scheffler’s fourth in five starts, including the Masters, Players Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational. In the Houston Open, he finished in a tie for second, and missed a putt to force a playoff.

Scheffler is at 20-under this week, with four players at 15-under-par. Sahith Theegala also has three holes to play, with J.T. Poston in the 18th fairway and Patrick Cantlay on the fringe of No. 18 green. Wyndham Clark has finished a fourth-round 65.

Scheffler punctuated Sunday with a head-shaking 15th hole — he had an exceedingly rare mishit with his second shot, going just left into the water. As he was taking the drop, CBS attempted to foreshadow what was coming by flashing a graphic that it had been 65 holes since Scheffler had a double bogey.

It’s actually now 66. He hit his approach shot with spin, landed on the slope and rolled it to 11 feet. The horn sounded to end play but Scheffler was allowed to finish the hole — he drained the putt, pumped his fist like he had just won the tournament and exited to a waiting golf cart.

There will be an 8 a.m. restart Monday, with Scheffler on the 16 tee box. That’s assuming he’s still in Hilton Head. His wife Meredith is at home in Dallas in the final stages of her pregnancy, and Scheffler has promised to withdraw from the tournament if she goes into labor.

Scheffler did not show up at Hilton Head until Wednesday after winning his second Masters, played nine holes in the pro-am and said he would see the rest of the course during his first round on Thursday. It was daring a signature event field to beat him, but instead, he shot a first-round 69, followed that up with a 65 on Friday and a 63 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into Sunday.

He just grew the lead from there, with a chip-in eagle on No. 2 and a birdie on No. 5. He also had a birdie on No. 13, but most importantly, did not give those chasing an inch, with zero bogeys in the fourth round.

The RBC Heritage finish will be broadcast on the Golf Channel.

Required reading

• Nelly Korda secures record-tying fifth consecutive win, second major title at Chevron Championship
• Scottie Scheffler’s second Masters win is what greatness looks like
• Inside Scottie Scheffler’s unique footwork

(Top photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)

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Hugh Kellenberger is the senior managing editor of The Athletic's golf group. A native of North Carolina, Kellenberger previously served as sports editor and columnist for the Jackson (Mississippi) Clarion Ledger. He first covered Ole Miss for the paper, and in the past has covered Indiana for the Bloomington Herald-Times and the ACC for the Rocky Mount Telegram. Follow Hugh on Twitter @ KellenbergerCBB

Nelly Korda ties record with 5th straight win, gets 2nd major. Scottie Scheffler poised to win again

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Nelly Korda tied an LPGA record with her fifth straight victory, closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-stroke victory in the Chevron Championship to capture her second major title.

Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) as the only players to win five consecutive LPGA events. Her previous major victory was in 2021 at the Women’s PGA Championship.

Korda held out to win over Maja Stark of Sweden, who birdied her final two holes to shoot 69 and pull within one. Korda stayed aggressive on the par-5 18th, easily clearing the lake in front of the green and setting up a simple up-and-down for birdie.

Haeran Ryu of South Korea shot a bogey-free 67 to enter the final round leading Korda by one. But she bogeyed the first two holes in the fourth round to fall out of the lead. She closed with a 74 and finished fifth.

Korda, who finished at 13-under 275, took home $1.2 million from a purse of $7.9 million, raising her season earnings to $2,424,216.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler holed a difficult pitch for eagle on his second hole Sunday and turned the RBC Heritage into another rout. A storm system with heavy rain stopped play for 2 1/2 hours, forcing a Monday finish.

Scheffler was 20 under and has a five-shot lead with three holes remaining when the final round resumes at 8 a.m. Monday. He was on the verge of winning for the fourth time in five tournaments, the exception a runner-up finish in the Houston Open.

He was trying to become the first player since Bernhard Langer in 1985 to win the week after slipping on the Masters green jacket.

U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark made a furious charge early in the round at 8 under through 11 holes, only to lose ground with a double bogey in the trees. He posted a 6-under 65 and finished at 15-under 269.

Patrick Cantlay was tied for second at 15 under when he hit his approach to the collar of the 18th green. He chose to mark his ball and return Monday to finish. J.T. Poston also was on the 18th hole and among the group at 15 under.

None had a chance of catching Scheffler unless the world’s No. 1 golfer made a series of blunders in the morning, and that looked improbable.

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Billy Horschel went to the Dominican Republic for the first time in search of momentum and came away with a PGA Tour victory he sorely needed Sunday in the Corales Puntacana Championship.

Horschel ran off four straight birdies on the front nine to get in the mix, began to pull away with an eagle on the par-5 12th hole and closed with a 9-under 63 for a two-shot victory over Wesley Bryan.

Horschel, who started the final round three shots behind, all but sealed it with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.

Bryan, trying to go wire-to-wire, was only one shot behind late in the round. But right after Horschel made his final birdie, Bryan missed a par par putt from just outside 2 feet and fell three behind. He birdied the 18th for a 68 and was runner-up.

Horschel finished at 23-under 265 and earned $720,000 for his eighth PGA Tour victory, and his first in nearly two years.

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

IRVING, Texas — Paul Broadhurst closed with a 5-under 66, playing bogey-free over the final nine holes to hang on for a one-shot victory over David Toms in the Invited Celebrity Classic for his sixth PGA Tour Champions title.

The tournament was reduced to 36 holes because of heavy rain that washed out Saturday.

Toms shot a 65.

Broadhurst, who finished at 11-under 131, had not won on the PGA Tour Champions since 2018, the year he won three times and his second senior major. The victory moves the Englishman to No. 2 in the Charles Schwab Cup behind Steven Alker, who did not play.

Y.E. Yang (69) and Thomas Bjorn (70) tied for third, three shots behind. Bjorn was playing on a sponsor exemption.

KORN FERRY TOUR

LAKEWOOD, Fla. — Tim Widing of Sweden won his first Korn Ferry Tour event when he closed with a 5-under 66 and won a three-man playoff with a par on the second extra hole in the Lecom Suncoast Classic.

Widing birdied the par-3 17th and finished with a par to get into a playoff with Patrick Cover (69) and Steven Fisk, who lost the lead with two bogeys only to birdie the 18th for a 68.

Cover was eliminated with bogey on the first extra hole at No. 18. Fisk made bogey the second time around.

Miles Russell, the 15-year-old from Florida who became the youngest player in Korn Ferry Tour history to make the cut, shot a 66 to tie for 20th. The top 25 get into the next tournament.

OTHER TOURS

John Catlin won for the second straight time on the Asian Tour. He closed with a 5-under 66 on Saturday for a wire-to-wire victory by seven shots over Wade Ormsby in the Saudi Open. The 33-year-old Californian now has two wins and a tie for third on the Asian Tour this year. Peter Uihlein, who finished third, had a 66-63 weekend and still lost ground to Catlin. ... Garrick Porteous won for the first time in seven years when he closed with a 7-under 63 for a one-shot victory over Alexander Levy in the Abu Dhabi Challenge. It was his second title on the Challenge Tour. ... Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland finished off a dominant Ladies European Tour victory with a 3-under 70, seven shots ahead of Aunchisa Utama in the Joburg Ladies Open. ... Matthew Anderson of Canada birdied his last two holes on the Rio Olympic course for a 2-under 69 and a one-shot victory in the Brazil Open on the PGA Tour Americas. ... Rio Takeda won her second straight tournament on the Japan LPGA, shooting a third straight round of 4-under 67 for a three-shot victory over Mitsuki Kobayashi in the Fujisankei Ladies Classic. ... Eunwoo Choi closed with a 1-under 71 to successfully defend her title in the Nexen-SaintNine Masters on the Korea LPGA Tour.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Ludvig Åberg finishes solo second in major debut at Masters Tournament

Ludvig Åberg carded three-straight scores under par to finish solo second at the 88th Masters, his first appearance in a major championship. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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Ludvig Åberg was in college this time a year ago. Sunday, he finished solo second in his Masters debut, also his first major-championship start.

Åberg, 24, finished 7-under at his first Masters, four strokes back of winner Scottie Scheffler, and was Scheffler’s predominant adversary on the back nine Sunday until the world No. 1 pulled away with birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 16. Åberg fell short of becoming the first Masters first-timer to win since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, but the early indications are that he’ll have more chances to earn a green jacket.

Åberg was derailed Sunday by a double bogey at the par-4 11th hole, where he pulled a 216-yard approach into a water hazard left of the green and didn’t get up and down, but he rallied with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 and kept a clean card from there to the house.

“Keep the ball in front of you” is perhaps on the Mount Rushmore of golf clichés, but Åberg believes it to his core. With the help of his caddie Joe Skovron, the Texas Tech alum applied that principle down the stretch Sunday to polish off a final-round 69 at Augusta National Golf Club, a strong cap to a week that also featured under-par scores in the second and third rounds (69 and 70 respectively) on the week’s two toughest-scoring days, where anything under par was something to savor.

“I think I've always tried to be positive,” Åberg said afterward. “This place has so many nuances to it, so many subtle things off the greens and off the tee that I trust my caddie, Joe, a lot with, and he's helped me tremendously this week in terms of those things.

“It's a fine balance between being aggressive to the right spots and not being overly aggressive, because you can put yourself in some really tough, tricky spots. I felt like we did a good job all week of making sure that at least you have a chance of getting up-and-down and all these things. I allude a lot to my caddie, Joe, for that.”

Åberg has proven to relish the biggest moments, a smooth-swinging, long-hitting Swede whose combination of poise and athleticism would suggest that he was designed in a golf laboratory. He finished atop last year’s PGA TOUR University Ranking to earn immediate PGA TOUR membership; he took the baton and ran with it. He won on the DP World Tour last summer, was part of the European Team’s Ryder Cup victory and won his first TOUR title at The RSM Classic last fall.

Ludvig Åberg’s Round 4 winning highlights from The RSM Classic

The Masters was his first start in a major championship, which would seem counterintuitive but is simply a reflection of this early stage of his career. His presence on the leaderboard late Sunday might have been surprising in the sense of Augusta National’s nuanced challenges, but Åberg isn’t the type to waste time in solving a riddle.

The golf world is scratching its collective head, looking for answers as for how to stop Scheffler, who has won three of his last four TOUR starts (and finished runner-up by a stroke in the other) and has compiled historic ball-striking numbers for the past two years. Perhaps Åberg could offer a challenge in the months and years to come.

“Ludvig played great today,” Scheffler said just before accepting his second green jacket in Butler Cabin. “He made a good move at me there on the back nine and I was fortunate to hold him off towards the end.”

With his solo second finish, Åberg also likely assures a spot in next year’s Masters (the event has traditionally invited the top 12 and ties to return the next year, although 2025 eligibility criteria have yet to be announced).

Still it’s a safe bet that Åberg will check the boxes of several Masters eligibility criteria for years to come.

“Playing here at Augusta National is a dream come true,” Åberg said afterward. “Just to be in this situation and feel the nerves and feel the pressure walking down the last couple holes is what you dream of. This is what I have been wanting to do for such a long time, and it's quite surreal to actually have the opportunity to experience it. But I'm so proud of me, myself and all of the people on my team and my family and everyone involved.”

Kevin Prise is an associate editor for the PGA TOUR. He is on a lifelong quest to break 80 on a course that exceeds 6,000 yards and to see the Buffalo Bills win a Super Bowl. Follow Kevin Prise on Twitter .